Two-tiered diploma system is fair to all.

By Scott Lang  |  May 16, 2006

LAST WEEK, the New Bedford School Committee passed a resolution I introduced to create a bifurcated system of awarding diplomas to graduating seniors. Students who meet New Bedford's requirements and pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System would be awarded MCAS-certified diplomas. Students who meet local requirements but are unable to pass the MCAS would be awarded a general high school diploma.

New Bedford does not oppose the MCAS. However, it is nonsensical to tell students who have successfully completed the requisite high school curriculum that everything they have accomplished is meaningless if they cannot pass a standardized test. These students did not drop out or flunk out.

The state imposes the MCAS and does not empower local school districts to award diplomas based on local graduation standards.

Sixty-five percent of New Bedford's students come from families whose income falls below the poverty level. Our high school dropout rate is three times the state average. Bilingual, minority, and special-needs students fail the MCAS at a rate substantially higher than their peers. Many New Bedford students are members of these groups. We must do everything we can to encourage these children to stay in school.

It is clear that income is tied to educational attainment; students who do not receive a high school diploma face a future of economic hardship, and pose tremendous cost to our society. These students cannot attend college, serve in the military, or find a job that pays a living wage. Studies show that dropouts are more likely to engage in criminal activities and become dependent on welfare than high school graduates. Denying a diploma to students who have completed high school but failed the MCAS relegates them to dropout status.

Since the inception of the MCAS graduation requirement, 91 New Bedford students have received worthless ''Certificates of Attendance" rather than diplomas because they failed the MCAS. Across the state, this number is 1,200 students a year! These students stayed in school while thousands of their peers dropped out. They passed all their classes, participated in activities at school, and in the end all we could say was ''Thanks for showing up these past 13 years." This is not acceptable.

In 2001, before the MCAS became the determinant of high school graduation, the state created a $40 million fund for remediation programs for children who showed difficulty in passing the Grade 4 MCAS. That year, New Bedford received over $800,000 to run programs from elementary to high school to ensure all students received the help they needed to succeed. This funding was slashed annually, with New Bedford receiving $109,520 in the last fiscal year. This had a crippling effect on New Bedford's ability to ensure that no child falls through the system. The limited remedial programs are now available only to high school students, leaving younger at-risk students to fall further behind.

Remediation program funding must be restored so we can identify at-risk students in elementary school and develop an individualized profile for success; anything less devalues our students and our local educational systems. Students denied their diplomas due to MCAS failure should be beneficiaries of a concentrated program enabling them to receive a diploma. Our children are our best resource and brightest hope for the future, and we cannot rest until we can in good faith say that we have kept our commitment to each one.

Scott Lang is the mayor of New Bedford.