What do the four MCAS achievement levels mean, and what is the MCAS used for now that the November 2024 ballot changed the graduation requirement?
Achievement levels and graduation on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: the four next-generation achievement levels (Exceeding, Meeting, Partially Meeting, Not Meeting Expectations) and what they describe, and the November 2024 ballot Question 2 that removed passing the MCAS as a graduation requirement while the test continues to be administered for state measurement.
What the four MCAS achievement levels mean (Exceeding, Meeting, Partially Meeting, Not Meeting Expectations) and the accurate picture of graduation: November 2024 Question 2 removed passing MCAS as a graduation requirement, though the test is still administered. Confirm current rules with DESE.
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What this skill is asking
This page covers two things every Grade 10 student should understand accurately: the four MCAS achievement levels, and what the MCAS is used for now that the November 2024 ballot changed graduation. The next-generation MCAS reports results in four levels, Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, and Not Meeting Expectations, each describing how well a student met the grade-level expectations of the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework, with a scaled score alongside. On graduation, the key fact is recent and often misreported: in November 2024, Massachusetts voters passed ballot Question 2, which removed passing the MCAS as a state graduation requirement, effective for the class of 2025, although the MCAS continues to be administered. The skill is knowing what the levels mean and stating the graduation situation accurately rather than repeating outdated claims. The transferable value is understanding what your result represents and what it does, and does not, decide.
The four achievement levels
The first thing to know is how your result is reported.
The levels are descriptive, not a simple pass or fail: they tell a student and a school how the student's reading and writing skills compare with the grade-level standards, and the scaled score gives a finer measure within and across levels. Meeting Expectations or higher indicates a student is on track with the Grade 10 ELA standards. Understanding the levels helps you interpret your own result and set a target, and it is the system DESE uses to report and compare performance across the state.
Graduation after the November 2024 ballot
This is the single most important accuracy point about the Grade 10 ELA MCAS today: do not believe sources that say students must pass it to graduate, because that requirement was removed by Question 2. The test still matters, it measures your reading and writing against the standards, contributes to school accountability, and can inform placement and support, but passing it is not what earns a diploma. The achievement levels remain the way your performance is reported, while the path to graduation now runs through district-certified coursework. Knowing both halves accurately, the levels and the post-2024 graduation rules, is part of understanding what your MCAS result means.
Understanding your result and its role
Try this
Q1. Name the four next-generation MCAS achievement levels in order. [Recall]
- Cue. Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, and Not Meeting Expectations, each with a scaled score alongside.
Q2. A classmate says you have to pass the Grade 10 MCAS to graduate. Correct them accurately. [Short explanation]
- Cue. That is no longer true. In November 2024, Massachusetts voters passed Question 2, which removed passing the MCAS as a graduation requirement (effective for the class of 2025). The Competency Determination is now met through district-certified coursework, and while the MCAS is still given for state measurement, it is not a diploma gate. Confirm current rules with DESE and the school.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of MA DESE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Grade 10 ELA MCAS (style)1 marksWhat are the four next-generation MCAS achievement levels, in order from highest to lowest? A. Pass, Fail. B. Exceeding, Meeting, Partially Meeting, and Not Meeting Expectations. C. A, B, C, D. D. Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Warning.Show worked answer →
Answer: B. The next-generation MCAS reports four achievement levels: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, and Not Meeting Expectations, each describing how well a student met the grade-level expectations of the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework.
Why not the others: A is a simple pass or fail, which the next-generation MCAS does not use; C is a letter-grade scheme, not the MCAS levels; D names the older MCAS levels (Advanced, Proficient, Needs Improvement, Warning) that the next-generation system replaced. A scaled score accompanies the level on the report.
Grade 10 ELA MCAS (style)2 marksExplain accurately the status of the MCAS as a graduation requirement after the November 2024 ballot, and what the test is used for now.Show worked answer →
In November 2024, Massachusetts voters passed ballot Question 2, which removed passing the Grade 10 MCAS as a state graduation requirement, effective for the class of 2025. Students no longer have to earn a qualifying MCAS score to graduate; instead, the Competency Determination is met through coursework certified by the district as meeting the state academic standards in English, mathematics, and science.
The MCAS itself continues to be administered: the ballot change affected how the Competency Determination is earned, not whether students take the test. The Grade 10 ELA MCAS is still used for state measurement and accountability and still tells a student about their skills, but it is no longer a diploma gate. Because graduation policy is set by the state and districts, students should confirm current requirements with DESE and their school.
Related dot points
- The two-session format of the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: how the test is delivered as a computer-based assessment in two sessions, what each session contains (reading passages with selected-response and technology-enhanced items, plus the long composition), and how the parts map to the Reading, Writing, and Language reporting categories.
How the Grade 10 ELA MCAS is structured: a computer-based test in two sessions, each with reading passages and selected-response and technology-enhanced items, plus the long composition, mapping to the Reading, Writing, and Language reporting categories. Foundation for exam strategy.
- Pacing the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: managing time across the two sessions, balancing close reading of passages against the number of items, budgeting enough time to plan, draft, and proofread the long composition, and using the strategy of answering everything (there is no penalty for a wrong selected-response answer).
How to pace the Grade 10 ELA MCAS across its two sessions: balancing close reading against item count, budgeting time to plan, draft, and proofread the long composition, and answering every item since there is no penalty for a wrong selected-response answer.
- Reading the prompt and the rubric on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: interpreting the command words in selected-response items (best, most nearly, supports, except) and in the long-composition prompt (argue, explain how, analyze), and using knowledge of the two-trait essay rubric to write toward what scorers reward.
How to read command words and the rubric on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: interpreting question command words (best, most nearly, supports, except) and prompt verbs (argue, explain how, analyze), and using the two-trait essay rubric to write toward what scorers reward.
- The long composition rubric and scoring on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: how the two-trait rubric works (Idea Development scored 0 to 7, Standard English Conventions scored 0 to 3), what each trait rewards, that the essay is hand-scored by trained readers, the rule that an unscorable response earns no credit, and how to write toward the top of each trait.
How the Grade 10 ELA MCAS long composition is scored: the two-trait rubric, Idea Development (0 to 7) and Standard English Conventions (0 to 3), what each rewards, that it is hand-scored, and how to write toward the top of each trait. Learning the rubric is high-leverage.
- Central ideas in informational texts: identifying the main point a nonfiction text makes about its topic (not the topic itself and not a supporting detail), distinguishing the central idea from details and from a summary, and tracing how the writer develops and refines it across a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage.
How to find the central idea of a Grade 10 ELA MCAS informational passage: telling the main point apart from the topic and from supporting details, distinguishing it from a summary, and tracing how the writer develops it. Tested through multiple-choice and two-part items.
Sources & how we know this
- Update on Student Competency Determinations — MA DESE (2024)
- Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) — MA DESE (2026)