Wayland School Committee receives MCAS report, district remains Level 1

WAYLAND — November 5, 2025 — Wayland holds Level 1 status as MCAS gains arrive alongside enrollment slide. Assistant Superintendent Betsy Gavron told the School Committee the district hit 84 percent of its accountability targets, up from 75 percent last year, and earned four out of four points on chronic absenteeism after scoring zero a year ago. Eighth graders met or exceeded expectations at 82 percent on the first full civics MCAS, against a 39 percent state average. Members pressed Gavron on essay scores hovering near 50 percent; "that's really concerning to me," member Christina said. Director of Finance and Operations Kirsteen Patterson reported Oct. 1 enrollment of 2,662, down 39 students, with a demographic study projecting an 89-student decline over 10 years. The testing vendor Cognia corrected the essays of nine Wayland students after AI-scoring irregularities.