We embarked on this report with the goal to help inform our state's education leaders, as well as members of the Governor's K-12 Graduation Council, of key considerations and questions as they determine how to move forward in the awarding of the Competency Determination for high school students preparing to graduate from our state's high schools.
Our questions were framed around how to select the best possible tool (or tools) to use in assessing whether a student has earned a Competency Determination, something that was previously determined by a student's score on the 10th grade MCAS exam. This report does not consider what other graduation requirement(s) the Commonwealth may wish to require; its only concern is with the criteria for awarding a Competency Determination to ensure graduates are leaving high school well prepared to face a bright future path, and that Massachusetts retains its high standards for each and every student.
