Massachusetts Question 2, Repeal Competency Assessment Requirement for High School Graduation Initiative (2024)
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| Massachusetts Question 2 | |
|---|---|
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| Election date November 5, 2024 | |
| Topic Education | |
Status Approved | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
Massachusetts Question 2, the Repeal Competency Assessment Requirement for High School Graduation Initiative, was on the ballot in Massachusetts as an indirect initiated state statute on November 5, 2024.[1][2] The ballot measure was approved.
A "yes" vote supported repealing the requirement that students must achieve a certain competency level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam to graduate high school. |
A "no" vote opposed repealing the requirement that students must achieve a certain competency level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam to graduate high school. |
Election results
See also: Results for education and school choice ballot measures, 2024
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Massachusetts Question 2 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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2,004,216 | 59.07% | ||
| No | 1,388,560 | 40.93% | ||
Overview
What did Question 2 change about the statewide assessment to graduate high school?
- See also: Text of measure
Question 2 repealed the requirement that students must achieve a certain competency level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam to graduate high school. The initiative required that students participate in the assessment program without achieving a certain competency level and complete all local or district graduation requirements.[1]
Did any other states have similar statewide assessment requirements?
For the graduating class of 2023, eight states (Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming) required students to pass a statewide assessment to graduate high school according to Fair Test: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing.[3]
Who supported and opposed Question 2?
- See also: Support and Opposition
Committee for High Standards Not High Stakes led the campaign in support of the initiative. The campaign received $16.4 million, including $15.2 million from the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA). The MTA stated, "Massachusetts residents are ready to join the vast majority of states that have scrapped the use of standardized tests as a graduation requirement and instead use authentic, educator-designed assessments of student skills. The MCAS will still be taken, as is required by federal law, but it will be used for diagnostic purposes, and not as a high-stakes test required for earning a diploma."[4][5]
Protect Our Kids' Future: Vote No on 2 registered in opposition to Question 2. The committee reported $5.4 million in contributions. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was the largest donor, contributing $2.5 million. The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, which opposed the initiative, said, "Importantly, we know from Brown University research that ‘high school MCAS scores predict long-term success and appear to reflect students’ academic skills,’ not simply socio-economic status or school characteristics …. We can’t eliminate gaps in achievement and equity if we strip ourselves of the tools to measure them. Instead of wasting time fighting for legislation that does away with the graduation standard, a true commitment to equity requires we focus squarely on helping all students meet it."[6][4]
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[7]
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 1, 2024?[8] | ” |
Ballot summary
The final ballot summary for Question 2 was as follows.[7]
| “ | This proposed law would eliminate the requirement that a student pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests (or other statewide or district-wide assessments) in mathematics, science and technology, and English in order to receive a high school diploma. Instead, in order for a student to receive a high school diploma, the proposed law would require the student to complete coursework certified by the student’s district as demonstrating mastery of the competencies contained in the state academic standards in mathematics, science and technology, and English, as well as any additional areas determined by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.[8] | ” |
Full text
The full text of the ballot measure is below:[1]
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The secretary of state wrote the ballot language for this measure.
The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 11, and the FRE is 59. The word count for the ballot title is 24.
The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 27, and the FRE is -5. The word count for the ballot summary is 101.
Support
Committee to Eliminate Barriers to Student Success for All led the Yes on 2 campaign in support of the initiative.[5]
Supporters
Officials
- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D)
- U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D)
- U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D)
- U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan (D)
- State Rep. Jim Hawkins
Unions
Organizations
Arguments
Opposition
Protect Our Kids' Future: Vote No on 2 led the campaign in opposition to Question 2.[9]
Opponents
Officials
- Gov. Maura Healey (D)
- Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler (Nonpartisan)
Former Officials
- Former Secretary of Education Jim Peyser (Nonpartisan)
Organizations
- Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
- Massachusetts Association of School Superintenents
- Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
- Massachusetts Business Roundtable
- Massachusetts Restaurant Association
- NAIOP Massachusetts
- Pioneer Institute
Arguments
Campaign finance
One committee registered in support of Question 2—Committee for High Standards Not High Stakes. One committee registered in opposition to Question 2—Protect Our Kids' Future: Vote No on 2.[5]
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $950,000.00 | $15,600,360.49 | $16,550,360.49 | $950,000.00 | $16,550,360.49 |
| Oppose | $5,318,307.02 | $93,763.81 | $5,412,070.83 | $5,011,106.57 | $5,104,870.38 |
| Total | $6,268,307.02 | $15,694,124.30 | $21,962,431.32 | $5,961,106.57 | $21,655,230.87 |
Support
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of the ballot measure.[5]
| Committees in support of Question 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| Committee for High Standards Not High Stakes | $950,000.00 | $15,600,360.49 | $16,550,360.49 | $950,000.00 | $16,550,360.49 |
| Total | $950,000.00 | $15,600,360.49 | $16,550,360.49 | $950,000.00 | $16,550,360.49 |
Donors
