Weston Schools Must Adopt New Graduation Competency Policy by December 31

WESTON -- September 15, 2025, Weston School Committee races to replace MCAS graduation standard by year's end. The committee received a detailed briefing September 15 on the district's obligation to develop a new competency determination policy following last November's statewide ballot vote removing MCAS as the sole graduation bar, with a DESE-mandated deadline of December 31. A district working group including high school department heads, Director of Student Services Martha Bach, and special education director Pat Kelly is targeting a draft for the November 3 School Committee meeting, with a vote expected in late November or early December. A small number of current seniors who did not pass or never took the MCAS face immediate eligibility questions under the transition. The committee also unanimously approved a consent agenda that included accepting a $40,000 restricted donation to the high school basketball program from the Xiaobing Zhu family, prompting Vice Chair Tiao Xie and member Jane Li, who lead the governance subcommittee, to flag the absence of a formal written policy governing donor-restricted gifts.