AMHERST – By a 9-to-0 vote, the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee has adopted a resolution urging the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to waive MCAS requirements for three years.
Board members said on Tuesday that they are not opposed to standardized tests, but, believe it is a good idea at this time for the state to not enforce MCAS testing, as a graduation requirement from high school, until things return to normal.
They said a three-year moratorium would accomplish this, and would allow the district breathing space to better focus on educating students during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is about stating our beliefs and our values,” school board Chair Allison McDonald said.
School Committee members in Holyoke raised similar concerns at a meeting last month.
Last summer, nearly three dozen lawmakers signed onto a bill to suspend the MCAS for the next three years. The measure was sent off to a legislative committee, and not acted upon.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said on Nov. 24 said the tests are still on track to be administered, but that the department is considering options like limiting the amount of time for which students take the test or at-home testing this spring.
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- Holyoke schools board decries state moving forward with MCAS testing during coronavirus pandemic
- MCAS testing essential to address falling test scores (viewpoint)