The Montgomery County Board of Education sent a letter Wednesday to the Maryland Board of Education asking them to waive the requirement that high school students pass new state tests aligned with the Common Core Curriculum in order to graduate.
The new tests will be given in all state public schools this year and will include tests in Algebra 1 and English that students must pass in order to graduate.
The Montgomery Board believes the state should further evaluate the effectiveness of the tests as students transition to the Common Core before putting in place the graduation rule.
Board President Phil Kauffman said in the letter that the more rigorous exams could harm struggling students and asked for a two-year delay on the graduation requirement while the educators evaluate the tests.
The exams are developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). According to the state, the tests will be scored on two different levels, termed cut scores, where a higher one indicates college and career readiness while a lower one meets the graduation requirement.
“If a college-ready cut score differs from the graduation cut score, what is the most meaningful indicator for institutions of higher education or employers? What messages do tiered cut scores send to students?” asked Kauffman in the letter.
Kaufmann said that board of education members from other jurisdictions passed a resolution at a conference earlier this month in support of delaying the graduation requirement for two years.
Kaufmann also questioned why students should have the graduation requirement if teachers aren’t being evaluated with the test scores during the transition to Common Core.
“We believe it is time for you to take action and that a two year delay in using PARCC as a graduation requirement is in the best interest of students,” Kaufmann said in the letter.
The tests would not affect current juniors and seniors who instead must pass the old tests, the Maryland High School Assessments, or complete a Bridge Plan, which is an alternate method by which students can demonstrate knowledge in a subject.