HULL - November 17 - Hull High School is navigating a significant shift in graduation requirements as administrators and the Hull School Committee grapple with implementing new competency determinations following last year’s voter approval of Question 2, which eliminated MCAS as a mandatory graduation requirement. The change has left the Class of 2026 and Class of 2027 in a unique position, having taken tests under old expectations while now being evaluated under new standards.
The Full Story
At its November 17 meeting, the Hull School Committee reviewed a comprehensive revision to Policy IKF, which governs graduation requirements for Hull High School. The proposed changes respond directly to the elimination of MCAS as a high-stakes graduation test and establish a new framework for determining student competency based on coursework completion and final assessments.
Under the proposed policy, students would need to demonstrate competency by passing specific courses and their associated final assessments. For the Class of 2026, this includes English 9, English 10, Algebra 1, Geometry, and at least one laboratory science course. The Class of 2027 and beyond would additionally need to pass U.S. History 1.
“This is DESE’s process,” explained Michael Jette, Superintendent, referring to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s guidance. “What they’re mandating is that we set a local competency determination.” Principal Robert Shaw emphasized that the courses selected for competency determination were chosen strategically to give students multiple opportunities to succeed. “We’re intentionally going 9th and 10th grade courses on purpose to give space and time for those students who don’t meet it in 9th and 10th, whether it’s the course grade or the final exam grade, to get it done in 11 and 12.”
However, the transition has created complications, particularly for current seniors who took final exams years ago without knowing those assessments would become graduation requirements. School Committee Chair Kyle Connelly expressed serious reservations about the retroactive application of final assessments. “I have some real hesitations about this final assessment language,” Connelly stated. “We have students who took a test years ago that was not designed, was potentially not standards-driven, and is potentially not an indicator of whether or not they have achieved those standards. To be using that retroactively as an indicator of whether a student should graduate or not feels really misaligned from an educator position and from a student position.”
Principal Shaw acknowledged the challenge but noted that most students have already met the new requirements. “We’ve gone back, we’ve taken a look, we’ve seen what those final exam scores were, so we know which students have already met the comps determinations or are on path for meeting comps determinations in each of those three graduating classes,” Shaw said. For the Class of 2026, approximately 54 of 56 seniors have already met the competency determination, with plans in place for the remaining two students.
The policy includes provisions for students who do not initially pass required final assessments. These students would be prescribed additional coursework that meets the same Massachusetts Curriculum Framework standards. For example, a student who does not pass the Algebra 1 final assessment would take and pass Algebra 2, demonstrating competency through the more advanced coursework.
School Committee member Aleeza Hagerty raised concerns about replacing one high-stakes test with another. “I thought that my opinion matters, and I don’t like what the state is telling our district that it seems that we have to do,” Hagerty said. “Voters were asked to vote for something they didn’t know what they were voting for. I think what voters wanted was to get rid of a single high stakes test, and then they were given worse options.”
The committee learned that Hull residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of Question 2, with more than 60 percent supporting the elimination of MCAS as a graduation requirement. This voter sentiment influenced the administration’s decision not to maintain MCAS as a local requirement, an option some Massachusetts districts have chosen.
To address concerns about consistency and fairness in final assessments, administrators reported that Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at the high school have begun work on standardizing final exams across courses. “We started very early in the year with that conversation, essentially standardizing the final exams to that end, not only to make them consistent across teachers but new teacher comes in the following year, here’s the exam for Algebra 1, here’s the exam for English 9,” Shaw explained. School Committee members emphasized the importance of common assessments and suggested peer review processes to ensure quality and standards alignment.
Director of Curriculum Christine Cappadona, who was present at the meeting, confirmed that she and School Business Administrator Diane Saniuk are working with high school PLCs to support this assessment development work.
The policy changes also include several housekeeping updates, including removing references to “Level A” and “Level B” diplomas, replacing “foreign language” with “world language,” and replacing “allied arts” with “fine arts” to align with current handbook language. The policy also updates language around student obligations, removing specific references to “book fines and detentions” and replacing them with broader “financial and social obligations.”
Connelly requested that for the next meeting, administrators present what the policy would look like without the final assessment requirement for the Class of 2026, given the unique circumstances this class faces. The committee approved the first reading of the policy and will continue discussion at its next meeting, with the goal of having the policy in place by the end of the calendar year to provide clarity for families.
The meeting also featured extensive presentations from Hull High School showcasing two new courses: Modern Band and Robotics. Three students from the Modern Band class—Henry Buckleitner, Joe Davidson, and Matthew Dunnigan—described their experiences in the course, which offers a contemporary approach to music education using modern instruments and styles. The class recently performed at the C Note, raising over $1,700 for the Class of 2026.
“I think it’s a good chance during the school day to kind of get away from using the left side of my brain, like the analytical thinking in my other core classes, and a chance to kind of think differently and think creatively,” Buckleitner told the committee. Davidson added, “It’s not like reading sheet music and traditional—we learn our own things, we play how we want, and it’s a good way of learning how to be unique with music.”
The Modern Band course has attracted students who might not otherwise participate in music programs, including some who picked up instruments for the first time this school year. Music teacher Marcus Barkon designed the course to be more accessible and student-centered than traditional band programs.
The Robotics course has given students hands-on experience with VEX V5 robotics systems. Student Matthew Dunnigan demonstrated videos showing robots the class had built from scratch, programmed using various coding languages including block coding, Python, and C++. “It’s a fun way of learning, just like a new type of way. Instead of doing math problems on a paper where it’s just very like question answer, question answer, it’s hands-on. You’re building something and then you’re able to code it and make it do your own creation,” Dunnigan explained.
