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State mulls end-of-course tests as possible MCAS replacement

A year after Massachusetts voters overturned using the 10th grade MCAS exam as a graduation requirement, state leaders are considering end-of-course state-administered tests for high schoolers.

Some members of an advisory council on graduation requirements, including MASC President Jason Fraser, indicated they fear such exams would just create another high-stakes test and overturn the will of the voters. Other members of the council worry the proposed recommendation would not go far enough toward establishing a baseline high school diploma. The advisory council, established by Governor Healey in January, has dozens of members, including students, superintendents, top legislators’ appointees, and representatives of higher education.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently released guidance regarding the updated Career and Technical Education regulations, which can be found through the Department’s Office of College, Career and Technical Education page. This guidance should be used to update admissions policies for all CTE schools and for comprehensive districts with CTE programs. For those using the NEPN coding system, this policy would be coded JF.
All districts with middle schools that have access to CTE programs through their high schools or through a municipality’s membership in a regional CTE district must create a Middle School Pathway Exploration Policy, which should include language that “documents how middle school students in the district are made aware of and gain exposure to the vocational technical programs to which their district has access.”
MASC recommends that districts with middle schools whose municipalities are part of a regional CTE district collaborate regarding local practices. MASC further recommends that this language be added to the district’s Course of Study for middle school.
Because both of the above will vary widely by district, MASC has no plans at this time to circulate model policy language.
Both such updates, as with any policy, should be adopted by the full School Committee in a properly posted public session. The Department has set a deadline of November 1 for these updates to be submitted to the Department.
The full guidance report is posted on the DESE website: https://www.doe.mass.edu/ccte/policies/admissions/default.html

On July 4, Governor Maura Healey signed the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) $60.9 billion state budget, a $60.9 billion plan that the administration calls fiscally responsible, lowers costs, protects essential care and services, and moves the Massachusetts economy forward.
However, the Governor also vetoed $130 million that had been included in the conference committee budget, resulting in a final budget that is more than $1 billion less than the H1 proposal and $130 million less than the final conference budget. The administration is also continuing an Executive Branch hiring freeze, halting a planned non-union manager pay raise scheduled for January, saving $17 million, and delaying payment on earmarked funds for local projects in the budget totaling approximately $125 million until later in the year when more is
The FY26 budget extends successful initiatives to make housing, transportation and education more affordable by funding universal free school meals, free community college and fare-free regional transit. The budget lowers child care costs for families—with $475 million in support for Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) to early education and care providers—and alleviates financial pressure on college students by providing an $85 million expansion of scholarships through the MASSGrant Plus financial aid program. The budget also codifies Governor Healey’s proposal to drive down housing costs by banning renter-paid broker’s fees,