New Bedford MCAS ruling triggers debate

Serghino René

New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang made a bold move when he announced earlier this month that he would give general diplomas to high school students who didn’t pass the MCAS test.

“I’m not trying to start a revolution here,” Lang said in an interview, “but I will go back and forth with anyone when it comes to helping kids for the better. It’s in the interest of the state to solve the problem.”

But start a revolution he did as politicians and school officials have blasted Lang for not only sending the wrong message to students but also violating the law. As it is now, students who fail the MCAS receive a certificate of attendance.

“What the mayor is doing is illegal,” said Heidi Perlman, the state Department of Education spokesperson. “It is against the law and we are working with the district to resolve the issue.”

Governor Mitt Romney has already threatened to cut off state education funding, saying New Bedford must revoke the general diploma ruling or put the school department at the risk of losing $100 million in state aid.

“To say the we should graduate kids who haven’t met the basic standards for reading and math is a gross mistake,” Romney told reporters. “It’s a vote of no confidence in our kids. It’s also illegal.”

Even Democrats are lining up against Lang.

During the recent gubernatorial debate at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, state Attorney General Thomas Reilly opposed Lang’s decision and said that MCAS should be a graduation requirement.

“There should be one test for everyone,” Reilly said. “We can’t sweep it under the rug anymore. We should give them an education that means something.”

Independent candidate Chris Gabrieli agreed. “I support the MCAS,” he said, “but I think it is crucial that we ask why we aren’t getting kids in our poorer communities up to proficiency.”

The gap in achievement test scores has long been a problem — and the subject of much scholarly debate. To his credit, Romney has echoed the Bush Administration’s argument that high school diplomas should reflect a uniform level of skills. For school officials to lower the bar, Romney has said, borders on the worst kind of racism, or as he describes it, “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Lang is unmoved. He says he is not against the MCAS, but simply advocating for the students by drawing attention to a well-intentioned system that has unintended consequences. Lang argues that those students who fail the MCAS are destined to drain limited state resources.

Lang would like not only to give diplomas to roughly 40 students who failed the MCAS but passed local graduation requirements — he’d also like to give out 91 retroactive diplomas.

Those retroactive diplomas would be given to the students at New Bedford High School who were given certificates instead of diplomas for earning all of their high school class credits but failing one or both MCAS tests. Students began receiving these types of certificates in 2003, when passing the MCAS test to receive a diploma became state law.

“Denying a diploma to students who have completed high school but failed the MCAS relegates them to dropout status,” says Lang. “It’s not right that students spend 13 years of their lives, only to get a certificate. That person went to school everyday, may have been the captain of the football team, been the lead of a play or president of a club. We are setting up a barrier for kids who would otherwise graduate rather than drop out.”

Last year, 20 out of the 698 graduates at New Bedford High failed the English portion of the MCAS and 25 failed the math. About 65 percent of the students in New Bedford come from low-income households and the drop out rate is three times the state average. Minority and bilingual students are failing the MCAS at a higher rate then their peers.

“This is not about New Bedford or the school losing $100 million in aid,” said Lang. “This is about our city and the kids who for some, already have odds against them. It’s imperative that students who attend an accredited school, are educated under an accredited curriculum and are taught by licensed teachers receive a diploma indicating the successful completion of their high school career.”

And, as the Romney Administration sees it, the state has a degree for those students — a certificate of attendance.

Romney has refused to buy the argument that the MCAS are the reason for New Bedford’s dropout rate.

“I understand how the mayor may be thinking,” Romney told reporters earlier this month. “Compassion is setting standards and helping people achieve those standards. We are going to insist that those degrees mean something in Massachusetts.”

Romney said Lang is mistaken if he thinks the state isn’t serious about cracking down. The state Board of Education would have to vote to withhold the education money, but Romney said he’s confident board members would take that drastic step if needed.

“New Bedford is going to take corrective action,” Romney said. “They’re going to have to back down on this.”