By Bob Oakes (WBUR)

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The debate over the MCAS exam is subject of a new documentary produced by Professor Louis Kruger, director of the School Psychology program at Northeastern University.

It’s a critical look at the high stakes test and it essentially questions whether the MCAS is meeting the goal and closing the achievement gap and preparing kids for college.

Among the critics in the film is state Rep. Carl Sciortino.

CARL SCIORTINO: Right now we have a report by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. They did a study of employers’ perspectives on the readiness of high school graduates for the work force. In the five years after the graduation requirement of MCAS was put into place, the MBAE’s report showed no improvement in the quality of the students, in the quality of the workforce coming out of our public schools. And the level of our students still requiring remediation at the college level is just as high as it was before the MCAS system went into place.

Sciortino filed a bill this session that would allow other assessments in addition to the MCAS to be used as a graduation requirement. His comments are in a new video documentary titled Children Left Behind by Louis Kruger, who joined WBUR to discuss his findings.