The following table shows the top donors to the committee registered in support of the ballot measure.[5]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Teachers Association | $0.00 | $15,204,575.87 | $15,204,575.87 |
| National Education Association | $500,000.00 | $0.00 | $500,000.00 |
| American Federation of Teachers International | $200,000.00 | $0.00 | $200,000.00 |
| Massachusetts Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee | $150,000.00 | $0.00 | $150,000.00 |
| American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts AFL-CIO Solidarity Fund | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Boston Teachers Union PAC | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $50,000.00 |
Opposition
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to the ballot measure.[5]
| Committees in opposition to Question 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| Protect Our Kids' Future: Vote No on 2 | $5,318,307.02 | $93,763.81 | $5,412,070.83 | $5,011,106.57 | $5,104,870.38 |
| Total | $5,318,307.02 | $93,763.81 | $5,412,070.83 | $5,011,106.57 | $5,104,870.38 |
Donors
The following table shows the top donors to the committee registered in opposition to the ballot measure.[5]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael R. Bloomberg | $2,500,000.00 | $0.00 | $2,500,000.00 |
| Jim Davis | $250,000.00 | $0.00 | $250,000.00 |
| Raymond Strata | $200,000.00 | $0.00 | $200,000.00 |
| State Street Corporation | $200,000.00 | $0.00 | $200,000.00 |
| Paul Sagan | $150,000.00 | $0.00 | $150,000.00 |
| David Peeler | $100,000.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Paul Edgerley | $100,000.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Richard Burnes | $100,000.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Robert Rivers | $100,000.00 | $0.00 | $100,000.00 |
Media editorials
- See also: 2024 ballot measure media endorsements
Support
The following media editorial boards published an editorial supporting the ballot measure:
You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Opposition
The following media editorial boards published an editorial opposing the ballot measure:
Polls
- See also: 2024 ballot measure polls
- Are you aware of a poll on this ballot measure that should be included below? You can share ballot measure polls, along with source links, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
| Massachusetts Question 2, Repeal Competency Assessment Requirement for High School Graduation Initiative (2024) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College Polling/WHDH | 10/24/2024-10/26/2024 | 1,000 RV | ± 3.0% | 54% | 41% | 5% |
| Question: "Would you vote yes or no on Massachusetts Question 2, which would eliminate the requirement that a student pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests (or other statewide or district-wide assessments) in mathematics, science and technology, and English in order to receive a high school diploma?" | ||||||
| University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB | 10/03/2024-10/10/2024 | 700 RV | ± 4.8% | 53% | 36% | 11% |
| Question: "Question 2 - would eliminate the requirement that a student pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests in Mathematics, Science and Technology, and English in order to receive a high school diploma." | ||||||
| WBUR & CommonWealth Beacon Poll | 09/12/2024-09/18/2024 | 800 LV | ± 4.1% | 51% | 34% | 15% |
| Question: "There will be a question on the November 2024 ballot in Massachusetts regarding standardized testing. A yes vote would eliminate the requirement that students pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in order to graduate high school but still require students to complete coursework that meets state standards. A no vote would make no change to existing law. If the election were held today, how would you vote on this proposal?" | ||||||
Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters.
Background
Massachusetts state high school graduation requirements
A 1993 state law requires Massachusetts high school students enrolled in public schools, educational collaboratives, and special education schools to meet the Competency Determination (CD) standard by passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in grade 10. Students who do not pass the MCAS in grade 10 may take retests in grades 11 and 12. If a student does not meet the proficient level for English Language Arts and Math, an Educational Proficiency Plan (EPP) must be developed and fulfilled in order for the student to graduate. An EPP includes a review of the student's strengths and weaknesses from coursework and MCAS results, the courses the student will be taking in grades 11 and 12, and a regularly administered assessment to demonstrate the student is progressing toward proficiency in the subject matter.[10]
The chart below describes the competency determination requirements to graduate as part of the classes of 2024 and 2025.[10]
MCAS 2023 results
The chart below shows the results of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) for students in grade 10 in 2023. Click here to see a further breakdown of the results.[11]
Statewide assessment requirements for high school graduation
For the graduating class of 2023, eight states (Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming) required students to pass a statewide assessment to graduate high school according to Fair Test: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Twenty-six (26) states have other assessments, such as a civics assessment, ACT/SAT, college and career readiness assessment, and/or end-of-course exams for certain subjects, required to graduate high school. Sixteen (16) states do not have any statewide assessment requirements to graduate.[3][12]
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirect initiated state statute for the ballot is equal to 3.5 percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. No more than one-quarter of the verified signatures on any petition can come from a single county. The process for initiated state statutes in Massachusetts is indirect, which means the legislature has a chance to approve initiatives with successful petitions directly without the measure going to the voters. A first round of signatures equal to 3 percent of the votes cast for governor is required to put an initiative before the legislature. A second round of signatures equal to 0.5 percent of the votes cast for governor in the last election is required to put the measure on the ballot if the legislature rejects or declines to act on a proposed initiated statute. Signatures for initiated statutes in Massachusetts are collected in two circulation periods. The first period runs from the third Wednesday in September to two weeks prior to the first Wednesday in December, a period of nine weeks. If the proposed law is not adopted by the first Wednesday of May, petitioners then have until the first Wednesday of July (eight weeks) to request additional petition forms and submit the second round of signatures.
