BOSTON — On Wednesday, Jan. 21 from noon to 1 p.m., MassPotential, a local education nonprofit, will co-host a webinar breaking down Massachusetts’ proposed high school graduation framework in partnership with EdTrust Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.
The webinar, titled “Charting a New Path to Success: A Conversation on the Massachusetts High School Graduation Framework,” will discuss findings from a recent report authored by the Voices of Academic Equity, a network of education advocacy groups led by MassPotential. Click here to register for the webinar.
As voters chose to eliminate passing the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, the Governor’s K-12 Graduation Council is now tasked with putting together a new framework of standards for earning a diploma. The Voices of Academic Equity report makes a strong case for the continued use of an objective assessment that is valid, reliable, and comparable for awarding of the competency determination for high school students preparing to graduate high school.
At the end of last year, the Graduation Council released an initial framework, which points to the use of end-of-course assessments, among several other components, to determine a student’s path toward graduation.
The webinar will discuss what this framework looks like and why the use of objective assessments are key to ensuring equitable and accurate graduation standards. Pedro Martinez, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioner, will offer opening remarks and then serve on a panel of local education experts moderated by Shira Shoenberg, editorial writer for the Boston Globe.
Speakers will include Mary Tamer, executive director of MassPotential; Manikka Bowman, principal and founder of HarveyReed and a Governor’s K-12 Graduation Council member; Ed Lambert, executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education; Lisa Lazare, executive director of Educators for Excellence; Martin West, Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member; and Jennie Williamson, state director of EdTrust Massachusetts.
