MA Department of Higher Ed Joins Higher Standards Coalition

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and a dozen college and university presidents announced last week that they have “joined more than 200 college and university leaders from 30 states in a new coalition, Higher Ed for Higher Standards, to mobilize in support of the Common Core State Standards.”  In a press release, Commissioner Richard Freeland said, “Here in the Commonwealth the standards are providing a strong foundation for new assessments and improved collaboration between our high schools and colleges.”

This reiteration of support from DHE is a reminder that the standards are important building blocks for student success after high school.  Studies show that by 2020 72% of jobs in Massachusetts will require a career certificate or college degree, yet too many students are graduating high school unprepared for college. Higher education has been deeply involved in the development of the standards and aligned assessments.

The DHE announcement comes at a time when districts are weighing a choice between administering MCAS or PARCC in the 2014-2015 school year. The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote on whether to fully implement PARCC as the state’s student testing program in the fall of 2015 following a two-year pilot.

Aligned to the Common Core, the PARCC assessment requires students to show not just what they know, but that they can use that knowledge to solve real world problems. Transitioning to a new high quality assessment is an important next step for Massachusetts, four years after the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to incorporate the Common Core into Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

MBAE applauds the higher education leaders in Massachusetts for taking this stand as an important step to address the unacceptably high remediation rates at our public institutions.