If not MCAS, what’s it take to graduate from Wellesley High? Algebra, American Lit & some time in a science lab

MCAS is out as a graduation requirement. This year’s seniors will be the first class since the November 2024 ballot measure ended use of the 10^th grade standardized test as a requirement for high school diplomas in Massachusetts.

In its place, local school districts were left to set up new requirements.

So, what does it take to graduate from Wellesley High School? Spoiler alert: it’s still mostly what you know at the end of 10^th grade, plus health class and gym.

New this year

The biggest change is a new Competency Determination approved by the Wellesley School Committee earlier this spring that identifies the math, science and English classes that students must pass to earn a high school diploma. (See Wellesley Media recording of March 18 meeting starting at about the 34-minute mark). These new requirements are:

• 10^th grade English, which is “the study of American literature,” says the WHS Program of Studies.
• Algebra 1
• physics, chemistry or biology with a lab

During discussion about the new competency requirements, School Committee members asked how students would satisfy the graduation requirements, especially those in tracks that either moved faster or slower. School officials explained these classes can be taken at any time, for example students who take Foundations in Mathematics (a basic skills class) in 9^th and 10^th grade will still be on track to take Algebra 1 in 11^th grade. (See math pathways in Competency Determination, page 3.)

Another question came up about the handful of students each year who test out of Algebra 1 in middle school and start 9^th grade in Algebra 2. While it seems obvious these students met the requirement, WHS Principal Jamie Chisum said a separate competency determination will have to be created.

But all of this is moot for 2025 graduates who took the 10^th grade MCAS and passed before the ballot measure took effect on Dec. 4, 2024. That covers the majority of WHS graduates.

The new competency requirements this year still apply to “a handful” of WHS seniors who didn’t pass MCAS, either because they didn’t take it or for other reasons didn’t pass, said Sharon Gray, spokeswoman for Wellesley schools.

That’s not all

But the MCAS and mastery of the 10^th grade curriculum was always just the minimum requirement for graduation. In addition to 136 credits, WHS graduates have these courseload requirements:

• English (4 years)
• Math (2 years)
• Science (2 years; all WHS science classes include a lab)
• Social Studies (2.5 years—1 year must be U.S. History)
• Intro to Fitness (9^th grade)
• Intro to Health (10^th grade)

Shocked to see some of your favorite parts of high school omitted from this list? No foreign languages? Only two years of math? That’s right. Though, students still have to fill 136 credits over four years, which maybe explains why 75 percent of WHS students participate in an art class each semester.

But, kids, don’t get too excited: at least one year of foreign language is typically required for admission to four-year colleges where 93 percent of WHS graduates end up. (Take note: those colleges also usually require four years of math and three years of science.)

How we got here

Since 2003, graduating high school seniors in Massachusetts were required to meet both local graduation requirements and the State Competency Determination.

The ”competency determination” shall be based on the academic standards and curriculum frameworks for tenth graders in the areas of mathematics, science and technology, history and social science, foreign languages, and English, and shall represent a determination that a particular student has demonstrated mastery of a common core of skills, competencies and knowledge in these areas… Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 69, § 1D (i).

Until last year, the MCAS was used for students to show that they knew as much as a 10^th grader. The newly rewritten state law requires school districts to use coursework instead. So that’s why the new graduation requirements are the key classes taken by 10^th graders: Algebra, American literature, and a lab-based science class.

The MCAS ballot measure became a hot topic when standardized test scores plummeted following the pandemic. However, school officials said the majority of students who didn’t pass MCAS in 10^th grade, ultimately passed on retake in 11^th and 12^th grades. Moreover, those who didn’t pass the MCAS often failed to meet local graduation requirements as well, school officials said.

MCAS testing is still required for all students grades 3-10 for federal accountability and state scholarships.

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