Learning Standards and Accountability

MBAE supports the key pillars of the state’s 1993 Education Reform Act that have made Massachusetts a leader in K–12 education:

  • High standards that delineate what every student should learn by the end of each grade
  • A statewide assessment system that measures student progress towards achievement of the standards
  • A requirement that students meet a statewide minimum standard of academic achievement for high school graduation
  • An accountability system to assess school quality and identify schools in need of state support or intervention
  • A progressive school funding model that provides an adequate level of resources to each school district irrespective of each community’s fiscal capacity

Brown University research underscores the value of MA education reform and MCAS

“Percentages of students graduating from high school, enrolling in college, and earning four-year college degrees have all risen over time,” a pattern that “holds true for low-income students, English learners, and students from all of the largest racial/ethnic groups.”

Preserving and Improving MCAS

MBAE is a member of the Voices for Academic Equity Coalition, a group of nonprofit and community leaders representing classroom educators, school leaders, parents, advocates and employers committed to the promise of equitable and high quality public education. The Coalition came together with a focus on preserving and improving one of our most critical tools for ensuring educational equity: the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).

"We maintain that MCAS, while in need of targeted revisions, is the primary means for providing students, families, educators and policymakers with the objective, valid, reliable, comparable information essential to determining gaps in outcomes, preparedness for college and career success, and where additional resources are most needed—especially for those who have been and continue to be systemically marginalized: students of color, those with disabilities, English Learners, and students from low income families.” Read our report >

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