The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons Barron’s own blog.

Jack Rennie, Chairman and CEO of Pacer Systems, Inc, was a genial and successful businessman in Massachusetts who found his purpose in life not infinitely expanding his corporate interests but in educating the workforce necessary to grow the state’s economy. During the 1980’s, he became increasingly distressed that young people were leaving school inadequately prepared for basic jobs that companies need to fill.  Their high school diplomas were meaningless.

Rennie was not alone in his complaint, so he founded the Mass. Business Alliance for Education and involved other corporate leaders.  He went door to door, to educators, to reporters and editorialists (including me) pushing for higher education standards and accountability in the K-12 public education system.  His efforts paid off over time with the Mass. Education Reform Act of 1993.  With its passage came higher standards for student learning, testing and accountability for performance and more state funds for under-performing   schools.  Over the years, MBAE regularly honored educators who influenced student success. And the Commonwealth came regularly to rank at or near Number 1 nationally in K-12 education.

Now a group of teachers wants to eliminate MCAS as a requirement for graduation from high school. Students would no longer have to meet 10^th grade level understanding of math, English and science in order to deserve a high school diploma. That clearly undercuts the goal of having them able to enter the world prepared to hold a job, to advance and fulfill their potential.

Many teachers resent taking the time out of regular school work, (a week out of the school year) or feel they have to take up class time teaching to the test. But so far there’s nothing to replace it.  About 700 students statewide are actually denied a high school diploma due to failure to pass the 10^th grade MCAS, according to state education department statistics. Almost half the school districts in Massachusetts have no students who fail to get a diploma based on failing MCAS,  and 80 percent of the school systems have three or fewer.

The last available annual statistics indicate that 90 percent of Massachusetts students pass the first time. If students fail the test first given in the 10^th grade, they may retake the test twice in their junior year and twice in the senior year. Accommodations are made for students who have special needs or who don’t test well.

The Yes on Two supporters of the repeal referendum are running an ad that misleadingly says their goal is to replace passing the MCAS test as a standard for graduation, but there’s nothing offered to replace it.

That’s why it makes absolutely no sense to trash the MCAS graduation requirement without having an alternative statewide standard for measuring student performance and system accountability.

Bottom line? Vote No on Question Two.