BOSTON (SHNS) - The Senate chair of the Education Committee signaled Monday that he will vote in favor of this November's ballot question to eliminate the requirement that students pass the MCAS to graduate high school and file legislation in January to create a new statewide graduation standard that is not tied to a test. Sen. Jason Lewis, a Winchester Democrat, said he thinks Massachusetts "can improve and strengthen our public education system for all students, especially disadvantaged students, if we replace the MCAS graduation requirement with a more holistic graduation standard." Question 2 would eliminate the requirement that a student pass the MCAS in math, science and technology, and English in order to receive a high school diploma. "Standardized tests like MCAS provide important and useful data about student learning and progress. Regardless of the outcome of Question 2, MCAS will continue to be administered in Massachusetts public schools, including in Grade 10. However, standardized tests are imperfect and cannot measure the full scope of skills, knowledge, and competencies that we want to develop in our young people and are critical for their future success," Lewis said. He added, "Moving away from a graduation requirement based on standardized test scores and replacing it with course requirements and other richer student learning experiences would also align Massachusetts with the vast majority of other states." Lewis said he will file legislation in January, when the new legislative term begins, that will require "all students (with certain exceptions)" to complete MassCore, a set of courses for high school students that was adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2007. MassCore is currently recommended for all students, but not required, he said. "Requiring completion of MassCore in order to receive a high school diploma would strengthen course offerings across all high schools, ensure that all students are receiving a rigorous education, and provide a consistent statewide graduation standard," the senator said. "My legislation will also consider other ways to encourage high-quality student learning experiences, like capstone projects, service learning, vocational/technical education, advanced coursework, and work-based learning." In announcing his support for Question 2, Lewis staked out political turf opposite that of fellow Democrat Gov. Maura Healey. The governor and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler have said they oppose the teachers union-led push to eliminate the use of MCAS as a graduation requirement. "Eliminating the only statewide academic standard for high school graduation is not the answer to the issues Sen. Lewis identifies," No on 2 campaign spokesman Dom Slowey said. "Lowering standards is unfair to all children, but especially those who need the most help. Rather than lowering the academic standard for all students, the focus should be on ensuring students who are struggling get the help they need."