Andover literacy audit urges districtwide adoption of high‑quality instructional materials, adds secondary screener and implementation supports

Andover School Committee workshop — Jan. 23, 2025 — ANET, a national education consulting network, presented findings from a five‑month literacy audit of Andover Public Schools and recommended the district adopt a coherent suite of high‑quality instructional materials (HQIM) for K–8 reading and writing, expand foundational skills materials into first grade, introduce a secondary literacy screener, and strengthen systems and schedules to support implementation.

The audit presentation, led by Katie Taber, senior systems partner with ANET, and Erin Gilbert, ANET diverse learning specialist, summarized classroom observations, educator and family surveys, and assessment inventories that ANET said point to inconsistent materials use and gaps between assessment and instruction. "High quality instructional materials matter," Taber said, citing research linking HQIM adoption to measurable learning gains.

ANET framed the recommendations as an integrated strategy: adopt an HQIM suite for reading and writing (K–8); retain and expand existing foundational programs Heggerty (phonemic awareness), Foundations (phonics), and Geodes (decodables); deploy curriculum‑embedded assessments (CEAs) from the chosen HQIM; add a short secondary screener for decoding and fluency (ANET cited Roar as an example); and create district systems—protected planning time, internalization protocols, implementation walks, and aligned minutes—to sustain use.

Why it matters: ANET reported stagnation or slight declines on MCAS in recent years and a marked gap between multilingual learners and non‑ELL students on ELA MCAS (27% of EL students meeting or exceeding versus…