EASTHAMPTON — At its Sept. 4 meeting, the Easthampton City Council lent its support to a ballot question that would remove the MCAS as a graduation requirement for high school students.
Several community members and a majority of the City Council spoke in favor of the ballot question citing the anxiety that the exam causes, noting that one exam should not determine a student’s future and that MCAS as a graduation requirement means many schools teach to the test instead of fostering creativity and problem solving.
Councilor Salem Derby, who is also a teacher at Northampton High School, shared his observations from 20 years as a teacher.
“Students are more anxious than I’ve ever seen,” he said, noting that Massachusetts public schools have been ranked the best in spite of this test, not because of it. Derby also said that the $30 million spent on MCAS could be better spent on the students.
“We have to start thinking more about the students and the teachers,” said Council President Homar Gomez.
Councilor Koni Denham spoke of negative personal experiences with similar standardized tests.
“I spent four years at a community college not believing in myself,” recalled Denham. “I know this has a negative impact on students.”
Several residents and councilors also voiced concerns that the standardized test particularly harms and holds back students of color, those with special education needs and those who come from impoverished backgrounds.
“One test should not be the judge of whether you get a diploma or not,” said resident Sarah Woodard.
Currently, Massachusetts is one of eight states that has such a graduation requirement.
The council also voted to approve a resolution supporting the completion of the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail, which would create a continuous, 104-mile, mixed-use path from Easthampton to Boston.
Several councilors expressed their excitement at what this could mean for the city and its residents, as well as the opportunities it opens for residents in the eastern part of the state to visit the western part.
As voted on, the Lathrop community will receive $33,051 for the first year of a three-year plan to control and remove invasive plants on its land. The approved funds will support work on the community’s 78 acres of land in Easthampton. The property sits on the Easthampton and Northampton border and Northampton has already voted to approve the funds for the entire three-year plan on the area in Northampton.
“Our main purpose is to protect wildlife,” explained Barbara Walvoord, a member of the Lathrop community who spoke on the project’s behalf. She added that the Lathrop community has also contributed $25,000 which it raised to the project.
