School committee adds U.S. history, new grade average in MCAS replacement requirement

Beginning with the class of 2027, passing U.S. history will now be a requirement for Wareham tenth-graders following an approval at the Thursday, Dec. 18 Wareham School Committee meeting.

Additionally, starting with the class of 2029, students must have a grade of 70 and above to count toward competency, or, be considered passing. 

With the removal of MCAS as a graduation requirement for high schoolers in Massachusetts, the committee instated the new process for determining if a student has met the state’s academic standards in early 2025.

Previously, a student had to pass the tenth-grade English, math and science MCAS tests to meet the state-wide “competency determination” standards and graduate. Now the responsibility of determining if a student has met the state’s standards is in the hands of local school districts.

Students who pass tenth-grade English, algebra 2 or geometry and biology, chemistry or physics have met the state’s academic standards. The state has now added U.S. history to that list. 

The new policy also includes assistance to students with learning disabilities, those learning English and those who enroll late into the school year. 

Principal of Wareham High School, Scott Palladino, said that he was happy to be able to give the class of 2029 a heads up about the grade requirement. Upon running numbers, if the same were required of last year's sophomores, the class of 2027, there would be 30 students out of the class who would have had a grade below 70.

"I would argue that there's an opportunity here for those kids if they knew 70 was a threshold, that there's a large percentage that would forge forward and attain that 70," Palladino said.

If a student does not reach the threshold, there is an appeals process in which the student's grade will go in front of an appeals committee, or the student can attend summer classes.