District takes MCAS stand

By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY, Staff Writer

Saturday, October 13, 2001 -- WESTHAMPTON - The district school board has decided that all Hampshire Regional students who complete the high school's course of studies will receive a diploma, regardless of their MCAS scores.

This stance, unanimously adopted Oct. 1, is contrary to that of the state Department of Education, which has made passage of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests a graduation requirement.

Superintendent William Erickson said Thursday that the school board's position expresses its concern about the imposition of another standard beyond what the district requires. He said the Hampshire Regional School Committee has been the local authority issuing diplomas and doesn't think that should change.

"It's a thoughtful committee that is concerned ... about the high-stakes aspects of the test," Erickson said.

Last spring was the fourth time the MCAS exams were administered, but the first that public high school students, who were sophomores at the time, were required to pass at least the math and English portions to graduate. Those test scores are expected to be released later this month. Students will be given up to four chances to pass the exam before failure will deny them a high school diploma.

But in its position statement, the school board says the district does not require students to pass a competency exam, and has no plans to incorporate one as a criterion for earning a Hampshire Regional diploma.

Brad Brousseau, Regional School Committee vice chairman from Southampton, said the committee is united in believing that the MCAS should not be the sole criteria for graduation. He said that achievement within Hampshire Regional High School's own frameworks is a strong measure of a student's accomplishment.

The school committee's position statement noted that since the Education Reform Act was adopted in 1993, Hampshire's faculty and administration have worked to align the school's curriculum with state frameworks.

But Jonathan Palumbo, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said Thursday that the school can issue a local certificate to students who do not pass the MCAS tests, but not a diploma.

Palumbo said he consulted with the DOE's commissioner and chief legal counsel, who say the law is clear that satisfactorily passing the MCAS tests shall be a condition of graduation.

But the Regional School Committee said that it plans to satisfy DOE's requirement by presenting a separate document stating a student's MCAS scores along with the diploma or at another time.

Erickson said he is unsure what response to expect from the DOE. "They could change the law or ignore it (the position)," he said.

He said one reason for issuing the statement is that other districts likely feel the same as Hampshire Regional, and perhaps the committee's action will rally others to express their views.

Larry Miller, a Goshen representative on the committee, said the board isn't backing away from the MCAS tests. Members think the tests should be taken and have students do as well as possible.

But Miller said he's afraid that students will give up or drop out since the test is taken in the 10th grade, fairly early in their high school career.

Further, Miller said the committee took its stand because members believe parents, students and teachers share the board's opinion about the MCAS requirement .