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Wachusett officials praise Davis Hill after DESE recognition, spotlight chronic absenteeism in MCAS briefing
Summary
Superintendent and Curriculum Director Laura DeRose presented district MCAS accountability data, praised Davis Hill Elementary for meeting most performance targets, and identified rising chronic absenteeism—especially among high‑needs students—as a top focus for improvement.
Superintendent Doctor Riley and Curriculum Director Laura DeRose used the Wachusett Regional School District Committee meeting to highlight district MCAS results and celebrate Davis Hill Elementary’s designation as a 2025 DESE School of Recognition.
"For Davis Hill this year ... they met 96% of their criteria," Doctor Riley said, noting the school also scored 100% on the metric for its lowest‑performing students. DeRose walked the committee through the district’s accountability data, saying growth measures are encouraging even as achievement gaps persist for high‑needs students.
DeRose told the committee the district sits in a "developing" performance band statewide: roughly half of students in grades 3–8 met or exceeded expectations in ELA and math, while the other half scored below expectations. She said student growth percentiles (SGP) show upward trends, with an average SGP around 49.5 in ELA and 53.3 in math, indicating instruction is producing year‑to‑year learning gains.
Committee members focused much of their questioning on chronic absenteeism, which administrators said is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year (about 18 days in a 180‑day calendar). Superintendent Riley said the district’s overall chronic‑absence rate rose by about one percentage point in the most recent reporting year "from 10 percent to 11 percent," with higher rates among students with disabilities and low‑income students.
Administration described steps under way to address attendance, including targeted outreach, guidance‑counselor involvement and principal‑level strategies tracked through the Panorama system. Director DeRose and the superintendent said they will bring more detail on attendance interventions and on how the district will publicize MCAS and competency information to families.
The presentation also covered science, civics, and high‑school results, noting strong growth in math and improvements in advanced coursework access. Administrators said the district is strengthening Tier 1 instruction, expanding co‑teaching and interventionist models, and rolling out curriculum changes (including Project Lead The Way and SRSD writing professional development) to close opportunity gaps.
The committee did not take a vote on MCAS matters; administration said procedures and additional plans will appear in future updates and presentations to the committee.
