TESTIMONY

Janet Dolan, Swampscott/Nahant CARE Chapter, Retired School  Committe Member ( Presently, Chairman, Nahant Advisory and FinanceCommittee)

 

The message to the Legislature today is clear and succinct: introduce a variety of Assessments, and end MCAS as the sole requirement for graduation.What was supposed to be education reform to help public school students through equalized school district funding, and provide equal education opportunities has turned disruptive to classrooms with continuous MCAS drill and test preparation, administering a test that is longer than the Mass Bar Exam, diverted millions of dollars in valuable resources that could be better spent for special education, local initiatives and badly needed capital projects. MCAS has single handedly done more to damage recent progress in education. Schools have been forced to narrow curriculum focusing on one test, long term goals have been substituted with the short term one of raising MCAS scores. The state curriculum frameworks continue to be revamped resulting in changed planning, implementation and outcomes. MCAS is not a panacea. It is a problem . One that is damaging to our most precious resource  - our children. To continue with current policy is to choose higher drop out rates, endorse the growing gap between the educational haves  and have not.MCAS hits our most vulnerable students - those with special needs, vocational students and minorities.Allow children to learn"...without threats to their sense of security or self esteem." Introduce multiple assessments and eliminate MCAS as the single graduation requirement (MGL Ch. 69, Sec1I, which calls for a variety of assessments. MCAS is not a panacea for our students and schools. It is a problem - very damaging one.

 

Signed: Janet Dolan, Swampscott/Nahant CARE Chapter,

            Retired School  Committe Member

            ( Presently, Chairman, Nahant Advisory and FinanceCommittee)