A graduation requirement for high school seniors could be put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic if a bill is passed on Beacon Hill.
The Joint Committee on Education will accept written testimony on a bill that would keep schools from using the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, also known as “MCAS” tests, as a condition for students in order to graduate. The bill would suspend that requirement for four years, starting in the fall of this year through the school year ending in 2024.
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The consideration comes as schools continue to weigh their options for how to reopen safely in the fall.
According to the Boston Herald, both the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers support the bill.
A spokesman for the AFT told the Herald, in part, “Massachusetts students are worried about the risk of becoming infected themselves… the last thing they should have to worry about this year is preparing for high-stakes testing.”
