A group tasked with developing statewide high school graduation requirements after voters decided to ditch the MCAS last year released its first “vision” on Wednesday of what students in Massachusetts must achieve in order to complete secondary education.
Gov. Maura Healey pitched the “vision” — or a set of six bullet points meant to define graduates — as the first step in creating statewide graduation standards to ensure students leave high school with the skills necessary to succeed in college, their careers, and in civic life.
“We all need to work together to make sure our young people are prepared not only with strong academic skills but also with the problem-solving, collaboration, and leadership abilities they’ll need to succeed in every aspect of life,” the first-term Democrat said in a statement.
High school students are meant to be academically prepared, critical problem-solvers, self-aware navigators, intentional collaborators, effective communicators, and responsible decision-makers, according to the “vision” the Healey administration released.
The governor created the “Statewide K-12 Graduation Council” in January after voters approved a ballot question in November with nearly 60% of the vote that decoupled students’ scores on the MCAS from their ability to graduate high school. Healey opposed the ballot question.
Top officials at the Massachusetts Teachers Association, which backed the question and ultimately beat out business groups who opposed the idea, said they were pleased that the “vision” emphasizes “core skills and attributes that are essential to the success” of young people.
“We will only nurture students to be ‘critical problem solvers, intentional collaborators, effective communicators, self-aware navigators, and responsible decision-makers’ if we design educator-led systems of assessment and provide the necessary resources that educators, students, and schools need to fulfill these goals,” said Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy.
The outline of a statewide high school graduation requirement calls on students to have a strong foundation across academic disciplines, the ability to critically examine information “to draw connections,” and be able to understand themselves and their strengths.
It also encourages graduates to “engage respectfully and productively” with diverse individuals and groups, confidently and clearly express their ideas, and set and pursue personal goals, make healthy and financially sustainable choices, and demonstrate confidence and competence in shaping their lives.
Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said the “vision” provides a blueprint for what it means to graduate high school in Massachusetts.
“It emphasizes that every student has the capacity to be a thinker, contributor, and leader and that our job as educators and communities is to nurture those qualities every step of the way,” Tutwiler said in a statement.