A recent one Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll found that about 58 percent of respondents support the measure to eliminate the MCAS requirement. It’s a close call, and my own experience bears this out: I have dozens of text threads with friends, people whose opinions I respect on both sides of this issue, each making a strong case. I got into a passionate text exchange with a friend in the CVS allergy aisle; another one from my son’s soccer practice parking lot.

Personally, I worry about eliminating the uniform statewide measurement standard for progress without another reasonable option in its place. But I think the notion of assessing student progress and potential is poorly captured by a standardized test, and I empathize with teacher friends who say they’ve seen kids filled with anxiety trying to pass, diminishing more meaningful learning opportunities. It seems to symbolize all that is empty and stressful in modern education. But also: it’s the only option at the moment. Would it be reckless to eliminate the only option we have?

So we put it to the experts on both sides, both longtime educators and parents. This week, I spoke with Jennifer Amento, a 23-year-old elementary general and special educator from Mashpee, with Coalition No on 2. Next week, I will talk to Massachusetts Association of Teachers Vice President Deb McCarthy on why to vote yes to eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement.

People talk about MCAS in terms of accountability. But if educators are already teaching to certain across-the-board standards embedded in the curriculum (with pre-existing frameworks), why do we even need the MCAS?

I fully believe that every teacher in Massachusetts is doing their absolute best and teaching to standards. The trickier part is when you get to: How do you evaluate these standards?

There is a lot of talk about grade inflation. Some topics in particular are very subjective. Grading writing is very difficult because it is a subjective art. If you remove the MCAS, which is a standardized way of general assessment, then we have over 350 districts in the Commonwealth with 350 different standards for graduation. The MCAS is our only statewide standard for graduation. It is our only standardized way of measuring that students actually know the things we teach.

There are approximately 700 children denied degree because of MCAS every year. Why punish these kids to hold schools accountable?

Obviously, our goal is for every student to graduate, as parents and educators. This represents less than 1 percent of our student population. We’re not just going to delete them: there are alternative methods of achieving this proficiency requirement, which is what the MCAS is—it’s a proficiency determination.

Let’s say a student took the test and can’t pass it. We know that some people have a harder time with standardized tests. So they took it a few times, they can’t pass, but their grades are good. They take all the right classes. They can apply for something called a cohort appealin which their school district would apply (at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education). The department would then look at the courses they were taking and other students in those classes, compare them and say, “OK, they all took the same classes. They all have the same grades, but this one passed and this one didn’t. They may decide that based on their grades compared to other students, they would grant an appeal. I think it’s something that’s unknown and not widely taken advantage of.

Could we set fair, test-free graduation requirements? Many people say: we simply keep the measure as it is, for lack of better innovation. What would you say to that?

(DESE) came up with something called MassCorewhat would be common course requirements. At the moment there is a funding problem. It is optional for districts. (A report of Voices for Academic Equity — a coalition of nonprofits and education reform advocates who support retention MCAS exams in place as a tool for objectively measuring student progress—found that half of all high schools in Massachusetts do not meet state-recommended graduation requirements.)

It becomes a problem for some of those districts that historically have less funding and also for those smaller districts because foreign language is a requirement in MassCore. Some of these districts do not have enough students or staff to offer the world language track.

I think there’s definitely a lot we can do, and there’s also been a lot of research on competency-based determinations. So it’s there, but we don’t have a replacement yet. This is my biggest concern, both as a parent and as an educator.

Vermont is the only other state that does not (has course standards). So if we vote yes, we don’t have state standards. As both an educator and a parent, this makes me nervous. I don’t want my child to be less competitive because they come from a state without graduation requirements.

Representative Ayanna Pressley recently APPROVED voting yes, saying, “Testing is a tool, that’s what it is. For far too long, high-stakes testing in Massachusetts has hindered instruction and, in my opinion, done a disservice to learning communities. That’s not to say that formative and summative assessments don’t have a role, but we need to focus on all the factors that contribute to student success and equip our schools and educators with the tools they need to support learners.”

She said she was a bad test taker and if the educators didn’t know who she was holistically, she wouldn’t have done as well. The argument is that the test reduces teaching in a more innovative, holistic way.

I think the teachers are wonderful and I think we do a lot of these things even with the test. … I don’t think MCAS has as high stakes as it’s made out to be. It is based on standards. Teachers help create the questions. The teachers help with the grade. Teachers are deeply involved in the process. I don’t think it’s something we don’t already teach, and I think we need to evaluate kids.

Mass Business Alliance is with No on 2, because they don’t see kids coming out prepared. I think that’s a problem, and I think it lines up with what we’re seeing in the test. Test scores aren’t great, and that’s what business leaders and college professionals see. Children do not come ready. And I don’t think it’s because of the test. I think it matches what the test shows. The other thing the test shows us is that we have a literacy crisis in the state. We are one of the few states that does not have evidence-based literacy legislation.

Yes, this test is standardized. I think you will always find people who disagree with standardized testing. We know that children are not standardized. At the same time, it is such a powerful tool. The passing score is 470. This is in the yellow range, partially meeting expectations. (Students) don’t have to take it again. Their district can administer a educational competency plan, so the district can then decide if that student has met the requirements. It’s not really this untouchable bar, up in the sky. I think it’s very doable and I think it’s just to point out that we have areas that we really need to look at in our public education system.

Here’s the devil’s advocate question. It seems like most kids pass the MCAS. I don’t want to say it’s easy, but there are a lot of ways to get through. However, children still come out unprepared. So: Why bother? If kids are still coming out unprepared to go to school or enter the workforce, isn’t there a better way?

I think we can definitely do better. I don’t think you’ll find a single person who says, “We can’t do better.” My main concern is to remove one tool without having another. That’s what really holds me back. If we had a viable option to replace him, I’d be all for it. We don’t have a viable tool to replace it yet.

As much as I believe every teacher in the state does the best they can with what they have and wants the best for the kids, I have seen different graduation requirements for different districts. I looked at one district where you have to have “this” many credits, while the next district was two years of English, two years of math. Another district was four years old.

I just worry about our marginalized communities and our districts that are having a hard time keeping and retaining teachers. We are such a huge state with different capabilities. You look at Western Mass and Springfield, then you look at Newton; you just have different worlds. I think until we have a viable option that works for every student in the Commonwealth, I don’t feel comfortable doing away with the one thing we have.

This interview has been edited for clarity. Next week: Massachusetts Association of Teachers Vice President Deb McCarthy on why to vote yes.

Kara Baskin can be reached at [email protected]. Follow a @kcbaskin.