SPRINGFIELD — With Massachusetts high schoolers no longer required to pass the MCAS to graduate, Springfield is one of many cities across the commonwealth working to implement its own competency determination to fill that void.
During its regular meeting on March 27, the School Committee approved specific competency determination requirements for its 2025 graduating seniors so those students know exactly what they need to do to receive a diploma later this spring.
“There were lots of questions and thoughts around some of the graduation requirements for the coming years,” said School Committee member and Curriculum and Programs subcommittee chair Denise Hurst. “We are going to have further discussion on that and only take up what needs to be taken up in this moment for our graduates so that they know what it is that they need to do in order to complete for June 2025.”
According to the new competency determination policy for SPS, class of 2025 students who have already achieved “qualifying MCAS scores in math, ELA, and science by the effective date (Dec. 5, 2024) have earned their CD and are eligible to earn a high school diploma provided they meet the graduation requirements.”
The policy states that students in this class who have not earned competency determination through MCAS administrations must meet the requirements for a CD “as established by SPS through identified eligible English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science courses.”
What this means is class of 2025 students are required to have a passing grade in English 9 and English 10; as well as Algebra 1 or Algebra 2, and Geometry.
According to the new policy approved by the committee, class of 2025 students need to also have a passing grade in one of the three laboratory core sciences: Biology, Chemistry, introductory physics or an equivalent.
Aside from meeting these established CD requirements, seniors seeking to graduate this year must also have the required credits necessary to achieve a high school diploma.
“To receive a high school diploma from SPS, students must meet (1) the SPS graduation requirements and (2) the state requirement to meet the CD,” the document states.
Policy’s effect on prior students
The new policy also helps former Springfield students who graduated between 2003-2024. In a presentation to the School Committee, SPS Chief of Special Education and Related Services Marisa McCarthy said that students who graduated in those years, but did not meet MCAS requirements, and therefore did not receive an official diploma, will eventually be able to apply to see if they are eligible for a diploma.
School Committee member LaTonia Monroe Naylor clarified that this initiative would not address those who dropped out of high school; only the former students who graduated but did not receive a diploma because they failed to pass the standardized test.
“It’s [for] folks who did graduate, who did complete their credits, but they were not able to pass the MCAS, and therefore, they can come back at this time during these application periods to then submit a request to be able to have an official diploma,” Monroe Naylor said. “Which is really huge and gets a lot of doors open for them that they haven’t been able to have access to.”
McCarthy said an application process to determine if a former student from those years is eligible for a 2025 diploma is currently being established.
“Our next steps are first to confirm the list of coursework that’s needed for the CDs, then we need to establish that process for graduates to be able to come back and determine whether they met the CD requirements,” McCarthy said. “We need to communicate that as well … so our former students from 2003 forward know how to come back and apply for a diploma.”
Conversations about these new competency determinations comes several months after the majority of Massachusetts voters chose to end MCAS as a graduation requirement and replace it with district-set coursework.
According to the state, students in grades 3-10 will still be required to take the MCAS test, and the test will continue to be used for district accountability, seal of biliteracy and state scholarships; however, passing is no longer required to receive a diploma.
During the March 27 School Committee meeting, McCarthy said she expects the Massachusetts K-12 Statewide Graduation Council will have updated guidance around competency determination and graduation requirements by the end of this year. According to the state website, the council — which includes a broad range of stakeholders in the education realm — was established in January by Gov. Maura Healey to make recommendations to school districts across the state about graduation requirements.
The new competency determination requirements for Springfield’s class of 2025 are available on the website: tinyurl.com/5ypjuw6z.
