School Committee reviews 2026 MCAS data at workshop

School Committee · Meeting of October 29, 2026

ANDOVER — The Andover School Committee reviewed 2026 MCAS results at an October 29 workshop, with no votes on the data itself. Superintendent Keith Taverna and the teaching and learning team, led by a presenter identified as Dr. Riley along with Executive Directors Jason DeCarlo and Shereen Rancourt, detailed five-year-high math scores in grades five, six and eight alongside a decline in grade 10 ELA performance. Member Christopher Shepley noted that the Adams Scholarship remains tied to 10th grade MCAS results, saying "don't mail it in.

You can get some money to go to school." Administrators said Andover remains roughly 7 percent below the state average on chronic absenteeism despite improvement, and reported 70 percent of English learners met growth targets on the ACCESS test. Writing instruction emerged as the top district priority after scores declined in grades three through five. The committee closed the workshop with a 5-0 vote to adjourn.

In the full story:

• MCAS Achievement and Growth Presentation
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,715 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of October 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.