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.