Leader of Boston schools discusses MCAS graduation requirement

A LITTLE BIT MORE AND COMMUNICATE. ALL RIGHT, LET’S TALK ABOUT MCAS. THAT COULD BE ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER. DO YOU SUPPORT KEEPING THE TEST AS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT? SO, YOU KNOW I THINK FOR ME I’M AN EDUCATOR. I THINK OUR GOAL IN BPFS IS TO MAKE SURE WE’RE ADHERING TO WHATEVER THE STATE PUTS FORWARD. BUT FOR US, IT’S ABOUT THE ORGANIC EVALUATIONS AND DATA THAT WE GET FROM FROM KIDS EVERY DAY. THE TEACHERS ARE GENERATING THAT IS WHAT HELPS US TO BE ABLE, ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS, TO HELP IDENTIFY WHAT STUDENTS NEED. SO IS THAT A YES? SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE’S NO ONE TEST THAT MEASURES ALL OF THAT, RIGHT? IT’S IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. WE USE LOTS OF DIFFERENT DATA POINTS. RIGHT. BUT THERE IS A THERE IS A BALLOT QUESTION THAT SEEKS TO POTENTIALLY ELIMINATE MCAS AS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT. SO DO YOU SUPPORT THAT BALLOT QUESTION OR DO YOU WANT TO KEEP IT AS A REQUIREMENT. YEAH. SO I DON’T I’M NOT REALLY IT’S NOT MY PLACE TO COMMENT ON THAT. I THINK INSTEAD WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THE MCAS WAS ALWAYS INTENDED TO BE A SYSTEM. THAT’S WHAT THE S STANDS FOR. AND MY FEELING ALL ALONG, AND AS I’VE SAID PUBLICLY, IS THAT WE SHOULD BE MOVING TOWARD A SERIES OF THINGS THAT STUDENTS, SKILLS WISE, UM, ATTENDANCE S, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT, UM, FROM A RESILIENT STANDPOINT, THAT STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO EARLY COLLEGE AND CAN BUILD UP THEIR SKILLS, UH, CREATIVITY, LIKE SOME OF THE SKILLS THAT USED TO BE SOFT SKILLS THAT ARE NOW, FRANKLY, HARD SKILLS. WE NEED TO EXPAND HOW WE MEASURE THOSE THINGS INSTEAD OF BEING SO FOCUSED ON 1 OR 2 SPECIFIC DATA POINTS FOR GRADUATION, WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE PREPARED AND AND SPEAKING OF STUDENTS, TEACHERS ARE INVALUABLE. THEY’RE THE FRONT LINE, OBVIOUSLY, OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. BUT FOR THAT PERIOD OF THE DAY THAT THE TEACHER HAS THE THE STUDENT, THAT’S THERE, THEY’RE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT IN THEIR LIFE. IT’S A VERY DEMANDING JOB. SO HOW IS BP DOING ON RECRUITMENT AND RETAINING. YEAH. SO THIS IS FOR US. THIS IS SUCH A PRIORITY AREA. UM, WE ACTUALLY DID VERY WELL DURING THE PANDEMIC, FRANKLY, BOTH IN RECRUITING AND RETAINING. WE ARE VERY FOCUSED ON THE DIVERSITY OF OUR STAFF AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR STAFF IS REFLECTIVE OF OUR STUDENTS RACE, ETHNICITY, LANGUAGE DIVERSITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE COMING YEARS AS WE EXPAND BILINGUAL AND DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMING AND INCREASE NATIVE LANGUAGE ACCESS. SO WE’RE WORKING HARD ON THIS WITH OUR COLLEGE HOUSES THAT SURROUND US. WE’RE VERY BLESSED IN BOSTON TO HAVE SO MANY POST-SECONDARY, SO WE’RE WORKING A LOT ON PIPELINE PROGRAMS TO BUILD THOSE UP. WE HAD SOME VERY GOOD DATA. THE MTEL HAS CONTINUALLY BEEN A PROBLEM MTEL, WHICH IS THE MASSACHUSETTS TEACHING. THANK YOU. RIGHT. IT’S THE IT’S THE FOR THE LICENSURE FOR UH, A LOT OF TIMES OUR STOW STAFF WHO ARE EDUCATORS, WHO ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS THEMSELVES STRUGGLE WITH THAT TEST. AND WE ACTUALLY HAD AN 84% PASSING ON THAT TEST IN OUR LATEST GROUP THAT HAVE COME THROUGH MTEL PREP. LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING. WHEN YOU SPEAK TO STUDENTS, DO YOU THINK THERE’S AN INTEREST THERE IN THEM GOING INTO TEACHING? ABSOLUTELY. I THINK YOU DO. I DO, AND I THINK IT’S GROWING. UH, WE ARE ACTUALLY LAUNCHING IN BRIGHTON FOR THE FIRST TIME, AN EDUCATION PATHWAY FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN HIGH SCHOOL. WE ALSO HAVE A TEACHER CADET PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS OUR ALUMNI TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND BE ABLE TO WORK IN THE SYSTEM AND BE ABLE TO MENTOR THOSE THAT ARE THINKING ABOUT GOING INTO EDUCATION. I THINK IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS NATIONALLY, WE NEED TO CREATE A DIALOG AROUND. I THINK THERE’S BEEN A LOT, YOU KNOW, AND CERTAINLY TEACHING IS VERY HARD, BUT I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON IS WHAT ARE THE SUPPORTS THAT WE CAN GIVE TEACHERS THAT ARE GOING TO ALLOW THEM TO DO THEIR MAGIC WORK THROUGH THEIR HARD WORK, AND BE ABLE TO REALLY REACH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. AND SO ANYTHING THING WE CAN DO IN THE TO GET OUR MESSAGES OUT, WE CONTRIBUTE IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO FAIRS AROUND THE STATE. WE’RE CONSTANTLY GOING OUT, BUT OUR BEST MARKETERS OF THE APS ARE OUR STUDENTS AND WE ARE SO PROUD THAT OUR ALUMNI ARE SUCH A BIG PART OF OUR EDUCATION FORCE