I appreciated Gadfly's recent coverage of Massachusetts ("Wishing for a Massachusetts miracle?"). About 18 months ago, the Massachusetts Board of Education raised the state graduation standard, but in a flexible way. The cut score needed to automatically graduate is now 240 on the 10th grade English and math tests (beginning with the class of 2010--this year's sophomores). If one scores below 240, but above 220, he can demonstrate his "competency" through the successful completion of an "educational proficiency plan." We didn't just raise the bar to 240, for several reasons. First, pretty much everyone agrees that 220 is not good enough for a high school graduate in any subject. As you move up the scale, however, there is less and less consensus: 240 is a pretty challenging standard, for example, especially for students with learning disabilities or English-language learners. Second, the consequential distinctions between passing and failing become harder to sustain at 240 than at 220. Is the difference between 238 and 240 meaningful, statistically or substantively? No, and while the difference between 218 and 220 is no greater, 218 is unambiguously failing--238 is not. Finally, in addition to raising the passing standard on English and math, we also added new tests in science and history to the graduation requirement (both with a 220 passing score, for now). The combined impact of all these changes felt significant. Making the 240 cut score a bright line between passing and failing seemed like more than the system could stand--for now.
Jim Peyser
Former Chairman, Massachusetts Board of Education
Partner, New Schools Venture Fund