The Boston Globe - 31.08.2019

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AUGUST 31, 2019

METRO

By James Vaznis
GLOBE STAFF
A Stanford University study has
concluded that a controversial tenth-
grade MCAS essay question that many
students and teachers derided as racist
hurt the performance of a small num-
ber of black students, state officials an-
nounced Friday, prompting them to
take the unusual step of waiving the
passing score for a limited number of
students.
The essay question from this
spring’s MCAS was based on a passage
from Colson Whitehead’s book, “The
Underground Railroad,’’ and asked
students to write a journal entry from
the perspective of a white woman who
used derogatory language against a
young runaway slave and was reluc-
tant to hide her in her home. Students
encountered the question on the sec-
ond day of testing, although it did not
appear on all the tests.
Tenth-graders must pass the MCAS
in order to receive their high school di-
plomas.
“The study, led by Stanford re-
searchers, showed that while black
students experienced a small differ-

enceinperformanceascomparedto

white students on the second day of

the English Language Arts MCAS test,

that small difference was within the

normal variation of such differences

on past MCAS tests,” Jeffrey Riley, the

state’s education commissioner, wrote

in a letter to school superintendents

late Friday afternoon.

However, Riley added that the over-

arching finding was not applicable to

all black students who encountered

the question, noting a small number of

them were probably adversely impact-

ed. Consequently, “out of an abun-

dance of caution,” he said, the depart-

ment has decided to loosen some

MCAS rules.

For instance, the department will

waive the passing score for students

who were on track to pass the English

MCAS, but then saw their perfor-

mance falter after confronting “The

Underground Railroad’’ question.

The study comes three months af-

ter an uproar emerged over the ques-

tion, prompting Riley to drop the ques-

tion from the test and not count the re-

sponses from the students who

answered it. Riley then tapped the

Stanford researchers after some edu-

cators raised concerns that students

may have been so upset by the ques-

tion that it could have negatively af-

fected their performance on the re-

mainder of the test.

The prospect of having to write

from the perspective of a white racist

woman offended some students who

experienced discrimination, while oth-

ers grappled with whether using racist

language would be considered histori-

cally accurate or inappropriate.

Boston teachers and administra-

tors, acting on concerns expressed by

their students, were among those lead-

ing the charge. On Friday, Boston Su-

perintendent Brenda Cassellius com-

mended students who brought the is-

sue forward and expressed

appreciation that the state took them

seriously.

“Commissioner Riley listened to the

valid concerns of our students and is

taking appropriate corrective action by

not penalizing test-takers and giving

them opportunities to qualify for a

state scholarship,” Cassellius said in a

statement. “This unfortunate situation

reflects the serious consequences of

high-stakes standardized tests, which

can impact a student’s ability to gradu-

ate or obtain crucial financial assis-

tance for college.”

Cassellius, who started as Boston’s

superintendent in July, has long been a

critic of testing. As Minnesota’s com-

missioner she ended that state’s test-

ing requirement for graduation.

In conducting their analysis, the

Stanford researchers examined how

students who encountered the ques-

tion performed on the latter part of the

testincomparisontohowstudentsin

previous years performed on the latter

part of their tests.

Although the researchers found

small differences between the perfor-

mance of black and white students

who encountered the “Underground

Railroad’’ passage, they concluded it

was “similar to effects, both positive

and negative, observed in other MCAS

settings,” Riley said.

“Indeed, preliminary MCAS results

show that the same percentage of stu-

dents met the testing requirement for

graduation this year as did last year,”

Riley said. “That is true both for stu-

dents overall and for black students.”

MCAS results are expected to be re-

leased publicly next month.

Other steps Riley is taking so that

no students — regardless of their race

or ethnicity — are unnecessarily penal-

ized by the discarded MCAS question,

include allowing students to retake the

exam if they did not score high enough

to earn a John and Abigail Adams

Scholarship, which provides free tu-

ition at state colleges and universities

for up to eight semesters.

Also, students who failed the Eng-

lish portion of the MCAS will be able to

seek an appeal from the testing re-

quirement if they are unable to pass it

twice instead of three times. A success-

ful appeal, as established by the 1993

Education Reform Act, which created

the testing requirement, enables stu-

dents to demonstrate through their

coursework that they have the knowl-

edge and skills to satisfy the passing

standard.

“We are taking the actions outlined

here because we believe they are in the

best interest of students,” Riley said.

James Vaznis can be reached at

[email protected].

MCAS question affected black students’ tests

By Brian MacQuarrie

GLOBE STAFF

Joshua Curtiss of South Boston

zigzagged across a patch of dirt this

summer as he tried to capture a goat,

a circus-like chase that the 19-year-

old found both amusing and fright-

ening during an eye-opening trip to

remote areas of Kenya and Tanzania.

“I didn’t know if it’d attack me or

what,” Curtiss recalled with a smile.

Corraling an animal that doesn’t

want to be caught won’t be on the

curriculum at the Massachusetts

College of Liberal Arts, where Curtiss

will be a freshman this fall. But the

leadership program that brought

him to East Africa — goat chasing in-

cluded — has given him new confi-

dence that he can make the transi-

tion to college from Urban Science

Academy in West Roxbury.