The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2024 ballot:
- Signatures required (first round): 74,574 signatures
- Signatures required (second round): 12,429 signatures
- Deadline (first round): The deadline to submit the first round of signatures to the secretary of state was December 6, 2023. Signatures needed to be submitted to local registrars by November 22, 2023.
- Deadline (second round): The deadline to submit the second round of signatures was July 3, 2024.
If enough signatures are submitted in the first round, the legislature must act on a successful petition by the first Wednesday of May. The measure only goes on the ballot if the legislature does not pass it and if the second round of signatures is successfully collected.
Details about this initiative
- The initiative was filed in July 2023.[13]
- On September 6, 2023, the initiative was cleared for signature gathering.[2]
- On November 17, 2023, it was reported by 22 News that the campaign had collected over 130,000 signatures.[14]
- On December 6, 2023, the Boston Herald reported that the Massachusetts Teachers Association submitted filed more than 135,000 signatures with the secretary of state's office.[15]
- On January 3, 2024, the secretary of state reported that the campaign filed 101,511 valid signatures.[16]
- The state legislature did not pass the initiative by the May 1 deadline. The campaign was cleared to gather a second round of signatures.
- The campaign submitted 19,692 valid signatures for the second round by the deadline.[17][18]
- On July 10, the secretary of state announced that the campaign had qualified for the ballot.[19]
Sponsors of the measure hired Ballot Access Management to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. A total of $521,499.00 was spent to collect the 87,003 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $5.99.
How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Massachusetts
See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Massachusetts.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, "Full text," accessed July 25, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, "List of petitions," accessed July 25, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fair Test, "Number Of States Requiring Tests For High School Graduation Plunges to EIGHT – Lowest Count Since Mid-1990s," January 5, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 WWLP, "MTA, Lexington mom align behind union’s MCAS proposal," August 16, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Massachusetts Campaign Finance, "Committee to Eliminate Barriers to Student Success for All," accessed January 29, 2024
- ↑ BNN, "Gov. Healey opposes ballot to eliminate MCAS graduation requirement in Massachusetts," accessed August 8, 2024
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Massachusetts Secretary of State, "2024 Information for Voters," accessed September 13, 2024
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote No on Question 2, "Home," accessed October 10, 2024
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, "Massachusetts Graduation Requirements and Related Guidance," accessed February 29, 2024
- ↑ Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, "MCAS Results," accessed February 29, 2024
- ↑ Education Commission of the States, "High School Graduation Requirements 2023," accessed August 8, 2024
- ↑ Boston Herald, "Teachers union looks into ballot question nixing MCAS graduation requirement," accessed July 25, 2023
- ↑ 22 News, "130,000 Massachusetts residents looking to put MCAS graduation requirement on ballot," November 17, 2023
- ↑ Boston Herald, "Nixing MCAS requirement, psychedelic decriminalization advance toward 2024 ballot," December 6, 2023
- ↑ Ballotpedia Staff, "Email correspondence with Victoria Rose," January 3, 2024
- ↑ Boston Herald, "Ballot questions continue march toward November after clearing latest signature hurdle," June 18, 2024
- ↑ WWLP, "Commission to hear challenge to tipped worker ballot question,"July 11, 2024
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Galvin Certifies Ballot Questions for November Ballot," July 10, 2024
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "The Voting Process," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voter Registration Information," accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ Governing, “Automatic Voter Registration Gains Bipartisan Momentum,” accessed April 13, 2023
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 26, 2024
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Official Mail-in Voter Registration Form," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Identification Requirements," accessed April 13, 2023
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