Central Berkshire Regional School District:
Resolution on the MCAS

(Central Berkshire covers the towns of Becket, Cummington, Dalton, Hindsdale, and Washington.) 

Passed unanimously at meeting of July 28, 2000.

1. WHEREAS an MCAS program as currently devised will increase high school dropout rates, discourage some middle and high school students who perform at marginal levels, and unnecessarily frustrate some younger children, especially those with special needs, who are unable to succeed in the challenging MCAS test, and 

2. WHEREAS there is evidence that states that have implemented education reform without high-stakes (testing that links passage to graduation) testing are having better results in providing academic performance than states that have voted high-stakes testing, +

3. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Central Berkshire Regional School Committee opposes the use of a passing grade on the 10th grade Language Arts and Mathematics MCAS tests as a requirement for graduation from high school, and 

4. In accordance with the Education Reform Act, requiring a variety of assessments of student performance, 

now BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Great and General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and the Massachusetts Association of Superintendents urge the Board of Education to not link MCAS test results with the granting of high school diplomas and the aforementioned groups lobby for legislation that will prohibit the use of MCAS test results for this purpose.