“Voters have spoken on this issue, and I think what’s important now is that DESE moves forward in putting out the appropriate guidance now in terms of implementation,” he said Wednesday. post election briefing.

Since 2003, passing the Grade 10 MCAS has been a uniform statewide graduation requirement. But Massachusetts was part of a dwindling number of states (about eight in all) to maintain a standardized exit exam. Each year, approximately 700 students, or about 1% of seniors, fail to successfully pass the exam to receive a diploma; mostly students who are new to English, come from low-income backgrounds or have learning difficulties.

With the mandate ending, education advocates are calling on state education officials to come up with a new high school graduation standard that would keep the bar high for students.

“A high school diploma should be meaningful in every society, and students who earn it should be truly prepared for the future,” Ed Lambert, executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, said in a statement.

Will Austin, CEO of the nonprofit Boston Schools Fund, also opposed Question 2, saying the “starting point” for any new requirements would be “an assurance that kids are accessing the same curriculum and the same lessons.”

With more than 300 school districts in Massachusetts, some education advocates and officials have expressed concerns about an explosion of varying course standards among districts that are better resourced or staffed than others.

But teachers who support eliminating the high school exit exam said separating the MCAS from graduation requirements would refocus classroom learning.

Kyle Gekopi, a social studies teacher at Wellesley High School and co-president of the Wellesley Association of Educators, said he supports this result as a “tremendous victory for equality.”

“This is a huge step forward for individuals in our classroom and profession and encourages students to pursue their dreams and passions,” he said. “MCAS is very restrictive for our students who are looking for different pathways to success, and I would love to see us refocus our curriculum and studies on what really matters.”

“Our students are more than just a score,” Gekopi added.

This wasn’t a cheap victory for the state’s largest teachers union. MTA transferred $15 million in in-kind contributions to the “Yes on 2” campaign; this was three times the amount the other side spent to maintain the status quo.

Business leaders, including wealthy donors like billionaire Mike Bloomberg contributed generously Recently, the “No at 2” campaign. However, the latest donations ultimately did not pay off.

MTA leaders said they are eager to re-emphasize co-curricular learning in the classroom.

“The key to our success is outstanding educators and the resources and high state standards (given) to them and their schools,” Page said. “And what we have and what we will continue to have.”