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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 698 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 426
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Jacob R. Oliveira
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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.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and WorcesterVanna Howard17th Middlesex1/30/2025Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester1/31/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk1/31/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/12/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester3/3/2025 1 of 7
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 698 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 426
By Mr. Oliveira, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 426) of Jacob R. Oliveira, Vanna
Howard, Joanne M. Comerford, Michael D. Brady and other members of the General Court for
legislation to ensure that all students are prepared for future success. Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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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 than 2 public meetings across the commonwealth, shall create and administer a
42statewide survey open to members of the public and available in multiple languages, and may
43hold additional hearings and other forums as necessary.
44 (d) There shall be a MassCore advisory council to collaborate with and advise the
45department on all matters related to MassCore and the implementation of this section. The
46advisory council shall consist of: 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
47Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the American Federation of
48Teachers, Massachusetts; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Association of
49School Superintendents, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
50Association of School Committees, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
51Parent Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
52Association of Regional Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
53Association of Vocational Administrators Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
54Massachusetts School Counselors Association; 1 member who shall be a high school student
55appointed by the Massachusetts Association of Student Representatives; 1 member who shall be
56appointed by the NAACP; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Immigrant
57and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; 1 member who shall be appointed by Citizens for Public 4 of 7
58Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Advocates for Children; 1
59member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education
60Assessment; and 1 member who shall be a researcher from a public university in the
61commonwealth with expertise in the area of public elementary and secondary education, selected
62by the members of the advisory council.
63 The advisory council shall determine the means of conducting its work and shall meet as
64often as the members shall determine. The department and the advisory council shall meet at
65least quarterly.
66 (e) By December 31, 2025, school districts shall report to the department on their
67capacity to comply with this section. The report shall be submitted in a form and manner
68prescribed by the department and shall include, but not be limited to, whether a district is already
69in compliance with the course requirements of this section and, for those districts not already in
70compliance, an estimate of additional financial costs directly related to coming into compliance
71and whether such costs will create a demonstrated financial hardship for the school district
72including, but not limited to, by directly resulting in cuts to existing school staff, courses or
73programs.
74 By February 1, 2026, the department shall submit to the general court a request for an
75appropriation to those school districts with a demonstrated financial hardship, as determined by
76the department, for the total costs associated with coming into compliance with the requirements
77of this section. The MassCore course and program requirements in this section shall not be in
78effect for students in said school districts until such a time that said appropriation is made to said
79school districts. 5 of 7
80 (f) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting a school district from
81implementing MassCore prior to the 2027-2028 school year or from implementing course or unit
82requirements for students that exceed the requirements of MassCore.
83 SECTION 2. (a) There shall be a special commission to study and make
84recommendations for more authentic and accurate methods of assessing students in the
85commonwealth. The commission shall examine: (i) the requirements of the Every Student
86Succeeds Act of 2015, codified at 20 U.S.C. ยง 6301 et. seq., and potential waivers; (ii)
87alternative assessment measures in place or being considered nationwide; and (iii) research data
88on the knowledge and skills that parents, elementary and secondary educators, higher education
89educators, and business leaders want students to have upon high school graduation.
90 Regarding the assessment of students, the special commission shall consider assessments
91other than conventional methods, including, but not limited to: work samples, capstone, service
92learning or other projects, portfolios, performance assessments and other authentic and direct
93gauges of student performance that encourage effective instruction, use strategies for avoiding
94racial and ethnic biases, and recognize the strengths of all students.
95 The commission shall recommend strategies for assessing students that comply with
96current federal law. The commission may also make recommendations for changes in or waivers
97from federal law that would facilitate the implementation of effective assessment strategies.
98 (b) The commission shall consist of: 1 member who shall be appointed by the president
99of the senate, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the speaker of
100the house of representatives, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by
101the minority leader of the senate; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the 6 of 7
102house of representatives; the secretary of education, or a designee; the commissioner of
103elementary and secondary education, or a designee; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
104Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
105Massachusetts Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the American
106Federation of Teachers, Massachusetts; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
107Association of School Superintendents, Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
108Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the
109Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators Inc.; 1 member who shall be appointed
110by the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance; 1 member who shall be appointed by Citizens
111for Public Schools; 1 member who shall be appointed by the NAACP; 1 member who shall be
112appointed by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition; 1 member who
113shall be appointed by Multicultural Education, Training, and Advocacy, Inc; 2 members who
114shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment, 1 of
115whom shall be a high school student attending a public high school in the consortium; 1 member
116who shall be a high school student appointed by Youth SOL; 1 member who shall be a high
117school student appointed by the Massachusetts Association of Student Representatives; 1
118member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association; 1 member
119who shall be appointed by the Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts; 1 member who shall
120be appointed by the Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association; 1 member who shall
121be appointed by the Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy of
122the University of Massachusetts Boston; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts
123Advocates for Children; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Organization of
124Educational Collaboratives; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Parent 7 of 7
125Teachers Association; 1 member who shall be appointed by the Center for Law and Education; 1
126member who shall be appointed by the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University; 1
127member who shall be appointed by the Rural Policy Advisory Commission; 1 member who shall
128be appointed by GLSEN Massachusetts; and 1 member who shall be a researcher from a public
129university in the commonwealth with expertise in the area of assessment, selected jointly by the
130members of the commission. Members shall not receive compensation for their services but may
131receive reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in carrying out their responsibilities as
132members of the commission. The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall
133furnish reasonable staff and other support for the work of the commission.
134 (c) When conducting its work and issuing its recommendations, the commission shall use
135a transparent and inclusive process that meaningfully engages students, educators,
136administrators, parents and other stakeholders, particularly those from historically marginalized
137and underserved communities and populations. The commission shall hold not less than 5 public
138meetings across the regions of the commonwealth, shall create and administer a statewide survey
139open to members of the public and available in multiple languages, and may hold additional
140hearings and other forums as necessary. The commission shall file its report and
141recommendations with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and the chairs of
142the joint committee on education not later than August 31, 2026.