State unlikely to raise MCAS passing score

MALDEN -- Reversing an earlier pledge to set a higher MCAS bar, state education officials said yesterday that they will probably not raise the passing score on the statewide tests that high school students must take to graduate, and instead will increase required courses for struggling students.

The tentative decision to keep the passing score of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test at 220 confounded some education advocates who believed the board was considering beefing up graduation requirements. Some business leaders and education groups have lobbied for the change, saying it would help students acquire the basic skills they need to enter the workforce or be admitted to college.

But yesterday, during a discussion on graduation standards at the Board of Education meeting in Malden, board members said it would be unfair to ask all students to meet a new high mark. Instead, schools should offer students additional tutoring and required courses to ensure they are prepared for college, they said.

Students now can graduate with a score of 220 or a grade of ''needs improvement," below ''advanced" and ''proficient" but above ''warning/failing." To get a score of 220, students must demonstrate only a partial understanding of some math and English skills, critics of the lower score contend.

A coalition of business leaders and educators has pushed for raising the passing score to 240, or a grade of ''proficient."

Under the board's proposal, 10th-graders who do not score at least a 240 would be required to enroll in additional math and English courses in 11th and 12th grades, but would still be able to graduate so long as they earned a score of 220, said board chairman James A. Peyser. Schools would have to design a plan for each student who scores less than 240, something schools already are required to do for students who score less than 220, he said.

Students who score less than 240 would have to retake the exam after 10th grade to try to get a higher score, Peyser said. Students would be encouraged to score higher with incentives such as financial aid for college or scholarships, he said.

''We are trying to find the right balance," Peyser said yesterday after the meeting. ''If you make it a requirement for every student to get that score, it doesn't take into account other circumstances, such as if they have just arrived from another country or if they have special needs."

The compromise appeased some coalition members, who said it would allow students to take more college preparation courses.

''Any sort of plan which would encourage students to gain the skills they need to be college-ready when they graduate from high school is a good plan," said Alison L. Fraser, director of the Great Schools Campaign, the coalition calling for a higher passing grade.

But some educators said allowing students to graduate without higher scores ensures that students graduate without a strong understanding of basic skills.

Fall River Superintendent Nicholas A. Fischer said the board should require all students to pass the MCAS with a ''proficient" grade. ''If we believe that those standards are valid, then we need to stand behind them," he said in a telephone interview. ''How is a parent going to feel with their child receiving a diploma of 'needs improvement?' "

Cristina Silva can be reached at csilva@globe.com