By Ms. Fox of Boston, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 431) of Gloria L. Fox and others for legislation to establish multiple assessment instruments for high school graduation requirements.  Education.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Gloria L. Fox

Benjamin Swan

William Lantigua

Ruth B. Balser

Elizabeth A. Malia

Kay Khan

Barbara A. L'Italien

Willie Mae Allen

Alice Hanlon Peisch

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act to ensure the use of multiple assessment instruments for high school graduation requirements.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section 1D of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002, Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:— Under no circumstances shall any student be denied a high school diploma based on his/her outcome in a sole assessment instrument. Under no circumstances shall any student be denied promotion from one grade to the next based on his outcome in a sole assessment instrument, the student shall be provided an alternative manner in which to demonstrate attainment of the promotional standards for any such grade level.

SECTION 2. The third paragraph of section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following two sentences:— The competence determination upon which high school graduation is conditioned under the Education Reform Act shall be understood to include multiple and authentic assessment instruments whereby a student is afforded the opportunity to demonstrate his/her attainment of the Curriculum Frameworks and Learning Standards in the manner in which he is best suited to demonstrate such skills. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or any other system developed for the purposes of competency determination, shall not be used for the purposes of denying a high school diploma unless a student has first entered the school system in Kindergarten 1 after the adoption of the Curriculum Frameworks. Under no circumstances shall any assessment instrument, such as the MCAS, used for the purposes of competency determination, be used as a criterion for high

school graduation until such time as no disparate impact exists between the outcomes of white and minority students. Under nocircumstances shall any assessment instrument, such as the

MCAS, be used for the purposes of competency.