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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1731 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 596
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
James K. Hawkins
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to ensure that all students are prepared for future success.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol1/15/2025Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/14/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/14/2025Christopher Richard Flanagan1st Barnstable2/14/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex2/14/2025Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/14/2025Brian W. Murray10th Worcester2/14/2025Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/14/2025Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/14/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/14/2025Mike Connolly26th Middlesex2/14/2025Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/25/2025Tara T. Hong18th Middlesex2/25/2025 1 of 7
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1731 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 596
By Representative Hawkins of Attleboro, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 596) of
James K. Hawkins and others for legislation to align high school courses with college and
workforce expectations. Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act to ensure that all students are prepared for future success.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
2section 37 the following section:-
3 Section 38. MassCore
4 (a) The department shall, in collaboration with the MassCore advisory council established
5pursuant to subsection (d) and subject to the approval of the board, develop, implement and
6administer a statewide program of study, to be known as MassCore, to align high school courses
7with college and workforce expectations and to ensure that all students are prepared to be
8knowledgeable, empowered and civically engaged adults who can thrive upon high school
9graduation and throughout their lives. MassCore shall, except as otherwise herein provided, be a
10required program of study for all high school students in the commonwealth beginning with
11students entering ninth grade in the 2027-2028 school year. 2 of 7
12 (b) MassCore shall consist of four units of English, four units of mathematics, three units
13of a lab-based science, three units of history, two units of the same world language, one unit of
14the arts and five additional core elective courses; provided, however, that the MassCore program
15of study may be amended upon a joint recommendation to the board by the department and the
16MassCore advisory council and subject to the approval of the board.
17 All MassCore courses shall be aligned with the appropriate grade-level standards in the
18Massachusetts curriculum frameworks. School districts and educators shall have flexibility and
19professional autonomy in selecting curriculum and in designing and administering teaching and
20learning in line with the appropriate grade-level standards.
21 (c) The department shall, in collaboration with the MassCore advisory council and
22subject to the approval of the board, develop and promulgate regulations governing the
23implementation, administration and enforcement of this section, which shall include, but not be
24limited to: (i) creating a waiver process by which certain student subgroups, including, but not
25limited to, multilingual learners, students with disabilities and students who are newly enrolled in
26a public school in the commonwealth may be exempt from some or all of the MassCore
27requirements; (ii) creating a process by which school districts may, subject to approval by the
28department, award high school credit in compliance with this section for MassCore-equivalent
29courses taken in middle school; (iii) creating a process by which school districts may receive a
30temporary waiver of the requirements of this section due to a demonstrated hardship; (iv)
31ensuring flexibility for students in selecting courses that satisfy the MassCore requirements,
32including within subject areas, and ensuring flexibility in meeting the MassCore requirements for
33students enrolled in state-approved career and technical education programs; (v) establishing a
34reporting process for school districts to demonstrate compliance with the MassCore 3 of 7
35requirements; and (vi) establishing a process for recommending changes or updates to MassCore
36that shall include public input.
37 Said regulations shall be developed using a transparent and inclusive process that
38meaningfully engages students, educators, administrators, parents and other stakeholders,
39particularly those from historically marginalized and underserved communities and populations.
40In developing said regulations, the department and the MassCore advisory council shall jointly
41convene not less
42 than 2 public meetings across the commonwealth, shall create and administer a statewide
43survey open to members of the public and available in multiple languages, and may hold
44additional hearings and other forums as necessary.
45 (d) There shall be a MassCore advisory council to collaborate with and advise the
46department on all matters related to MassCore and the implementation of this section. The
47advisory council shall consist of: 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
48Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the American Federation of
49Teachers, Massachusetts; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Association of
50School Superintendents, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
51Association of School Committees, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
52Parent Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
53Association of Regional Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
54Association of Vocational Administrators Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
55Massachusetts School Counselors Association; 1 member who shall be a high school student
56appointed by the Massachusetts Association of Student Representatives; 1 member who shall be 4 of 7
57appointed by the NAACP; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Immigrant
58and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; 1 member who shall be appointed by Citizens for Public
59Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Advocates for Children; 1
60member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education
61Assessment; and 1 member who shall be a researcher from a public university in the
62commonwealth with expertise in the area of public elementary and secondary education, selected
63by the members of the advisory council.
64 The advisory council shall determine the means of conducting its work and shall meet as
65often as the members shall determine. The department and the advisory council shall meet at
66least quarterly.
