STATE HOUSE — The Legislature's top two Democrats expressed reservations on Monday about one of the main provisions of Gov. Charlie Baker's opioid abuse prevention plan that would allow doctors to commit patients with substance abuse issues for up to 72 hours without a court order.
Baker met with House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg for over 90 minutes on Monday afternoon during which time the three leaders "talked a lot about opioids," according to the governor, along with energy and the impending closure of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
MALDEN — As the state prepares to decide whether to adopt a new standardized test known as PARCC or stick with the existing MCAS exams, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester on Monday put forward a third option — a hybrid of the two tests.
"I am considering this new model, this door number three, that takes advantage of our access to PARCC development…but uses that development for the construction of a MCAS 2.0, and gives us the running room to ensure that that MCAS 2.0 is exactly the test that we want," Chester told the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at a special meeting focused on student assessment.
