MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS VOICED their frustration with the MCAS when they showed up to the polls on November 5th, eliminating its role as a graduation requirement after more than two decades. But a larger conversation looms ahead. Advocates on both sides of the Question 2 debate have said the test itself isn’t perfect. It is time for a serious conversation about a better approach.
Twenty-five years ago, the introduction of MCAS tests promoted consistently high expectations for students statewide, focusing attention on rigorous academic standards to prepare graduates for the futures that awaited them. As researchers responsible for the annual report on the Condition of Education in the Commonwealth, we believe a comprehensive approach to student assessment is a critical element of a strong public education system. But we also need to take the pushback by educators, families, and a substantial majority of voters seriously. The structure of the MCAS has become a barrier rather than a benefit to Massachusetts students.
Preparing for and administering the test can dominate the school schedule. Activities that inspire children get squeezed out in service of test prep worksheets and a weeks-long testing regimen. The results come back too late to benefit instruction, and when testing ends in the spring, meaningful learning is over in many classrooms. Though the MCAS has highlighted inequities in educational opportunity, it has been largely unsuccessful in supporting educators and policymakers to address them.
It doesn’t have to be this way. As technological advances far outpace the speed of change in public education, myriad opportunities exist to reimagine the MCAS in a way that addresses its core challenges.
Schools across Massachusetts already use a range of innovative assessments to inform instruction, including web-based interim assessments that provide timely feedback to teachers and families. States like Montana and Louisiana have started piloting ways to use this type of assessment to replace traditional end-of-year standardized testing. Both states are piloting models that align testing to classroom instruction with a series of shorter, web-based, interim assessments. Unlike in the 1990s, when bold policy made Massachusetts a leader in K-12 standards and assessment, we are no longer leading the way.
It’s not too late to reestablish Massachusetts as a national leader in K-12 assessment. While the federal requirement for statewide assessment like the MCAS is not going away, states have far more flexibility to innovate than many realize. Additionally, technology has advanced tremendously since the next-generation MCAS was developed in 2017.
It’s time for a proactive conversation about the future of this assessment. While the path forward in education may not be straightforward, the potential for meaningful transformation is well within our reach.
What could an MCAS of the future look like? Building on existing work in Massachusetts, we could explore options that not only shift the MCAS exam but also reduce the number of tests students take each year.
For instance, if our goal is to get a snapshot of school performance for accountability, we could test a representative sample of students across schools and grade levels. Alternatively, if we aim to monitor statewide performance while providing valuable data to teachers, we might consider a series of more targeted online assessments designed to track student growth throughout the year.
Such an approach would help inform and improve instruction by assessing students as skills and content are taught. Looking to more innovative changes, we could discuss how to measure the skills that employers need for the future workforce. For example, developers are beginning to explore AI-enabled assessments that evaluate competencies like creativity and argumentation.
Assessments serve as a powerful lever to improve schools because they have a massive impact on what gets prioritized in classrooms–and what doesn’t. Rather than waiting until the MCAS has become an antiquated assessment, it’s time to reshape it into a testing system that meets the needs of today’s students.
For too many of us, standardized testing evokes images of long hours sitting at desks in silent classrooms, anxiously checking bubbles on multiple-choice questions. The tests of the future won’t look like this. Let’s take back our role as national leaders in assessment and start thinking about the next chapter for MCAS.
Chad d’Entremont is executive director and Annelise Buzaid is senior research director of the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.
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