College success for Boston stu-

dents is at the core of Next Genera-

tion Leaders, a program created in

2007 by travel entrepreneur Harriet

Lewis that sent Curtiss and nine oth-

ers on the brink of college to Africa

for two weeks.

Their journey capped a summer-

long internship at Grand Circle

Corp., a global travel company

owned by Lewis and her husband,

Alan, that is based in the Seaport.

The students are placed in challeng-

ing jobs that emphasize team build-

ing, risk taking, and communica-

tion, Lewis said.

“It’s tough with a lot of love,” said

Lewis, the chairwoman of the Lewis

Family Foundation, which funds the

program. “I see a lot of potential that

they don’t see in themselves yet.”

That potential is yielding results.

Ninety-three percent of the 88 stu-

dents who have completed the Next

Generation program — mostly from

Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan

— have graduated from four-year

colleges and universities or are on

track to complete their studies, Lew-

is said.

Citywide, Boston Public Schools

reported that 54 percent of its Class

of 2017 intended to attend four-year

colleges. A 2018 report found that 38

percent of the 2011 graduating class

received a college degree within six

years, 14 percentage points higher

than the Class of 2000.

Katherine Bernardez, an 18-year-

old from Dorchester who will attend

the University of Massachusetts Am-

herst, said that once-distant hori-

zons are now within her reach.

“I had been very indecisive,” said

Bernardez, whose parents immigrat-

ed to the United States as young

adults from Honduras. “Now, I am

able to trust my gut. All the self-

doubting I had before is basically out

the window.”

Bernardez, who graduated from

City on a Hill Charter School in Rox-

bury, worked in marketing for ad-

venture travel at Grand Circle before

the group trip to East Africa.

“My mom wants me to go

through with my dreams. I don’t

want to let her down,” Bernardez

said. “It’s not just where you come

from. No matter where you come

from, there’s talent.”

The program seeks talent through

a competitive application process

that includes essays and interviews,

said Juma Crawford, president of the

Lewis Family Foundation.

“We’re looking for young people

who can be stretched and pushed

and probably hadn’t been,” Crawford

said. “We’re really looking for young

people who have a hunger to be lead-

ers.”

Leadership skills are honed with

a hefty dose of problem-solving and

accountability, he said. The students

rotate as team leaders in Africa, for

example, and are placed in compli-

cated situations where they must

find solutions while the adults who

accompany them remain in the

background.

“We will drop them in the middle

of a market and say, ‘We need these

eight things.’ They have to figure it

out. If we don’t get these things, we

won’t be able to feed 400 children at

a school,” Crawford said. “Get com-

fortable being uncomfortable.”

At their summer jobs, the stu-

dents are given regular performance

reviews. The work fills actual corpo-

rate needs, Lewis said, and interns

can be fired if they do not meet their

goals or follow guidelines.

“It’s not stuffing envelopes here,”

said Lewis, a former special educa-

tion teacher in the Boston school sys-

tem. “We don’t sugarcoat anything.

We do not baby.”

The summer’s lessons are de-

signed to stay with the students long

after they have moved on to college.

“When push comes to shove, one

of the biggest challenges, particular-

ly with students of color, is to self-ad-

vocate, ask for help, and speak up

when they need support,” Crawford

said. “You have a voice. You have to

use that voice.”

Nathalie Diaz-Troncoso, an 18-

year-old from Roxbury who will at-

tend Connecticut College this fall,

said she has learned to speak up.

“I’m a girl from the projects. By

coming here, I’ve learned I’m talent-

ed,” said Diaz-Troncoso, who gradu-

ated from Boston Latin Academy

and wants to become an immigra-

tion lawyer.

“Nothing has ever pushed me this

hard,” added Diaz-Troncoso, the

daughter of Dominican immigrants.

“It’s made me a more open person.

I’ve really left myself open and let

people in.”

Some Next Generation students

had never been away from home be-

fore the program, certainly nowhere

as exotic as Africa. But their day-to-

day life in Boston can often be more

impactful than the far-flung travels

of more privileged freshmen, Lewis

said.

“You have different experiences,

and they’re very valuable,” she tells

the students.

Many times, bringing that value

to light takes a blunt mix of uncod-

dled pushing and knowing persua-

sion.

“There is nothing light and fluffy

about this program, but it is a lot of

fun,” Lewis said. “I still call myself a

teacher. We want them to learn how

to lead.”

Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at

[email protected].

‘Iseealotofpotentialthattheydon’tseeinthemselvesyet.’

HARRIET LEWIS,chairwoman of the Lewis Family Foundation, which funds the Next Generation Leaders program

Building their confidence before college

Summerinternship

programfocuseson

leadership,success

PHOTOS BY ERIN CLARK FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

From left: Nathalie Diaz-Troncosco, Joshua Curtiss, and Katherine Bernardez in the office of Grand Circle Corp. in Boston.

Harriet Lewis, a former special education teacher in the Boston

school system, said the work students do is not “stuffing envelopes.”