School Scores Flat, Teachers Debate Test Role

In Massachusetts, things aren’t looking great for school test scores. According to recent results, students are still far behind where they were before the pandemic hit in 2019. The tests are called MCAS, and while science scores saw a small boost, English and math scores aren’t improving much. The fight is heating up over whether these tests should be used as part of graduation requirements or to compare schools. Teachers' unions want the tests scrapped entirely, but the state Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler thinks they help keep students on track. He says the scores show how important it is for students to get feedback and work toward their goals. The results from 2024 aren’t much different than last year. In English, about two-thirds of third and eighth graders passed in 2019, but now only one-third are passing. The math scores haven't changed either; fewer students are hitting the mark compared to 2019. Science is the bright spot, with a slight increase from last year. Despite these numbers, many districts are making progress toward their targets. But teachers argue that the MCAS tests are causing harm and don’t give a full picture of how well students are doing. They believe ranking schools based on these scores could make the gap between rich and poor areas even bigger.