As many of you have heard, there has recently been a very impactful question on the Mass Ballot which asked whether the states should eliminate MCAS as a graduation requirement. Many people argue that the MCAS is unfair to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as low-income communities or English language learners, who struggle with standardized tests. These possible policy changes sparked questions such as, Without MCAS what happens to all of the students who already took the MCAS? While this new policy may not come into effect soon, it has been voted into effect for the future, and the impacts of this change will reach far. Without MCAS as a requirement, many who failed MCAS will continue into college, for better or worse. Both sides had some compelling points. The opposition believes that removing MCAS allows all students to thrive and reach their full potential. They also believe that the one-size-fits-all exam style of MCAS cannot measure student achievement as opposed to using other measurements, such as GPA, coursework, teacher assessments, and extracurriculars. They believe that replacing MCAS as a graduation requirement allows more flexible, complex teaching, not just teaching to what the test will ask as well as prevent people from failing just because of one bad test. While removing the MCAS has many upsides, it also has many downsides. As the opposition points out, removing MCAS is unfair to students and will increase inequality, as some districts are lenient and allow students to pass without the proper skills needed for later in life. The opposition also believes that it is unjust to grant diplomas to kids who aren’t yet ready to graduate if they don’t have the basic skills necessary. Both sides make a compelling argument about whether or not to get rid of the MCAS, but the question on hand is whether this new change affects you.