Scituate Revises Graduation Rules After MCAS Change

The Scituate School Committee is taking steps to update its graduation requirements following Massachusetts' removal of the MCAS as a mandatory graduation requirement. During its February 10 meeting, the committee discussed new competency guidelines to ensure that all students have a clear path to earning their diplomas.

With the state still developing long-term policies, local districts must determine how to assess student readiness for graduation.

Adjusting to a New System

Previously, Massachusetts high school students were required to pass the 10th-grade MCAS in math, English, and science to graduate. However, with the passage of Ballot Question 2 in November 2024, the state eliminated the requirement, leaving school districts responsible for setting new competency standards.

“In Scituate, we have a small number but still a number nonetheless of students who did not pass the 10th-grade MCAS,” said committee member Janice Lindblom. “So for those students, we need to make sure that we are giving them the path and making sure that they're all on it in terms of what it would take for them to graduate.”

The committee is considering an alternative assessment process that would allow students who did not pass the MCAS to demonstrate their competency through coursework or other academic benchmarks.

A Work in Progress

While the district aims to finalize a policy before the end of the school year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has not yet issued clear guidance on long-term graduation standards.

“Every school committee in our state is currently needing to do the same thing right now,” Lindblom said. “And DESE and MASC have not really issued complete guidance. They’ve done this FAQ document, which is helpful, but no one has kind of said, I think everyone’s learning and flying the plane, we’re building the plane while we fly it on this topic at the moment.”

Committee member Maria Fenwick emphasized that while the new policy will provide immediate solutions for the current senior class, further discussions will be needed.

“This policy, it helps the current seniors,” Fenwick said. “But we’re going to look at it deeper moving forward, not waiting for the state with their own.”

Providing Flexibility for Students

To ensure that no students are unfairly penalized by the sudden change, the proposed policy includes a provision allowing the principal to review individual student transcripts. This would ensure that students who have demonstrated competency through coursework can still receive their diplomas.

“There is a kind of clause at the bottom that says the principal may on a case-by-case basis review a student's transcript and determine if its successful completion of course constitutes a reasonable equivalent,” Fenwick explained. “So that is sort of a catchall for, because sometimes a student might’ve moved here after they would’ve taken one of these classes.”

School officials noted that they are tracking the number of students affected and plan to communicate updates to families as soon as the policy is finalized.

Next Steps for Scituate Schools

While the committee is working quickly to implement a fair policy, members acknowledged that long-term solutions will require additional input from the state and local educators.

“I think we need to educate once the policy is passed,” said Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch. “I think we just need to educate everybody about what it means.”

The committee will hold further discussions before finalizing the competency requirements for future graduating classes.