State Student Advisory Council Statement

We, the State Student Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Board of Education, would like to officially commend and recognize the efforts of the 220,000 students across the Commonwealth who participated in the first day of this year's MCAS testing on April 12, 2000. However, we would like to express our concern with the actions of the few students statewide who have chosen to boycott this year's test. Although we commend their activism, we feel that their methods undermine the continuing progress of education reform. We strongly believe that, in this situation, a boycott is neither the most effective nor the most responsible means of expressing dissent. Such a boycott hinders the ability of the Department of Education to accurately assess the areas of strength and weakness within individual school districts. These assessments are necessary to appropriately allocate grant monies and make improvements to existing programs and curricula.

In December of 1999, the Council voted to endorse the graduation requirement for the Math and English portions of the test. We reaffirm our support for the MCAS, and for the paradigm of standards-based education. We are confident that by expecting our students to demonstrate minimum objective competencies, we affirm that high school diplomas are more than mere certificates of attendance, but rather a confirmation that the bearer is ready for future successes in higher education or in the business world.