Deb McCarthy has taught fifth graders in Hull Public Schools for a quarter of a century. She is a union leader who comes from a family of educators. And now she’s one of the guiding hands behind a high-stakes question on the Nov. 5 ballot that would remove the 10th grade MCAS exam as a high school graduation requirement.

If the question is approved and becomes law, school districts would still administer the exam but would be allowed to formulate their own graduation standards.

Proponents argue that educators are best placed to determine whether students are meeting standards, not a “one-size-fits-all” standardized test.

Opponents, meanwhile, say the test is a much-needed measurement student preparation and school performance.

The fight over the ballot question has attracted high-profile supporters and big money.

Matt Damon, Cambridge native, actor and philanthropist, he lent his voice to the “Yes to 2” campaign.which supports the push to end the graduation requirement.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and other elected officials have come out in opposition. Senior legislative leaders also floated the possibility to change the ballot question or repeal it entirely, if voters approve.

MassLive’s conversation with McCarthy has been lightly edited for clarity and content.

Q: First question: We’re less than five days away from election day, how are you feeling?

Deb McCarthy: “You know, what a great question. This has been more than a decade in the making, so I feel like the conversation is taking center stage and a coalition of educators, parents, and community members are finally being heard about the harm (that happens) when we deny a student. a degree based on a single measure.”

Q: How did you get this job? You were a classroom teacher for many years. But you were mobilized in a very personal way.

A: “About a decade ago, I was actually the chair of the Government Relations Committee for the MTA and I introduced the legislation, right? So I’ve been involved in this process legislatively for more than a decade.”

“What happened was, with the pandemic, when everybody was saying we shouldn’t be testing and everybody was saying (it was), you know, it’s not a good time to be testing. And we decided to administer it. And I had many parents who gave up.

• Read more: Matt Damon, a Cambridge native, just approved the removal of the MCAS graduation requirement. Here’s what he said

… I refused to take the test and was placed on administrative leave.” (She was later reinstated.)

Q: Opponents of ending the graduation requirement have argued that if you do away with the test, then you remove any objective measure of student performance and that kids will simply be tutored regardless of whether they have the skills (they need to graduate).

A: “It’s just not true. Every year, we have students in Hull who are accepted to Harvard, students in Weymouth, students in Brookline, students in Wellesley, and students in Boston and get into Harvard and other colleges based on GPA and rigorous coursework. Colleges do not require MCAS.

• Read more: Election 2024: MCAS, mushrooms, more: What you need to know about questions on the fall ballot in Mass.

Q: Recent polls on this issue show approximately 51% voter support for the abrogation of the graduation requirement. When you’re out there talking to people, is that reflected in the conversations you have?

A: “Much more than that. You know, we did internal surveys every week… Remember, we got 170,000 signatures, right? For four months I went canvassing and doing phone banking. And we were in the community and we talked. We’ve been in community with parents who have given up their weekends, (who) have given up their nights and joined us because they’re equally passionate and committed to eliminating this one-size-fits-all measure of a degree. .”

Q: What do those parents tell you?

A: “… That they would like to see us address this inequity, that they would like to see us do something about one-size-fits-all graduation.”

• Read more: Top Mass. lawmakers suggest they could change MCAS, questions in legislative audit vote

Q: You have been a classroom teacher for 25 years. How did you get into teaching? What did you get out of it?

A: “So my mother was an educator in Hull who ended her career after a 50-year run. My sister is an educator. My daughter is an educator. My son married an educator… I used to play “school” when I was in kindergarten. In eighth grade, I was volunteering in my brother’s special needs classroom… So I knew for as long as I could remember that I was going to be an educator.”

“… People like to say that they learn to make a difference. For me, I taught because students make a difference in my life every day. And I became the person I am today because of the students in my class, which is why this fight is so important.”