Per decision of the Massachusetts residents, our yearly standardized state test (MCAS) has been removed as a requirement to graduate high school.  However, schools like our beloved Wahconah are designating the time in the spring for the students to take the test, which is still not an option.  But why?  What does this mean for the future of this test we’ve all gotten used to?

If your memory tells you correctly, the passing/failing of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System was barely a concern for the vast majority of students.  So what caused all this uproar to stop it from being a graduation requirement?  That comes down to each individual person, but most people came to agree that the mundane test was unnecessary to hold that level of power.

It’s important to remember the fundamentals of standardized testing, to see individual progress on what you’ve learned throughout your schooling and track your academic progress.  It also shows your parents/guardians that their tax money is being spent well, and also that the choice to send you to school is a good choice on their behalf.  And of course the story we’ve all heard since we first started taking it, it tracks how your classes affected your learning, with your teachers viewing how you scored helping them in the future.

It’s extremely important for students to keep trying their hardest and present themselves for their school and their family in the future.