Wayland School Committee: Resolution on the MCAS


This resolution was sent to Gov. Paul Cellucci, James Peyser Chairman of the Board of Education, and David Driscoll, Commissioner of Education. Copies were sent to State Sen. Susan Fargo, State Rep. Susan Pope, Karen Tichnor of Wayland CARE and others.

Dear Sirs:

We, the members of the Wayland School Committee, call upon the Governor, the Massachusetts Board of Education, and the Massachusetts Department of Education to develop an assessment system that contributes to the improvement of public education while being equitable to all K-12 students, responsive to local district concerns, and supportive of innovative curriculum. We believe this can be accomplished in ways that respect public schooling and the Commonwealth¹s many public school educators.

Further, we call on the Legislature to convene statewide public hearings on the current and proposed uses of MCAS. In particular, we urge the Commonwealth to take the following measures to mitigate the unfair effects of MCAS and return education reform to a more reasoned path: 

… Abandon the MCAS graduation requirement in its current "high stakes" form, and fulfill the Massachusetts Education Reform Act¹s promise of a multi-faceted assessment system.

… Scale back the amount of time devoted to MCAS testing, which at present infringes excessively on valuable classroom teaching.

… Concentrate testing on areas of literacy and numeracy.

… Encourage the development of a wide range of authentic assessments for student progress and school performance, including the state MCAS test, classroom tests and quizzes, projects, presentations, portfolios, and other assessment measures.

… Support teachers and local districts in making informed and independent curriculum decisions to benefit their students.

… Establish that the MCAS is educationally valid before stabilizing its content and using it as a basis for promotion/graduation.

At your convenience, we would be happy to discuss this matter further. 

For the Wayland School Committee,
Robert B. Gordon, Chairperson
Lea T. Anderson, Vice Chairperson
Jeff Dieffenbach
Frederick K. Knight
Cathy L. Shuman

Cc: Gary A. Burton, Superintendent