WORCESTER — The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test will no longer be a graduation requirement for high school students after voters passed Question 2 on Election Day.

As of Wednesday morning, with 89 percent of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press, 59 percent of voters in the state voted “Yes” on Question 2, which removes the test as a graduation requirement.

“In passing Question 2, Massachusetts voters proclaimed that they are ready to let teachers teach and students learn, without the onerous effects of high-stakes standardized testing undermining the mission of public education: to prepare all students for future success as citizens. , hardworking and creative, happy adults,” said a joint statement from Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy.

Teachers’ unions lobbied hard and spent heavily to support the proposal.

“As it stands, we’re grateful that voters came out and listened to educators and listened to the impact that MCAS has on students who are struggling to pass the exam,” said Melissa Verdier, president of the Worcester Education Association, the union. representing Worcester teachers on Tuesday night. “It was unfair and it punished students who struggled to understand English, who had IEPs, and this, hopefully, because this is going in the right direction, it moves us away from a system that punishes students and towards a system where we can make sure students have the skills to achieve in life, not pass a test.”

Currently, all students in Massachusetts must earn a passing grade to receive a high school diploma. Data from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shows that, on average, about 700 seniors nationwide don’t receive a diploma in a typical year because they didn’t pass the test.

Students typically take the MCAS exam in 10th grade. Students who fail that test can continue to take it in subsequent years to meet the graduation requirement.

The referendum does not eliminate the MCAS exam; all public school students in the state will still be required to take it, and the test will continue to be used as the assessment standard for school districts.

Proponents of removing the MCAS as a graduation requirement have argued that for some students, especially special education and English language learners, passing the exam is unrealistic and that time spent teaching students how to pass the exam and administering the exam would be better spent for education that is more likely to make a difference in the lives of those students.

“If a student fails the English portion of the MCAS, they can take it twice a year in subsequent years. The test takes three days each time to administer, so that’s six class days a year lost just to administer the test.” Verdier said. “If they need to retake the math portion, that’s another four days a year and another two days for the science portion if they need that as well. That’s just to administer the test every year.”

The argument for maintaining the MCAS exam as a graduation requirement is based on maintaining high and universal standards across the state for students who have a high school diploma. John Schneider, president of Protect Our Kids Future: No on 2, said in a press statement that removing the MCAS as a graduation requirement was “reckless.”

“The passage of question 2 opens the door to greater inequity; our coalition intends to ensure that this door does not remain open. Those responsible for our state’s public education system need to have an honest conversation about whether moving forward with this proposal is the right decision. for Massachusetts,” Schneider said.

The question was unpopular among top Democrats on Beacon Hill, with Gov. Maura T. Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka all opposed.

When asked last month, both Spilka and Mariano left the door ajar on potential legislative action to address Question 2’s passage.

“We’ll see. We’ll have some discussions if it passes and then we’ll move on. You know, I’m not for getting rid of MCAS. I think it’s been done, an assessment has been made, Massachusetts okay. So we’ll talk,” Spilka said of a possible role for legislators.

Mariano said, “Well, somebody has to evaluate what we’re doing in our public school system.”

With reports from the State House News Service.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: The results of the votes indicate that the MCAS will no longer be a graduation requirement