Several US states move to eliminate high school graduation exam requirements

BOSTON — Massachusetts voters recently decided to end the state’s standardized testing requirement for high school graduation, aligning with a national trend that has steadily reduced the use of high-stakes exams over the past two decades.

The decision, made on Election Day, leaves only seven states with mandated graduation exams, a number that could soon decrease further.

This growing backlash against standardized testing stems from concerns about the excessive classroom time spent on exams and questions about their effectiveness in measuring college or career readiness.

The issue has gained further attention in recent years due to concerns over equity and the learning setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Massachusetts, the campaign against the graduation requirement was led by a teachers union, which argued that the exams were preventing too many students from earning their diplomas and disproportionately affecting curriculum choices.

The opposition, however, was supported by prominent business leaders, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and state officials such as Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat.

“We shouldn’t have different expectations for students depending on which zip code they live in,” Governor Healey said. “We should have a uniformity to our expectations, and they should be high for our students and our families.”

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests cover subjects like mathematics, science and technology, and English.

While the vote did not eliminate these tests entirely, it ended the requirement for passing them to graduate. The MCAS will still be used to assess student progress.

Each year, about 1% of high school seniors in Massachusetts, approximately 700 students, are denied diplomas because they fail the MCAS, despite meeting other graduation requirements. Most of these students are English language learners or students with disabilities.

The movement to remove standardized graduation exams is not limited to Massachusetts. In the mid-2000s, 27 states required exams for graduation. Today, only New York, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia maintain such requirements.

New York officials recently proposed phasing out graduation exam requirements starting in the 2027-28 school year.

The plan would allow students to substitute passing scores with alternatives such as community service or capstone projects to demonstrate proficiency.

Similarly, Florida’s Senate passed a bill earlier this year to remove graduation testing requirements, although the bill stalled in the House.

In New Jersey, a bill to end the graduation exam requirement passed the state Assembly last year but failed in the Senate.

Debate over standardized tests continues, with critics arguing that removing the exams will lower educational standards.

However, proponents of eliminating the tests, such as Harry Feder, executive director of FairTest, argue that the current exams do not accurately measure essential skills like critical thinking and problem-solving.

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy emphasized that the tests were causing students who passed their courses to be denied diplomas. “Educators were forced to narrow the curriculum in order to teach to the high-stakes test,” they said.

Ultimately, Massachusetts voters approved the measure to remove the MCAS as a graduation requirement by a margin of 59% to 41%. — Agencies