Lawsuit inspires forum to examine test
The Boston Globe
Anand Vaishnav
December 15, 2002
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At the inaugural event for the Center for Education Research and Policy, an arm of the Boston think tank Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, supporters and opponents of the test suggested what the state Legislature should do as the test looms over the first class of students to be denied diplomas if they fail.
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At the mock hearing, hosted by FleetBoston Financial Corp., Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Pedro A. Noguera and Goodwin Procter law partner Henry C. Dinger offered contrasting views on the exam's impact before a panel of speakers standing in as legislators.
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Noguera called it an ''outrage'' that the state could craft tough academic standards but not ensure that all teachers or students have the means to reach them.
''There is a tremendous gap between what the state Legislature thinks it's done by imposing standards and what kids are actually experiencing,'' Noguera said. ''That to me is the crux of the problem.''
Noguera added that he is not against testing or creating statewide academic standards, but objected to instituting a graduation requirement without properly holding schools and districts responsible for what they teach students. He suggested to the mock panel that the Legislature concentrate on those issues, in addition to students' nonacademic needs that can impact test scores.
Dinger, who was involved in the writing of the Education Reform Act of 1993 that gave birth to MCAS, said he agrees with many of Noguera's points. But he said the test has spotlighted deficiencies in school districts and given them incentive to change. He urged the mock panel not to lift the graduation requirement, something urged in actual bills filed for next year's legislative session.
''If the Legislature blinks now, all of that energy, all of that momentum will be dissipated,'' said Dinger, who represented business groups that filed friend-of-court briefs on the state's side in the MCAS lawsuit. ''I submit to you it will be enormously difficult to regain that momentum.''
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Larkin, a Pittsfield Democrat who cochairs the Legislature's Joint Education Committee, suggested using state money to pay for the community college bills of students who failed the test and want to take classes preparing them to retake it. He also floated the idea of expanding high school beyond four years if necessary.
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