In a town where many say they moved because of the quality of the school system, voters want to know what candidates for the Andover School Committee will do to improve academic outcomes.
Throughout the campaign, the four candidates running for two seats up for reelection in Tuesday’s election have offered their views on how school committee members can help and even spearhead the effort. School committee members can influence student performance through curriculum review and when they set annual goals for Superintendent Magda Parvey, as well as setting budget priorities.
Challengers Christopher Shepley and Jacob Tamarkin have portrayed the district as one not living up to its reputation, with Shepley calling for “renewed academic excellence” at several points throughout the campaign.
Incumbents Emily DiCesaro and Sandis Wright, meanwhile, have pointed to ongoing efforts aimed at improving student performance. They say APS has made strides implementing new curriculums and aligning curriculums across schools. They also noted coaching and teacher development programs to aimed at helping students and teachers.
Is The Glass Half Full Or Half Empty?
Throughout the campaign, the two challengers have been critical of the current school committee’s oversight of acdemic performance.
“There is a widespread belief around town and even across the state that Andover Public Schools is not what it used to be, which makes it harder to recruit great educators and administrators and thus get the most for our money,” Tamarkin said. “So for all of these reasons, I think all residents should be concerned about improving student performance.”
Shepley said he is concerned with last year’s MCAS scores, which showed discrepancies between Andover’s elementary schools.
“The 2024 MCAS scores for elementary students has been particularly concerning. For example, 52% of West El 3rd graders meeting or exceeding expectations vs 85% in Bancroft,” Shepley said. “I’m glad that the District recognized these issues and conducted a literacy audit, but there is still much more to be done.”
The incumbents, meanwhile, say the district has already taken on a number initiatives to improve learning outcomes, and those efforts will continue.
“That work is currently well under way,” DiCesaro said. “Data from MAP and MCAS assessments provide clear evidence that our focused efforts on math curriculum in elementary and middle schools are working, showing marked improvement across all student subgroups. We are now poised to replicate this success in literacy, guided by the insights gained from a comprehensive literacy audit and the careful selection of instructional materials.”
“Curriculum development is one of the top priorities I’ll continue supporting since our accountability scores show improvement across multiple student groups in response to some of the work already underway as part of a multi-year strategy,” Wright added. “This includes addressing curriculum/instructional materials which was cited by DESE in our 2022 district evaluation, where our curriculum and instructional materials need greater focus, cohesion, consistency, and alignment across the district.”
How The Candidates Will Improve Student Performance
Shepley has emphasized reducing class size as a central component of his campaign. The district laid off teachers last year and will not fill vacant positions of teachers who leave the district this year to close budget deficits. At a candidates’ forum earlier this month, he said he was particularly concerned with projected increases in middle school class size and suggested cuts should be made to administrators, not teachers.
“There are seven FTEs that are not being filled,” Shepley said. “These are vacancies that are being left unfilled, and I think that is the wrong decision, and I think years down the road, we are going to regret this decision.”
At the same forum, Wright said the staff reductions reflected an 11 percent enrollment decline over the past 10 years and noted the school committee’s class size guidelines are comparable to those in similar school districts. He said a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education review of APS conducted after Parvey arrived identified places where staffing could be brought in alignment with the district’s current enrollment.
“She has been very intentional in doing that and repurposing positions to put resources where they’re needed to make the systemic improvements we need across the district, like building consistent curriculum,” Wright said. “You need administrators to do some of that work. So we have to align our staffing levels with where our student needs are.”
DiCesaro said APS needs to invest in teacher coaching and exploring alternative instructional strategies.
“To maintain and enhance our competitive edge, we should continue to focus on strategic curriculum enhancements and pursue unique opportunities like the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Such initiatives can significantly elevate our district’s prestige and academic standing,” she said. “Additionally, continuing to invest in the modernization of our facilities, such as with the new West Elementary/Shawsheen Preschool, is crucial for sustaining Andover’s status as a top-performing school district. This holistic approach will ensure that our students are not only well-prepared academically but are also equipped with the skills and character needed to succeed beyond high school.”
Tamarkin said the district needs to do more to challenge its top students.
“I hear a lot of parents complain that their children aren’t challenged enough,” he said. “I also hear teachers complain that being evaluated in part by MCAS improvement incentivizes them to disproportionately focus on the lowest performing students.”
