School Committee hears proposal for competency determination in lieu of MCAS graduation requirement

JILLIAN BROSOFSKY
Waltham Times Contributing Writer

The School Committee last week voted to accept a proposed competency determination (CD) that would serve as a graduation requirement for Waltham High School seniors in lieu of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) requirements, which voters ended in a statewide ballot question last November.

State law requires students to meet a CD in addition to a school system’s graduation requirements to receive a high school diploma. The Massachusetts Education Reform Law of 1993 requires that all students meet the CDin English language arts, math and science to earn a diploma in Massachusetts.

The proposal presented at the Feb. 5 School Committee meeting shows three possible “pathways to CD” for current seniors: 

• Earning a CD through a regular or retest administration of the MCAS (including the November 2024 retest) or through an appeal process with the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which some seniors have already done. These students may graduate in June 2025 with a high school diploma if they also meet the Waltham Public Schools’ (WPS) graduation requirements.

• Students in the Class of 2025 who have partially met the standards — passing some, but not all, MCAS topic areas — must complete “satisfactory coursework” that is “certified (approved) by the School Committee,” according to a WPS document. These students will achieve the CD requirement through a hybrid process of MCAS scores and coursework.

• Students who have not passed any MCAS topic areas will meet the CD requirement solely through the courses approved by the School Committee at Wednesday’s meeting.

The plan lists a slate of courses in English language arts, math and science that these students would have to pass to meet the CD requirement.

As of November 2024, the DESE defines a CD as a demonstrated “mastery of the common core of skills, competencies and knowledge.” The definition continues that, “by satisfactorily completing coursework,” a student’s district is responsible for certifying the CD requirements.

Sarah Kent, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, presented the proposal to the School Committee. Other school officials who had worked on the proposal also attended the Feb. 5 meeting.

Some School Committee members had questions for the team about the finer details of the proposal.

Member Edmund Tarallo asked Kent and Alyssa Bourque, assistant director of secondary special education, about those students who were on track to take the MCAS Alternate Assessment (MCAS-Alt). Tarallo asked about making the system “more inclusive” and boosting the students’ status from a certificate of attendance to a full high school diploma.

Kent said that 0.4% of the senior class take that route.

Member Elizabeth AlJammal asked Kent what counts as a passing grade in the CD courses. Kent said a D and above would fulfill the requirement.

“If we’re giving credit for it, we’re counting it as ‘mastery,’” Kent said, citing DESE’s definition.

The School Committee’s approval of the proposal means that the matter of setting the new CD requirements is resolved for the Class of 2025. 

However, Kent said the state may assert more oversight of graduation requirements for future classes. Regardless of the level of state involvement, Kent and her team anticipate revisiting the CD proposal for classes 2026 and above.

Health services, athletics present to the committee

In other School Committee action at last Wednesday’s meeting, committee members heard presentations from the district’s health services and athletics departments.

Christine Young, director of health services, said that she feels passionately about conducting vision and hearing tests in schools, especially for younger students who may not always speak up with issues. 

The health services department started its screening initiatives last school year, helping ensure that “students [have] the ability to see and hear so that they can fully understand the teachings in the classroom,” Young said.

Some 310 students received vision and hearing care through the screenings, a number down from the prior year, Young said.

Additionally, Young said the department has worked with the Charles River Community Health Center to provide students with primary care providers (PCP) to ensure they have access to preventative care, such as vaccinations. She said some students were not getting needed care because they did not have a PCP and were only getting services through urgent care and emergency room visits.

Another place Young said she has made strides: self-advocacy and self-care for students with chronic medical conditions, explaining that her department created “spaces where students can educate their peers and teachers about their conditions.”

Next up was Steve LaForest, athletic director at Waltham High School, who focused his presentation on the values his department instills in its student athletes. He listed those values as character, accountability, humility, teamwork and leadership.

LaForest highlighted an initiative centered on “giving back to the community.” He said many high school teams, including the hockey, soccer and lacrosse teams, help coach the city’s youth programs in those sports. LaForest said parents frequently tell him how much they appreciate the time and attention that high schoolers give to their younger peers.

School Committee member Debbie Coleman heralded this program, saying the younger children are learning from people who “aren’t professional athletes, but to them are just as good.”

LaForest, who is retiring at the end of this school year, also received thanks from committee members for his lengthy service.

In other School Committee action, members

• approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between WPS and Regis College. Among other areas of partnership, the MOU allows for “discounted tuition for Regis online and hybrid on-site degree programs for Waltham Public Schools employees and their family members.” Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy, other members of the School Committee and Regis representatives Priscilla Boerger and Rebecca Putnam signed the MOU on the spot.
• tabled the Waltham High School Ski and Board Club Community Ski Day. The trip is not school-sponsored and thus does not need permission from the School Committee.
• adopted textbooks for the HVAC-R program (Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology) and programming and web design program (CodeHS).
• approved contract amendments for the assistant superintendents of pupil services and finance and operations positions. Both salaries are at $181,616 annually.