Massachusetts Just Scrapped Its High-Stakes Graduation Exam—But Your School District Pressure Just Got Higher

Ballot Question 2 eliminated the 10th-grade MCAS as a graduation requirement, but the test isn't gone—it's transformed. While students no longer face a single high-stakes gate, school districts now bear the institutional pressure to perform. The real story? A little-known assessment called MAP Growth has become the operational engine of accountability, using predictive analytics to forecast MCAS outcomes before the spring exam. This creates a new 'MCAS Premium' for public school districts and shifts due diligence burden for private schools. Every homebuyer in Greater Boston needs to understand this dual assessment system.