Boston Rallies to Help Students Pass Tests

By John Gehring

A coalition of community, religious, and education advocacy groups has responded to a call from Boston's mayor to help high school seniors pass the state's high-stakes graduation exam.

The campaign begins as 1,600 Boston seniors still have not passed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests in mathematics and English. The class of 2003 is the first class that must pass the exams to graduate.

In many ways, the effort is unprecedented in the city because it unites groups like the Boston Teachers Union, which are critical of the MCAS graduation requirement, with others...