Major changes could be on the way for Massachusetts vocational schools. With more students applying and advocates pushing to make admissions more equitable, the process by which a student actually gets into a vocational school could be changed drastically.
There are several catalysts fueling the push for a change to admissions. Tech school advocates say they lack access to middle school students and students of color in underserved areas, meaning a teach school education is unfamiliar or unavailable to those populations; at the same time, enrollments are growing faster than physical plants, limiting the number of slots available to all students.
Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner (DESE) Jeffrey Riley proposed changes to the admission process earlier this year, and according to State House News the proposed changes "...would give schools flexibility to set their own policies 'that promote equitable access' while restricting the use of criteria that disproportionately exclude students in protected classes."
Yet to be finalized, the regulations have been approved by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and will be open to public comment until mid-June. Any final changes would then return to the Board of Education for a final vote.
In Lexington, Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School's Superintendent-Director Dr. Edward Bouquillon said the admissions process is similar to other vocational schools such as Shawsheen Regional Vocational Technical High School.
In eighth grade, students from member and nonmember towns can apply for the following fall. They are assessed on five criteria: grades, attendance, discipline record, a personal interview, and a recommendation from an adult at their school.
Each criteria is weighted equally. After the application is processed, students are assigned a score and ranked. From there, students are selected from member towns depending on scores and the slot allocation formula. After admissions are completed for member towns, if slots are available, then students from nonmember towns and other students on the waiting list are considered.
Many vocational schools have a waiting list. How large the list tends to depend on location, Bouquillon said. Minuteman has had a small waitlist in recent years, but officials are expecting it to keep growing. At Shawsheen, there are students waiting for the classes of 2025 and 2026 according to Superintendent and Director Dr. Brad Jackson.
In a typical year, Northeast Metro Tech in Wakefield starts with a waitlist of around 300 students in the spring, which is whittled down to very few by the start of the school year as youths opt to attend other schools or change their minds, Northeast Metro Tech Superintendent David DiBarri said.
"I believe if we could accept more students into our programs that would also be a big step forward in reducing inequity and expanding access," DiBarri said. "This high demand for CTE creates inherent unfairness because we cannot accept everyone."
Interest in vocational learning is increasing, Bouquillon said. The new Minuteman building, which was completed in fall 2019, was only designed to accommodate 625 students, he added. This September, Bouquillon expects around 700 students to be enrolled, already exceeding earlier projections. Minuteman leaders are working to add more space, specifically for academic classrooms.
"I think kids see a purpose that they don't see in a traditional high school. Families are beginning to question the return on investment for higher education, especially when the student goes to that secondary institution without any purpose or idea what it is they want to do for a living," Bouquillon said.
One of the top changes Bouquillon supports is one that may not affect Minuteman, but will be a huge asset for districts where vocational learning isn't as accepted in other parts of the state: access to middle school students and their families.
These changes would require member towns to share the contact information of all seventh and eighth-graders with their vocational schools.
Why would a public school not be supportive of the opportunities present at vocational schools? One word, according to Bouquillon: money.
"Every kid that leaves the district means that the following year, there's less money coming into those member town communities for them to spend on their educational system," he said.
In Billerica, Jackson who came to Shawsheen from a non-vocational school said this is his first year taking part in the admission process, and it is rigorous and detailed.
He said he is also grateful member districts have provided access to students in the middle schools.
"It is a highly objective process," Jackson said, adding the only negative of the process is it, "...doesn't allow the human element into the conversation."
One possible change gives DESE more oversight if it's determined the school isn't meeting state standards. In cases where admissions fairness continues to be problematic, the state may implement a lottery.
DiBarri said a lottery isn't an appropriate solution for every community. Northeast Metro Tech does not have a set number of students it is required to accept from each member town. Last year, the school accepted almost every student who applied from Chelsea, he added.
"This was a very diverse group of students, and I'm concerned that setting the number of students we can accept concretely from each community could actually reduce our ability to accept as many students from communities with larger minority populations."
For a fraction of the cost of what is spent on MCAS testing, DiBarri asserted the state could add space to existing schools or support the construction of larger new schools to ensure all students who desire a vocational education can get one.
DiBarri said Northeast Metro Tech is limited by the size of its school as to the number of students that can be accepted — which he noted is a common problem among vocational schools in the state.
"I believe if we could accept more students into our programs that would also be a big step forward in reducing inequity and expanding access," DiBarri said. "This high demand for CTE creates inherent unfairness because we cannot accept everyone."
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