By Michele Kurtz, Globe Staff, 2/21/2003

A sixth school district has decided to award diplomas to high school students who don't pass the MCAS - a move state education officials say is illegal.

The Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee voted 9-1 last week to give the so-called local diplomas to seniors who meet other graduation requirements but have not passed both the English and math sections of the 10th-grade MCAS.

Beginning with this year's seniors, students are required to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam to graduate. But a handful of districts, including Cambridge, have said they'll give their own diplomas despite the state's mandate.

''These students have been in our school and if they do pass all their courses, it does seem like they should be able to get their diploma,'' said school committee Chairman Stephen Bannon. ''We're not snubbing our nose at the Department of Education. We're just in disagreement over what the correct way of handling this is.''

State Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll has said that districts that award local diplomas are breaking the law and could lose state funding or worse.

''They'll be handing out really worthless diplomas. The commissioner has called this the height of irresponsibility,'' said Heidi B. Perlman, spokeswoman for the Department of Education. ''There are two main consequences - they could lose state aid, or if they persist we can refer the whole thing to the attorney general's office for noncompliance.''

The issue in Berkshire Hills came up at a meeting last week when the principal of Monument Mountain Regional High School proposed awarding state-endorsed certificates - but not diplomas - to students who fail MCAS but meet other requirements. Nine of the school's students have not passed both sections of the test.

Some committee members instead suggested giving two types of diplomas - ''MCAS-certified'' and ''non-MCAS-certified,'' Bannon said, adding that officials felt their high school program is sufficiently rigorous to determine which students should graduate. ''I think in the long run we need to take a stand and say what's wrong with our education, what's wrong with our school district?''

Bannon said he was aware that the school district could lose state funding if it bestows the diplomas on students who fail MCAS. ''I think we probably will reconsider if it comes down to withholding funding,'' he said.

About 10,500 seniors statewide - or 18 percent - have yet to pass both sections of the MCAS. That number may drop when retest results are released next month.

This story ran on page B5 of the Boston Globe on 2/21/2003.
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