Online Tutoring for the Massachusetts Curriculum
One-to-one tutoring built around the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, from kindergarten through AP coursework. Graduation rules in the Commonwealth changed recently, and every tutor is matched both to the MCAS your child still sits and to the coursework that now earns their diploma.
Frameworks-Aligned
MCAS and coursework, together
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What Massachusetts Actually Tests
The Commonwealth teaches to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and assesses through MCAS. What changed recently is not the testing but what the results are used for, and that distinction matters more than most families realise.
Frameworks
ELA/Literacy, Mathematics and STE
MCAS 3–8
ELA and mathematics every year
Science
Grades 5 and 8, plus a high school STE test
Grade 10
ELA and mathematics MCAS
MCAS reports four achievement levels: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations and Not Meeting Expectations. The high school science and technology/engineering test is taken in a subject the student has studied, most commonly Biology or Introductory Physics, which is why two students in the same year group can sit different papers.
MCAS No Longer Decides Whether Your Child Graduates
In November 2024, Massachusetts voters approved Question 2 by roughly fifty-nine percent, ending the requirement that students pass the grade 10 MCAS in English, mathematics and science to earn a diploma. That requirement had stood since a 1993 law. Students still sit the MCAS, and are still required to take it, but the results can no longer be used to withhold a diploma.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted replacement regulations in May 2025. Beginning with the class of 2026, the state Competency Determination is earned through coursework: two years of high school English language arts; one year each of Algebra I and Geometry, or two years of integrated mathematics; and one year of biology, physics, chemistry, technology or engineering. From the class of 2027, one year of US history is added. Districts were also required to submit their own local Competency Determination policies to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Two things follow from this, and both are worth understanding. First, the requirements are explicitly temporary while a state council examines longer-term graduation standards, so this is an area still in motion. Second, and more immediately: because the diploma now rests on passing specific courses rather than on a single test with retake opportunities in grades 11 and 12, a failed course has become harder to recover from than a failed exam once was. The stakes have moved from the test to the transcript.
Subject Specialisms
Targeted support across every core subject, from elementary foundations through AP and dual enrollment coursework. Each subject links to a dedicated page with tutor profiles and topics covered.
Online Math Tutors
- Algebra I & Geometry, required for the CD
- Integrated Math 1 & 2
- Grade 10 MCAS & AP Calculus
Online English Tutors
- Two required years of high school ELA
- ELA/Literacy Framework standards
- Grade 10 MCAS essay & analysis
Online Science Tutors
- Grade 5 & grade 8 science MCAS
- Science & Technology/Engineering Framework
- Engineering design practices
Online Physics Tutors
- Introductory Physics MCAS
- AP Physics 1, 2 & C
- Math foundations for physics
Online Chemistry Tutors
- Chemistry, one of the CD science options
- Stoichiometry & equilibrium
- AP Chemistry
Online Biology Tutors
- Biology MCAS, the most common STE test
- Genetics, ecology & evolution
- AP Biology
Where Students Need Help, Grade by Grade
Difficulties rarely appear where they are first noticed. These are the stages where Massachusetts students most often lose ground, and what tends to be behind it.
Grades K–2
Number sense, place value and reading fluency. No MCAS yet, which is exactly why gaps at this stage go unnoticed until grade 3.
Grades 3–5
The first MCAS years. Fractions are the usual sticking point in mathematics, and grade 5 brings the first science test, which rewards reasoning rather than recall.
Grades 6–8
Ratios, proportional reasoning and algebraic thinking, plus the grade 8 science MCAS. How securely this lands decides whether Algebra I goes well, and Algebra I is now a graduation course.
Grades 9–12
The courses that now carry the Competency Determination, the grade 10 MCAS, and AP work. Because the diploma rests on course completion, a failed year here is costly.
Why the MCAS Still Matters
A reasonable conclusion after Question 2 would be that the MCAS no longer counts for anything. That is not quite right, and acting on it can be expensive. The test is still administered, still required, and still used for several things that affect individual students, even though it can no longer stand between a student and a diploma.
Results continue to inform course placement decisions, identification for academic support, and school and district accountability reporting. Massachusetts has also historically linked its state scholarship programme for public higher education to strong MCAS performance, so a good grade 10 result can carry financial value. Confirm current criteria with your school, since this is an area under review, but treat the test as consequential rather than optional.
Explore Math TutoringThe Competency Determination Coursework
- Two years of high school English language arts
- Algebra I and Geometry, or Integrated Math 1 and 2
- One year of biology, physics, chemistry, technology or engineering
- One year of US history, from the class of 2027
These requirements were adopted as temporary regulations and remain under review, and each district also sets its own local policy. Always confirm current requirements with your school counselor.
Why Math Make Smart Works for Massachusetts Students
Course Grades and MCAS Together
Since the diploma now depends on passing specific courses while the MCAS still shapes placement and scholarships, both matter. We work towards the course grade and the test as one plan rather than treating them separately.
Framework-Specific Tutors
Massachusetts teaches to its own Curriculum Frameworks, including a distinctive Science and Technology/Engineering strand that has no direct equivalent in most states. Tutors are assessed on those frameworks rather than on generic national material.
Progress You Can Read
Written summaries after every session and a bi-weekly report showing which standards have been mastered and which still need attention, in the language of your child's score report.
Massachusetts Curriculum Questions, Answered
The questions Massachusetts parents ask us most often about MCAS, the frameworks and graduation.
Does my child still have to take the MCAS?
Yes. Question 2 removed the MCAS as a graduation requirement, but it did not remove the test. Students are still required to participate, and the assessments continue in grades 3 through 8 and in high school. What changed is the consequence: a low grade 10 score can no longer prevent a student from receiving a diploma. Federal law also continues to require statewide testing in English, mathematics and science, so the MCAS is not going away.
So what does my child need to graduate now?
Coursework, plus whatever your district requires on top. From the class of 2026 the state Competency Determination is earned by completing two years of high school English language arts, Algebra I and Geometry or two years of integrated mathematics, and one year of biology, physics, chemistry, technology or engineering. The class of 2027 adds a year of US history. Districts set their own additional requirements, so your school's policy is the document that matters most.
If MCAS no longer gates the diploma, does it still matter?
It does, and this is the most common misreading of the change. MCAS results still inform course placement, identification for academic support, and school accountability. Strong grade 10 performance has also been the basis for the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, which provides a tuition credit for undergraduate study at Massachusetts state universities and community colleges. A student who coasts through grade 10 on the assumption that the tests no longer count may forfeit it. Confirm the current criteria with your school, but treating the test as irrelevant is a mistake with financial consequences.
Has the risk to my child gone up or down?
It has moved rather than disappeared, and for some students it has gone up. Under the old system a student who failed the grade 10 MCAS could retake it in grades 11 and 12 and still graduate on time. Under the new system the diploma depends on passing required courses, and a failed course is harder to repair than a failed test: it usually means repeating the year's work or finding credit recovery. Getting help during a difficult course now matters more than it did.
Are these graduation rules permanent?
No, and it is worth knowing that. The regulations adopted in 2025 were explicitly framed as a first step while a state council examines longer-term graduation standards, and proposals for what should replace them have been contested, including by the teachers union that campaigned for Question 2. For families the practical advice is stable even while the policy is not: complete the required courses with solid grades, take the MCAS seriously for placement and scholarship purposes, and check your district's current policy each year rather than relying on what applied to an older sibling.
Ready to build real confidence in the Massachusetts curriculum?
Start with a free assessment. We'll find out where your child actually stands against the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and match them with a tutor who knows the courses their school runs.