Overview

• Gov. Maura Healey’s Statewide K‑12 Graduation Council published a preliminary framework that would replace MCAS with state‑designed, state‑administered and state‑scored end‑of‑course assessments to demonstrate mastery.
• The draft pairs those exams with locally designed and assessed capstones or portfolios defined by the state to offer alternate demonstrations of mastery.
• Recommendations also include a modified MassCore coursework standard, a required career and academic plan, FAFSA completion, financial‑literacy instruction, and opportunities to earn seals of distinction.
• Jason Fraser of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees warned the end‑of‑course language could function like high‑stakes testing, which voters rejected as a graduation gate.
• Education advocates from Citizens for Public Schools plan to present recommendations at the State House on Monday, as the council readies initial findings this fall and a final proposal to the governor in 2026 via Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler.