For the first time in decades, Massachusetts is without a single, statewide standard for earning a high school diploma. When voters eliminated the MCAS graduation requirement in 2024, it fell to state leaders to figure out what comes next. Two graduating classes have already walked across the stage without a uniform bar to clear. Now, after an 18-month planning process, the state’s K-12 Graduation Council has put forward its answer — and it’s a significant one.
What’s Changing
Under the proposal filed by Education Secretary Stephen Zrike and DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez, Massachusetts high schoolers would need to clear four hurdles to graduate:
- MassCore coursework — a college-preparatory course of study that includes four units of English, four units of math (including Algebra II or its equivalent), three units of lab-based science, three units of history and social science, two units of the same world language, one unit of the arts, and several additional core courses.
- End-of-course exams in specific subjects, scored by the state.
- A My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) — an individualized postsecondary plan that includes completing financial aid paperwork.
- A capstone project or portfolio, scored locally, demonstrating mastery of a subject area.
The rollout is meant to be gradual. MassCore coursework requirements would begin with ninth graders entering high school in fall 2027, with the other components — exams, MyCAP, and the capstone — phased in the following year. That means the first class held to the complete set of requirements wouldn’t graduate until 2032, eight years after the original MCAS requirement was repealed. Before any of it takes effect, though, the Legislature still needs to approve the framework, and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education would need to write the accompanying regulations.
State officials have pointed out that roughly three-quarters of Massachusetts high schools already meet MassCore’s core academic requirements in some form, and Governor Healey’s office has committed $500,000 in grants this summer to help districts close the gap. The state has also framed the 2026–27 school year as a planning year, with DESE offering support for needs assessments, stakeholder engagement, and professional learning ahead of phased implementation.
Why This Matters for English Learners
On paper, the timeline sounds generous. In practice, board members and district leaders have already raised concerns about whether that runway is long enough — and those concerns land differently for programs serving English Learners.
Consider what MassCore actually asks of a ninth grader: four years of English, two years of the same world language, three years of a lab-based science, all building toward exams the state will score. For a student who is simultaneously learning academic English and the content itself, each of those requirements carries an extra layer of difficulty that the standard timeline doesn’t account for. A capstone project scored on subject mastery is a very different task for a student in year one of English language development than for a student in year four.
There’s also a staffing question that predates this proposal and will only intensify under it. Massachusetts already faces a shortage of qualified world language and bilingual teachers — the same instructors districts will lean on to help English Learners meet MassCore’s two-year world language requirement while also supporting their English acquisition. Districts serving large EL populations, many of them Gateway Cities already stretched thin by declining enrollment and tightening budgets, will be asked to build this capacity on the same timeline as everyone else.
None of this is a reason to abandon higher standards. It’s a reason to make sure “gradual implementation” means something real for the students who need the most flexibility to get there. That could look like extended timelines for English Learners newer to the language, guidance on how capstone and portfolio requirements can incorporate native-language work, dedicated funding for bilingual staffing pipelines, and a seat at the table for EL program directors as DESE finalizes regulations — not after the fact.
What Comes Next
The proposal now heads to the Legislature, and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has already signaled it wants answers on cost and pacing before signing off. That gives advocates, districts, and families a real window to shape how these requirements get built — and to make sure English Learners aren’t an afterthought in a framework meant to prepare every Massachusetts student for what’s next.
At The MEL Community Foundation, we’ll be watching this process closely. Our grantee partners are already doing the hard work of helping English Learners access rigorous, college-preparatory coursework — this policy shift will shape what that work looks like for years to come.