In Their Own Words
Some of the quotes in this story are taken from responses to an inquiry from Andover News on student performance this week. Their responses are posted in their entirety below.
Emily DiCesaro
My view on student performance is that effective curriculum alignment, spearheaded by our Superintendent and her administration, is crucial for enhancing student outcomes across the district. That work is currently well under way. Data from MAP and MCAS assessments provide clear evidence that our focused efforts on math curriculum in elementary and middle schools are working, showing marked improvement across all student sub groups. We are now poised to replicate this success in literacy, guided by the insights gained from a comprehensive literacy audit and the careful selection of instructional materials.
It is imperative that we continue to support the ongoing educational strategies that have proven successful. This includes investing in teacher coaching and exploring alternative instructional strategies. Programs like Eureka 2 and Desmos have introduced innovative teaching methods that leverage technology in new ways, and have led to increased student achievement as well as increased teacher efficacy.
Furthermore, collaborative teaching approaches like the co-teaching as well as tiered intervention programs are essential for providing targeted support to students who require additional assistance.
I am incredibly proud of the work Andover Public Schools is doing to build an environment of excellence. We have prioritized the Vision of a Graduate initiative, which focuses on ensuring our students leave Andover with the skills, knowledge, and character traits needed to succeed beyond high school. We’ve also seen remarkable student accomplishments, from winning international physics competitions and earning a trip to CERN’s particle accelerator in Switzerland, to setting a record with 25 students accepted into elite MMEA Northeastern District music ensembles.
To maintain and enhance our competitive edge, we should continue to focus on strategic curriculum enhancements and pursue unique opportunities like the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Such initiatives can significantly elevate our district’s prestige and academic standing. Additionally, continuing to invest in the modernization of our facilities, such as with the new West Elementary/Shawsheen Preschool, is crucial for sustaining Andover’s status as a top-performing school district. This holistic approach will ensure that our students are not only well-prepared academically but are also equipped with the skills and character needed to succeed beyond high school.
Christopher Shepley
Student performance is a big concern for me. Post-COVID, our students will need more support to make up for the learning (academic and social) loss.
The 2024 MCAS scores for elementary students has been particularly concerning. For example, 52% of West El 3rd graders meeting or exceeding expectations vs 85% in Bancroft. I’m glad that the District recognized these issues and conducted a literacy audit, but there is still much more to be done.
Now more than ever it is critical our School Committee has members who will ask the tough questions, utilize our data effectively to make decisions, and hold the Superintendent accountable to student success.
Jacob Tamarkin
I hear a lot of parents complain that their children aren’t challenged enough. I also hear teachers complain that being evaluated in part by MCAS improvement incentivizes them to disproportionately focus on the lowest performing students. Meanwhile, there is a widespread belief around town and even across the state that Andover Public Schools is not what it used to be, which makes it harder to recruit great educators and administrators and thus get the most for our money. So for all of these reasons, I think all residents should be concerned about improving student performance.
Fortunately, the School Committee can have great influence on student performance through the goals it sets for the Superintendent. As CEO of my company, I am accountable for our business results and as the chief executive of Andover Public Schools, the Superintendent should be accountable for student performance. Unfortunately, none of the performance goals the School Committee set for her this year directly relate to student performance. I look forward to fixing that.
Sandis Wright
I recently did a communications focused on student performance (Student Performance), so feel free to use any of this information. To elaborate, curriculum development is one of the top priorities I’ll continue supporting since our accountability scores show improvement across multiple student groups in response to some of the work already underway as part of a multi-year strategy. This includes addressing curriculum/instructional materials which was cited by DESE in our 2022 district evaluation (where our curriculum and instructional materials need greater focus, cohesion, consistency, and alignment across the district – Andover Public Schools District Review Report 2020).
The School Committee as governing board supports student learning by setting academic rigor as a priority for the Superintendent and monitors progress of operational goals and objectives. This priority is also reinforced by the School Committee through funding in our budget for curriculum development (use of curriculum councils, conducting audits such as literacy, etc) and implementation support, such as elementary and secondary math programs recently implemented; this includes professional development for educators along with coaching support. I’m also supportive of creating new and innovative approaches which strengthen student learning, such as the co-teaching at AHS, International Baccalaureate and the Vision of the Graduate initiative.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, I welcome new ideas and suggestions from staff, students and the community where additional support can be provided by the School Committee to help raise the bar on student performance.