The Andover School Committee will hold a dedicated MCAS workshop Thursday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m., giving families a closer look at the district's 2026 state test results.
The workshop is the sole agenda item before the committee adjourns into its regular 6 p.m. meeting, where members will take up first readings of the fiscal year 2028 operating budget planning calendar and budget development assumptions and guidelines, according to the posted agenda.
No dollar figures or specific budget targets appear in the agenda. The first readings mark the opening step in a months-long process that will shape school spending for the year starting July 2027.
MCAS backdrop
The stakes are clear. The share of Andover High School 10th graders meeting or exceeding expectations dropped 12 percentage points in English, to 62%, and 15 points in science, to 57%, according to Andover News. Math slipped four points to 73%. Andover remained above state averages in all three subjects.
Scores fell statewide as well, though Andover's English and science declines were steeper. State Commissioner Pedro Martinez raised student motivation as one possible factor now that a qualifying MCAS score is no longer required for graduation, Andover News reported.
Results varied widely among Andover's elementary and middle schools. Sanborn Elementary's English proficiency rate fell from 75% to 60%, while High Plain Elementary's rose from 65% to 69%. District spokesperson Nicole Kieser cited High Plain's 98th-percentile accountability ranking as a sign of progress, Andover News reported.
In coverage published Sept. 24, Andover News reported that Kieser said Superintendent Keith Taverna, the high school administration and the Office of Teaching and Learning were reviewing the data. The district planned to present a fuller analysis at a School Committee meeting later that month and share information with families in its newsletter.
The Oct. 25 School Committee workshop agenda listed an "MCAS accountability presentation structure overview." Neither that workshop nor Thursday's includes a public comment period.
Other agenda items
The regular meeting also includes a math pathways presentation and a second reading of the draft 2027-2028 school year calendar. The agenda does not detail the math pathways topic or its presenter.
Both sessions will be held in the School Committee Room on the second floor of the School Administration Building. The meeting will be streamed at andover46.com and broadcast on Verizon Channel 43.
