Superintendent says MCAS progress is ‘encouraging’

Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson said she was encouraged by progress across the district on the 2026 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS.

“Our schools have worked hard to reduce chronic absenteeism, and the data show improvement across all three schools,” Hartley-Matteson wrote in a statement to Wareham Week. “MCAS achievement at Wareham High School also improved in English language arts, math and science.”

Hartley-Matteson said that the district was classified as “not requiring assistance or intervention” from the state as it made “substantial progress toward targets.”

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released an accountability report along with its results, which showed whether schools’ results aligned with the goals they each set for themselves. Based on these results, DESE would determine whether the school needed assistance or intervention.

Hartley-Matteson noted that there were areas where Wareham students struggled. While students across third through eighth grade and 10th grade improved test scores across many subjects, the results overall still lagged behind the state averages. 

“The report identifies areas where we need to do better, and we remain focused on improving outcomes for every student,” she wrote.

Director of Teaching, Learning and Technology Tracie Cote will deliver a presentation on the school’s MCAS results at an Oct. 29 School Committee meeting, Hartley-Matteson said. The presentation will look at students’ strengths and weaknesses, and how the results will help improve student learning.