67 (e) By December 31, 2025, school districts shall report to the department on their
68capacity to comply with this section. The report shall be submitted in a form and manner
69prescribed by the department and shall include, but not be limited to, whether a district is already
70in compliance with the course requirements of this section and, for those districts not already in
71compliance, an estimate of additional financial costs directly related to coming into compliance
72and whether such costs will create a demonstrated financial hardship for the school district
73including, but not limited to, by directly resulting in cuts to existing school staff, courses or
74programs.
75 By February 1, 2026, the department shall submit to the general court a request for an
76appropriation to those school districts with a demonstrated financial hardship, as determined by
77the department, for the total costs associated with coming into compliance with the requirements
78of this section. The MassCore course and program requirements in this section shall not be in 5 of 7
79effect for students in said school districts until such a time that said appropriation is made to said
80school districts.
81 (f) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting a school district from
82implementing MassCore prior to the 2027-2028 school year or from implementing course or unit
83requirements for students that exceed the requirements of MassCore.
84 SECTION 2. (a) There shall be a special commission to study and make
85recommendations for more authentic and accurate methods of assessing students in the
86commonwealth. The
87 commission shall examine: (i) the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act of
882015, codified at 20 U.S.C. § 6301 et. seq., and potential waivers; (ii) alternative assessment
89measures in place or being considered nationwide; and (iii) research data on the knowledge and
90skills that parents, elementary and secondary educators, higher education educators, and business
91leaders want students to have upon high school graduation.
92 Regarding the assessment of students, the special commission shall consider assessments
93other than conventional methods, including, but not limited to: work samples, capstone, service
94learning or other projects, portfolios, performance assessments and other authentic and direct
95gauges of student performance that encourage effective instruction, use strategies for avoiding
96racial and ethnic biases, and recognize the strengths of all students.
97 The commission shall recommend strategies for assessing students that comply with
98current federal law. The commission may also make recommendations for changes in or waivers
99from federal law that would facilitate the implementation of effective assessment strategies. 6 of 7
100 (b) The commission shall consist of: 1 member who shall be appointed by the president
101of the senate, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the speaker of
102the house of representatives, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by
103the minority leader of the senate; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the
104house of representatives; the secretary of education, or a designee; the commissioner of
105elementary and secondary education, or a designee; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
106Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
107Massachusetts Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the American
108Federation of Teachers, Massachusetts; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
109Association of School Superintendents, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
110Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
111Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed
112by the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance; 1 member who shall be appointed by Citizens
113for Public Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the NAACP; 1 member who shall be
114appointed by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; 1 member who
115shall be appointed by Multicultural Education, Training, and Advocacy, Inc; 2 members who
116shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment, 1 of
117whom shall be a high school student attending a public high school in the consortium; 1 member
118who shall be a high school student appointed by Youth SOL; 1 member who shall be a high
119school student appointed by the Massachusetts Association of Student Representatives; 1
120member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association; 1 member
121who shall be appointed by the Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts; 1 member who shall
122be appointed by the Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association; 1 member who shall 7 of 7
123be appointed by the Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy of
124the University of Massachusetts Boston; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
125Advocates for Children; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Organization of
126Educational Collaboratives; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Parent
127Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Center for Law and Education; 1
128member who shall be appointed by the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University; 1
129member who shall be appointed by the Rural Policy Advisory Commission; 1 member who shall
130 be appointed by GLSEN Massachusetts; and 1 member who shall be a researcher from a
131public university in the commonwealth with expertise in the area of assessment, selected jointly
132by the members of the commission. Members shall not receive compensation for their services
133but may receive reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in carrying out their
134responsibilities as members of the commission. The commissioner of elementary and secondary
135education shall furnish reasonable staff and other support for the work of the commission.
136 (c) When conducting its work and issuing its recommendations, the commission shall use
137a transparent and inclusive process that meaningfully engages students, educators,
138administrators, parents and other stakeholders, particularly those from historically marginalized
139and underserved communities and populations. The commission shall hold not less than 5 public
140meetings across the regions of the commonwealth, shall create and administer a statewide survey
141open to members of the public and available in multiple languages, and may hold additional
142hearings and other forums as necessary. The commission shall file its report and
143recommendations with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and the chairs of
144the joint committee on education not later than August 31, 2026.