Students in Massachusetts won't have to take the MCAS exams this spring, amid school closures across the state due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Gov. Charlie Baker signed the law that cancels the exam requirement for graduating high school.
"Cancelling MCAS testing for the remainder of this school year will enable our teachers and students to focus on learning and personal well-being as we continue to navigate the current public health emergency," state Sen. Jason Lewis, a chair of the Legislature's Education Committee, said in a statement after the bill was agreedThursday. "Legislators heard loud and clear from teachers, parents and superintendents that this was the right thing to do."
The state has never canceled the exam, according to The Boston Globe.
But the move was strongly recommended by educators, who flooded legislators with requests to after Baker canceled classes until May 4, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Teacher's Association.
Jeffrey Riley, the state's education commissioner, will have the option of waiving the mandate that seniors pass the exam to graduate, the MTA said.
The State House News Service contributed to this report.
