| Good Morning,
Welcome back! We hope you had a restful and restorative Thanksgiving break because we are hitting the ground running in December.
State releases High School Graduation Requirement draft
On Monday morning, Governor Maura Healey released an outline of new high school graduation standards that will replace the MCAS requirement overturned by voters in a ballot question last year.
BTU President Erik Berg has been serving on a K-12 Graduation Council organized by the Governor in January, and the BTU supports most of the recommendations in the interim report, including the course requirements, post-secondary plan, and others.
Voters, families, and BTU members have already made clear that they oppose the introduction of any new state-administered, state-scored End-of-Course exams (EOCs) as graduation requirements. At the October membership meeting, 86% of BTU members opposed the use of EOCs as a graduation requirement. The BTU is pleased that the interim report makes clear that “it is not the intention for any student to be denied a diploma exclusively because of EOC assessments,” but the report leaves important details to be determined about what weight these EOCs will have.
In the absence of these details, the BTU cannot support the recommendations as written, but we hope that these concerns can be resolved before the report is finalized.
As currently written, the report leaves the possibility open that students could be required to take both the MCAS and an undefined number of additional state-mandated EOC assessments, leading to a net increase of emphasis and time on state-driven and potentially repetitive standardized testing – something voters clearly oppose. As the report states, “the intent of the recommendation is for students to take EOC assessments in lieu of the standard high school MCAS assessments, though importantly, this change would require a process to obtain federal approval.” The lack of specificity on the number of EOC’s in the current draft, along with the possibility that both MCAS and EOCs would remain, are problematic details that must be addressed. It could lead to students and teachers spending even more time on standardized tests, rather than the type of deeper learning that is envisioned in the state’s Portrait of a Graduate, which also grew out of the K-12 Graduation Council’s work.
We also have some concerns about the requirement that all students complete a state-designed capstone project or portfolio. While we support the idea of such assessment measures, the lack of specifics around where the time to engage in these measures will come from is troubling. It’s especially concerning at a time when, in most districts, teachers’ and students’ time is already fully committed.
Finally, while we do not object to including a seal of biliteracy and perhaps some other “seals of distinction,” including a CTE seal, we would not support any kind of tiered diploma system, which is hinted at in the idea of an “academic/honors seal.”
Again, we hope that many or all of these concerns can be addressed before the report is finalized, and will continue to advocate accordingly.
Rally and Testimony before School Committee
This Wednesday, educators, parents and students are planning to gather outside the Bolling Building ahead of the School Committee meeting to oppose the district’s latest approach to school closures and mergers. The district submitted a proposal on November 19th to close ACC, CASH, and Lee Academy Pilot and remove grade levels at the Henderson Inclusion School and Tobin Elementary. The School Committee plans to vote on the proposal on December 17th, giving people less than a month to strategize on how to preserve aspects of their respective communities.
BTU members at each of these schools, families, students and others will be outside the Bolling Building at 5:00 for a rally before the meeting begins at 6:00.
Opening for BTU member on Inclusion Working Group
The Inclusion Working Group (IWG) was created to monitor the progress and implementation of inclusive education in the District. The IWG is composed equally of BTU members appointed by the BTU President and BPS district leaders appointed by the Superintendent. We are seeking to appoint a new BTU member to the IWG as soon as possible. Some of the characteristics preferred for the role are significant classroom experience with inclusion in BPS, especially those who have delivered tier 1 instruction and specialized instruction simultaneously.
The IWG meets once a month in person on the first Monday of each month from 5:30 to 7:00pm. If you would like to be considered for an appointment to this team, please email Katie DeLaRosa (kdelarosa@btu.org) by December 12th. Please include a brief statement on why you are interested and what you believe you would contribute to this group. |
