by Marty Green ·
Friday, December 20, 2024
In the recent election, voters rejected requiring a passing score on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) for high school graduation. In the wake of that change, Harvard school administrators are updating graduation requirements for the Bromfield High School.
Principal Kim Murphy presented a proposal for the new requirements to the School Committee at its Dec. 16 meeting. The committee delayed a vote on the changes until January, with members saying they wanted some time for the community to see the new plan.
The proposed requirements are in line with the state’s set of recommended courses, known as MassCore. And MassCore itself aligns with what the state’s colleges expect of high school graduates, Murphy said.
The biggest changes are in the proposed requirements for math, science, and world languages. Currently, Bromfield requires only two years of math, two years of science, and no world languages. The proposed requirements include four years of math, three of science, and two of a world language. (The proposal speaks of units, rather than years or credits, but the meaning is the same; see table.)
Committee member Suzie Allen asked if it would be difficult to offer the math, science, and language courses to all students with current teaching staff. But Murphy said it would not be a problem.
“I love that on paper and in practice we are now aligned with MassCore,” committee member Liz Joyce said in response to the changes.
Murphy said school counselors have been advising students for years to take classes that match the MassCore requirements. The new proposal would bring Bromfield’s formal requirements into agreement with that advice.
The proposal also removes the requirement for 40 hours of community service for graduation. Community service remains one of Bromfield’s core values, Murphy said, but there are other ways of encouraging it. Students can take an internship for credit, as one of their electives. Or they can incorporate community service in a pathway to some of the special forms of recognition at graduation.
If approved by the School Committee, the new requirements would take effect for students who enter ninth grade in the fall of 2025. Murphy noted that Bromfield “is setting high expectations for our graduates.”