MBAE submitted comments on proposed changes to admissions policies at the state’s vocational technical high schools. We did not support the regulations as proposed but offered a set of recommendations to address the very real issues that have been raised.

Massachusetts is fortunate to have a strong and vibrant vocational technical education sector. However, as admission to these schools has become much more competitive, students who might benefit most from these programs and who are truly interested in the trades are being squeezed out due to admissions criteria, such as grades, that serve as barriers to entry. As a result, some schools are not producing the electricians, plumbers, and other skilled professions that are essential to our communities.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s proposal to impose a lottery admissions system on ALL Chapter 74 schools and programs with waiting lists, however, is not the right solution. A lottery will not guarantee equity or that students who enter vocational programs have the true intent and aptitude to pursue the career they study.

The state should reserve the right to impose a lottery on the limited number of regional vocational technical high schools that are consistently under-enrolling students of color and/or low-income students as compared to the percentage of these students in the surrounding districts.

Yet, to address the broader equity and workforce pipeline issues most effectively, MBAE is calling for the state to engage in a more comprehensive effort to reform and revise admissions to oversubscribed CTE programs. A new admissions policy should strongly weigh an assessment of a student’s true interest and potential to benefit from vocational education, and should include, but minimize, consideration of grades, attendance, and behavior.

At the same time, the state should undertake an effort to define the mission of career vocational technical education in Massachusetts and identify metrics the state should use to assess program outcomes. These programs should not be evaluated solely on academic achievement, but also their success in meeting workforce needs.

Ultimately, given the demand for career vocational technical programming, which we believe will only grow, the overriding effort should be around expanding the number of programs and seats.

Read our comments to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.