WORCESTER, Mass. - When the Class of 2026 enters high school this year, they'll be the first group of students who need to meet higher MCAS score requirements to graduate.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education voted in favor of the change Monday.

"The current standard as it exists and the work produced by students at that current level did not meet what was considered to be towards competency for high school graduation," said Robert Curtin, associate commissioner for DESE.

Students will be required to score at least 486 on the English exam. The old standard was 472. They'll need to hit at least 486 on the math exam, and 470 for science, technology, and engineering in order to pass under a new scoring scale.

"Our students are potentially being left behind," said Ed Lambert of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. "So accelerating their learning, not only catching them up, but making sure they can achieve these higher standards, so that when they graduate from high school, they can be successful in college."

The MBAE supported the increase in passing scores. Lambert said the MCAS is a good measuring tool for a student's learning abilities.

"This is not to be punitive to students," said Lambert. "This is to say to school systems we all have an obligation to make sure students can meet these standards. And they can if we put the right effort, the right strategies."

But some are worried about how it may impact cities and towns across the state, particularly communities of color and lower-income communities.

"So my concern is actually seeing an insurmountable equity problem as a result of raising these scores," said one speaker at Monday's DESE meeting. "I think it's something we need to continue to study."

Following the vote, a demonstration outside of Worcester City Hall opposed the raising of the scores. 

Many, wearing shirts donning the phrase 'I am more than a score,' were even looking to abolish the MCAS permanently.

"We're not going to have a chance for our children to have the same opportunities moving forward as the children in more affluent communities that have the extra help they need to pass the tests," said community organizer Nelly Medina.

Lambert believes all cities and towns should have high expectations for students, and it needs to be uniform across the state.

"This actually is a social justice issue and a social justice imperative is making sure we have high quality education for all students," said Lambert. "And you can only do that by having high expectations for all students."