In response the the results of Massachusetts Ballot Question #2, the DESE has produced "a FAQ document relating to competency determination awards to offer guidance to districts and families at this time." Most pressingly, that guidance instructs schools to continue with the November MCAS retests, which is taken by students in grade 11 and/or 12 that have not yet passed the ELA and Mathematics MCAS. Our students completed the ELA MCAS retests on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and they will take the Mathematics MCAS on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. The reason for this guidance is that the law will not go into effect until December 5, 2024 at the earliest.

The Spring MCAS testing windows for ELA, Mathematics, and Science are still scheduled for our students. The ballot measure did not eliminate MCAS entirely. Rather, the ballot measure removes the requirement that students must pass the MCAS as a graduation requirement.