Bill would pause MCAS testing for four years

BOSTON — As schools struggle with how to handle the pandemic, state lawmakers are proposing a bill that would suspend MCAS for four years.

The Joint Committee on Education is taking written testimony on the bill that would also create a commission to study alternatives to the standardized test, the Herald reported.

“As Massachusetts students and teachers do the tireless work of learning recovery and rebuilding community engagement and trust pressure-filled, high-stakes testing should be the very last thing on their minds,” the bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Jo Comerford, of Northampton, told the paper.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association is endorsing the bill. It would put a pause on the MCAS graduation requirement through the 2023-2024 school year.