DALTON, Mass. — The state is mandating that school districts develop a competency evaluation plan now that the 10th grade MCAS scores are no longer a graduation requirement. 

 

In November 2024, voters passed Question 2, which removed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores as a requirement to earn a high school diploma.

 

The competency test has been in the schools for more than 30 years, a result of the state's 1993 Education Reform Act.

 

With its passage, the question remains on how schools will prove graduates are meeting competency standards. 

 

"The state started to put out some new guidelines and expectations for high schools. High schools now have to demonstrate that their students have achieved competency," said Aaron Robb, assistant superintendent. 

 

Districts were "essentially told" to come up with their own plans to provide evidence of that template provided by the state. 

 

In December, the School Committee approved the district's competency determination plan, which was adjusted to meet guidelines submitted by the state. 

 

"We got a head start on it here in Central Berkshire. The snow was still on the ground. It was like February. We started working on this a while ago and we were way out ahead of it," Robb said. 

 

"However, the guidance that we were getting from the state was minimal. The most substantive guidance we got from the state wasn't until July." 

 

The individuals who were working on it were on summer vacation by the time the district received guidance. 

 

"So, when we reconvened as a team, when school started back up, we had to do some revisions based upon the new guidance that we received. Then we were told we were going to be getting some more guidance," Robb said. 

 

"Later on in the fall, in the midst of us actually finishing up this plan, is when the governor's new proposal for high school graduation requirements was made public." 

 

The district's Competency Determination Policy specifies graduation requirements, such as credits earned, how competency is assessed for all students — including those with disabilities, English learners, and late enrollees — and outlines appeal procedures and the process for former students to request diplomas.

 

During the district's process of developing its plan it had to try and anticipate the state guidelines.

 

"A lot of this plan is a reiteration of what we already do but there were also some expectations that we had to live up to or guidelines we had to work within once we finally received the guidance from the state," Robb said. 

 

Initially, the district was under the impression that high stakes assessments like midterms and final exams were going to be heavily scrutinized by the state. 

 

So, the district put forth a plan where students had to pass those in order to achieve competency.

 

"What we're now hearing from the governor's plan is that they have something called 'end-of-year course assessments' built into their plan, but they don't want the … assessments to be a hurdle or an obstacle for students on their path to graduation," Robb said. 

 

"They want them to mean something, but they don't want them to be preventative in terms of a student graduating. So, what we're trying to do is we're trying to adjust our sales a little bit and take our lead a little bit from that hint from the governor in our plan."