I am writing to share a perspective that many Massachusetts voters likely do not have. In the 23 years before the Education Reform Act of 1993, I was a high school teacher, counselor, and administrator, and from 1993 to the present (31 years), I have continued to work in high schools. We have helped implement many improvements in education reform, some of which Question 2 is now trying to wrap up.

Before the reform, many of us educators cringed when we were criticized for practicing the “subtle bigotry of low expectations.” As we implemented the Education Reform Act and its research-based strategies, we realized that we really had low expectations for our students, especially students of color and students with disabilities.

The education reform curriculum frameworks developed by Massachusetts teachers clearly set higher standards of academic expectations for all students. And the Legislature provided continued higher funding levels to ensure students were able to reach them.

At the same time, many educators made dire predictions about the negative impact of more rigorous state-approved curriculum frameworks and MCAS common testing: Dropout rates will rise! Graduation rates will drop! The quality of education will suffer!

Guess what? The data clearly shows the opposite. High school teachers and students met higher expectations. Dropout rates for all students, including black and Hispanic students, have dropped dramatically. Graduation rates for all students, including students of color, have increased greatly. Between 2007 and 2023, 35,525 more students (up 140%) took Advanced Placement courses and tests with high success.

Newspaper articles, reader comments, and TV commercials gave me the impression that many voters may not have reviewed key documents related to the MCAS, such as Curricular frameworks in English and Mathematics, sample MCAS testsgrade-specific diagnostic reports and three-call processes that more than 11,000 high school students used in lieu of 10th-grade MCAS scores.

When asked what will replace the MCAS requirement, the Massachusetts Teachers Association indicates that grades will become the primary measure of students’ academic proficiency. Let’s examine that remedy further.

Courses: If question 2 removes the requirement, our state will require high school graduates to pass exactly zero academic courses. State law requires students to take — not pass — only two courses: history/civics and physical education. Most high schools in Massachusetts will offer three different levels of courses, from more to less rigorous. Grades for leveled courses are a much lower standard than MCAS proficiency, which is the same measure for all students who are tested on the same, undifferentiated, curriculum content.

test: The tests that 18,000 high school teachers create and administer will lack the validity, reliability, and security of the MCAS.

Notes: The state’s 405 high schools are developing their own grading systems. Research has consistently shown that grades to be inconsistent and unreliable measures of student performance. Grading methodology varies from teacher to teacher, and the grades themselves tend to include a combination of non-academic factors such as student behavior, class participation, and extra credit. Addition, grade inflation has increased since the beginning of the pandemic.

The same letter grade in a school or even grades between the same subject classes in the same school are not equal. In many high schools, the passing grade is D-. Those students who earned a D- in their school’s lowest-level courses will receive the same degree as those students who earned As in their higher-level, more rigorous courses.

Students may take MCAS tests multiple times, while final exams do not allow retake opportunities. While students now have more opportunities to earn their degree through appeals, it is unusual for high schools to offer appeals processes for teacher exams.

In addition, educators must develop an educational competency plan to assist those high school students who are not meeting expectations (or not passing) on ​​the 10th grade MCAS exam. Will question 2 override these requirements as well?

In short, one might think that a yes vote on question 2 is progressive. The facts show that a yes vote is regressive. It returns education in all our high schools to the practices we have reformed and improved.

Would we consider it good medical practice if our doctors stopped using current drugs and procedures and reverted to less effective ones? I hope we can all agree that we want to provide our students with the best possible educational preparation. Your no vote on question 2 will clearly help you do this.

James Caradono is the former superintendent of Worcester Public Schools.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Opinion Column/Invite: Vote No on Question 2 in Massachusetts