Principal Shaw noted that the robotics course aligns with broader efforts to develop an innovation pathway at Hull High School. “If we do develop a pathway that culminates in robotics, it has definitely pointed out the need for something in coding or programming in the younger grades,” Shaw said. The course also positions students for scholarship opportunities, as completion makes them eligible for robotics-related academic awards.
The high school is already developing a business and finance pathway, having received grant funding from the University of Minnesota to support the development and implementation of the career-connected learning program. This pathway grew from the Introduction to Business course launched this year.
Shaw reported strong progress on school improvement goals, noting that two learning walks have been conducted focusing on well-articulated lesson objectives, structured learning tasks, and student engagement. These observations have led to productive conversations about expectations for partner and small group work and strategies for shifting more cognitive responsibility to students.
Fall athletic seasons are concluding with notable successes. The girls soccer team will play in the Division Five semifinals on November 18 against Hopedale High School in Mansfield at 6:30 p.m. The boys soccer team finished a successful season that included three tournament victories on the home field. The traditional Thanksgiving football game against Cohasset will take place Thanksgiving morning at 10 a.m. at Hull High School.
Student Council representative Colin English, sophomore class president, reported that the council recently made “cups of kindness” for World Kindness Day on November 13, decorating cups with positive stickers and filling them with snacks for parents attending parent-teacher conferences. The council is also preparing for Thanksgiving week festivities, including a powder puff rally and game, spirit days, and a Thanksgiving rally featuring dodgeball and the annual wall banner competition.
In other business, the committee heard a presentation from Michael Losche, Executive Director of the South Shore Educational Collaborative, requesting approval to establish a capital reserve fund. The collaborative, which operates programs at Hull Memorial School and Hull High School, seeks permission from two-thirds of its member districts to create the fund for future capital projects, potentially including the purchase of a permanent facility. The collaborative currently leases space in Hingham and is responsible for all maintenance costs.
Losche emphasized that establishing the fund would not require financial contributions from member districts. “There’s no financial ask on this. This is solely just to establish this account,” Losche explained. “This is the hope that we don’t have to come in at some point and say, ‘Hey, we’re building, we’re going to buy a building, but we need this level of financial contribution.’ We want to avoid that as much as possible.” The fund would be populated with surplus funds from years when student enrollment exceeds budget projections.
Committee members requested time to review the proposal more thoroughly and asked for clarification about how the fund would be built and what Hull’s share might be. Losche clarified that there would be no mandatory district contributions and that any funds deposited would come from the collaborative’s operational surplus. The committee voted to postpone action until its next meeting to allow members more time to review the materials.
Superintendent Jette reported on recent school safety training conducted with all staff at both schools in partnership with Hull Police and Fire Departments. “We did our training with staff, I think it was the day after our last meeting,” Jette said. “That went very well. The police and fire made great partners in terms of training with us and making sure that everybody was ready.” School Committee Vice Chair Lily Hedrick, who observed both the drill portion at the high school and the presentation at Jacobs School, praised the thoroughness of the training. “As a parent, I feel very confident that our teachers will do right by our students,” Hedrick said. “It was really nice to see how everybody just jumped in and grabbed a stapler or locked the doors. It was very real.”
The Jacobs School has already conducted a post-training drill with students involved, and the high school has one scheduled. The South Shore Educational Collaborative has now been included in Hull’s emergency planning process to ensure all programs housed in Hull schools are operating under the same safety protocols. The committee requested that the administration prepare general communication for families about the training, balancing transparency with appropriate security considerations.
The committee also approved the second reading of several e-policies and will vote on adoption at the next meeting after minor spelling corrections are made, including changing “SPR” to “CPR” in one policy.
Why It Matters
The graduation policy changes represent the most significant shift in how Hull High School certifies student competency in decades. For current seniors and juniors, the transition from MCAS-based requirements to course-based assessments creates uncertainty during a critical period of their academic careers. The policy will affect every future Hull High School graduate, establishing what level of academic achievement the district considers sufficient for a diploma. Parents of students in these graduating classes need to understand what requirements their children must meet and what support systems are in place. The broader community has a stake in ensuring that Hull High School diplomas maintain their value and that graduates are genuinely prepared for college and careers. The debate also highlights tensions between state mandates, local control, voter preferences, and educational best practices—tensions that will likely continue as the state refines its post-MCAS graduation requirements.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Approval of meeting agenda for November 17, 2025. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:44)
Motion: Approval of open session regular meeting minutes from November 3, 2025. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 5:15)
Motion: Approval of first reading of Policy IKF (Graduation Requirements) with revisions. Outcome: Approved for second reading. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 2:01:17)
Motion: Approval of second reading of e-policies. Outcome: Approved for third reading. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 2:02:53)
Motion: Adjourn meeting. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 2:04:43)
Public Comment
There was no public comment during the designated public input period on agenda items.
What’s Next
The School Committee will take up the South Shore Educational Collaborative capital reserve fund request for a vote at its next meeting in early December. The committee will also conduct a second reading of the revised graduation requirements policy (IKF), with members requesting specific consideration of alternatives to the final assessment requirement for the Class of 2026. Administrators will research options and provide additional information about what the policy would look like without retroactive application of final assessments. The committee will conduct a third and final reading of the e-policies with spelling corrections. Hull High School will continue work through Professional Learning Communities to standardize final assessments across core courses and align them with Massachusetts Curriculum Framework standards. The administration will prepare general communication for families about recent school safety training. The girls soccer team will play in the Division Five semifinals on November 18 in Mansfield, and the traditional Thanksgiving football game against Cohasset will be held Thanksgiving morning at 10 a.m. at Hull High School.