AS AN EDUCATOR of visually impaired students in Worcester public schools, my job is to help ensure that my students have the tools and the confidence they need to succeed in school and in life, regardless of their physical disabilities. 

Securing a high school diploma is one key area of our focus for these students, as a means of further building their independence. As they transition into adulthood, my students face myriad challenges, and missing out on educational and employment opportunities because they don’t do well on standardized tests and therefore can’t graduate shouldn’t be among them.  

And yet, that’s exactly what’s happening because the state requires every student to pass the high-stakes Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam, known as MCAS, as a condition of graduation. 

Students who are already grappling with challenges, such as those with individualized education plans (IEPs), those on the autism spectrum, and English language learners, are among the hardest hit by high-stakes testing. In Massachusetts, roughly 22 percent of students with disabilities don’t make it to graduation. In many cases, failing the MCAS exam is to blame.

One-size-fits-all testing doesn’t accommodate students like mine who have unique challenges, and I’ve seen the consequences firsthand. In one instance, one of my visually-impaired, autistic students encountered an MCAS exam where the Braille was riddled with errors. You can imagine the confusion, anxiety, and frustration this student experienced as a result. 

Another heart-wrenching situation involved a student who survived a violent incident, leaving him blind and traumatized. He was forced to take the MCAS exam within two weeks of returning from rehab with threats of not graduating hanging over him. 

Despite the noble goals of MCAS, most educators agree that changes need to be made. Thankfully, lawmakers have the opportunity to right this wrong.  A piece of legislation, known as the THRIVE Act, would eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement, so students’ ability to earn a high school diploma would no longer hinge strongly on one exam.

Students would still take the MCAS exam and be required to meet state graduation requirements, but graduating would no longer be contingent on passing the exam. THRIVE would also restore democratic control to our communities by ending state receivership, which has been both ineffective and punitive, particularly for communities of color and low-income communities. The measure has widespread support in the House and the Senate, and educators are cautiously optimistic about its passage.

And if the state doesn’t act, voters will. Next November, thanks to the support of thousands of Massachusetts residents, we’ll all have the opportunity to vote via ballot initiative on whether a student’s future should be tied to how they perform on one high-stakes test. For the sake of my students, and all of the students like them across the state, I’m hopeful commonsense will prevail. 

Saul Ramos is a paraeducator and braillist in the Worcester Public Schools.