New Competency Determination Requirements for Graduation

Summary

In November 2024, Massachusetts voters approved Ballot Question 2 which means students no longer have to pass the MCAS tests to graduate from high school.
Local school districts are required to create their own new rules, called Competency Determination policies, for how students will show they are ready to graduate.
In December 2025, the Cambridge School Committee approved a new Competency Determination Policy for CRLS.

What Students Need to Demonstrate

According to the new Policy, to be able to graduate, students will need to demonstrate they have mastered skills in English, Math, and Science in one of these ways:

Passing the final test for a course.
Completing a major project (like a capstone or portfolio).
An equivalent way approved by their local school district's policy.

The Competency Determination is one requirement students must satisfy to graduate with a diploma. Students must also meet all local graduation requirements, as included in the CRLS handbook, here.

Competency Determination requirements for each course are:

Subject	Credits Needed to Complete Coursework	Mastery of Skills
ELA	20 credits in the equivalent of English-9 and English-10.	Passing a final test, capstone project, or benchmark assessment.
Math	20 credits in equivalent of Algebra I AND Geometry, OR one year of Integrated Math I AND Integrated Math II.	Passing a final test, capstone project, or benchmark assessment.
Science	10 credits in either Physics, Chemistry, or Biology.	Passing a final test, capstone project, or benchmark assessment.
History*	10 credits in United States History	Passing a final test, capstone project, or benchmark assessmen