SCOT LEHIGH’S Sept. 4 column endorsing MCAS highlighted the fact that the percentage of students passing the exam has increased. However, some additional developments warrant attention and raise important questions.
First, since the inception of MCAS, 16,841 public school students who completed local graduation requirements were denied a diploma for failing the exam. I wonder what they are doing with their lives?
Second, in a study I recently co-authored, we found that all schools deemed “underperforming’’ by the state Department of Education because of repeated poor performance on MCAS enrolled disproportionate numbers of low-income, special needs, and English language learning students. One therefore might ask: Is MCAS more a self-fulfilling prophecy than a valid assessment of academic achievement?
Further, nationwide the introduction of high-stakes exams has led to a narrowing of the curriculum, with a focus on math and language arts to the exclusion of science, social studies, phys ed, music, art, and recess, among other areas. Is this what the citizens of Massachusetts (including our children) want for an education?
There are costs to creating a system in which success turns on passing a high-stakes exam. While the exam is rigorous, the citizens of our state might want to be a bit more critical when looking at the outcomes of this endeavor. It’s more than just passing rates.
Patrick J. McQuillan
Chestnut Hill
The writer is an associate professor in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. 
