Exam School Admissions, Competency Determination, and Graduation Standards Voted On | Last Night at School Committee: November 5th, 2025 Meeting Recap
Last night’s Boston School Committee meeting was filled with votes on various topics crucial to the future of the district, including an adjustment to the Exam School Admissions Policy as well the Competency Determination for the Classes of 2026 and 2027. Here’s what happened:
Superintendent Mary Skipper opened with how the district is responding to the federal pause on SNAP benefits. She emphasized that all students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch at BPS sites and highlighted ongoing school-based food drives and a centralized drive at the Bolling Building.
The Committee reviewed and advanced a new group of members for the Opportunity & Achievement Gaps (OAG) Task Force, which advises and holds the district accountable for a shared plan to close equity gaps. The updated slate of members were unanimously approved by the Committee later in the evening.
There were 32 speakers during the public comment period, and many addressed the pending exam school admissions vote, but the night also featured a notable student call for a formal district AI framework, including teacher training and certification for responsible use. Additionally, a number of speakers, once again, urged expansion of dual-language programs, echoing similar requests from last week. It will be interesting to monitor whether the Committee moves forward with this request due to the high volume of testimony.
In a long-awaited vote, last night was the culmination of months of testimony, presentations, and discussion regarding a change to the Exam School Admissions policy. Superintendent Skipper framed the proposal as a compromise of keeping the benefits of the old system while tweaking other aspects. The recommendation preserves the socioeconomic tier structure while adding a citywide pathway for top-scoring students. In speaking about the decision, Member Stephen Alkins urged deeper equity analysis and simulations to surface nuance for marginalized populations who comprise the district’s majority. Member Rachel Skerritt stressed the core issue in the district: across BPS, there are not enough students meeting grade-level standards in ELA and math to fill the ~1,000 seventh-grade exam school seats.
The adjusted policy passed the committee, with 4 members in favor and 2 members opposed (with one member absent).
Jill talks about how the district sets expectations for students.
After the exam school vote, the Committee then considered three more votes:
Chapter 74 (CTE) Admissions Policy for five high schools (Madison Park, English High, Boston Arts Academy, Boston Green Academy, and EMK).
Middle School Career Exploration policy to better inform students about CTE pathways earlier.
Updated Competency Determination (CD) policy aligned to DESE’s summer 2025 changes (the Committee had approved a BPS CD framework in June 2025; this update brings it into compliance with DESE’s revisions).
Member Skerritt sought clarity on what Competency Determination now means for the Classes of 2026 and 2027 versus graduation requirements. She emphasized that the competency determination is a temporary substitute for grade-10 MCAS as a graduation gate and does not equal a diploma. Instead, it’s merely one eligibility condition alongside MassCore and successful completion of four years of study.
Embedded within the district’s presentation on this topic were two key infographics that highlight some of the key issues here. The first paints a picture of how the district defines “mastery” for students, along with indicator that a “D-” signals proficiency:
The second graphic illustrates the number of students from the Class of 2026 that are on track to graduate with MassCore. Some of these numbers are really worrisome, and this data underscores the myriad of challenges that the district faces in implementing MassCore:
