Sophomore Perspectives On English MCAS

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May 6, 2024
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By Samantha Sun
STAFF WRITER

The English MCAS for sophomore students commenced and concluded on March 26 and 27, bringing grumbles, sighs, and relief. Enduring two days sitting in classrooms, facing the computer, and completing questions is a process AHS students have become familiar with.

Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is a standardized assessment that aligns with state English Language Arts (ELA)standards and examines student’s abilities in writing instructions and on-demand writing, as well as teacher practices.

“It was extremely boring,” sophomore Anoushaka Nagle said. “The fact that there were three [essays] in total over the span of two days made [MCAS] exhausting.” With term three ending, piles of tests and quizzes added to the stress of MCAS, Nagle said.

Sophomore Jana Leung said she “was glad that it was the last [state test] that we would have in terms of English…but I think there’s a little bit of pressure because this counts.” However, Leung also added that it was nice that she could take a break from the normal schedule and have something change in the week.

While the MCAS is something students are quite familiar with, the overall dislike towards the test is the lack of incentive to exceed. “There’s no motivation to try hard because the MCAS doesn’t affect you unless you fail, so really my entire goal [with] MCAS is to try and get it over with,” said Nagle.

Teachers have made sure to provide students with practice tests and sample essays to adequately prepare students for the test. English Coordinator Stacy Giggie said, “As a department, our goal is to teach beyond the test all the while making sure students have a clear understanding of what to expect.” The midterm exam for freshmen is also a writing prompt that assesses the same skills tested on the MCAS, said Giggie.

Subsequently, it was time that was more of an issue. “In the beginning sometimes a proctor took longer to actually initiate the test so we lost a lot of time,” said Nagle. Along with time, students remarked about the small font size, which was difficult to read.

“This year students seemed to really take their time with the exam, which is what we want to see,” said Giggie. Some students spend more time planning and organizing their essays than others, showing the amount of effort sophomore students have been putting forth.

While the MCAS is a vital assessment, it isn’t a measurement of a person’s skills and abilities. Any exam is one data point on one student on one day and it is not a complete picture, noted Giggie.

“I think it tests stamina more than it does any actual reading comprehension, I’m fairly certain that I did a lot better [at] the beginning of the MCAS [than] I did towards the end,” said Nagle, noting that mood and temper can contribute to the performance on the test.

Leung had similar thoughts, adding that when students are stressed it can affect how they write, read, and comprehend information. Leung believes that cumulative work instead of one standardized test would better represent a student’s capability.

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Articles

NEASC Visit Highlights AHS Goals

April 3, 2026

Anushka Dole || ONLINE EDITOR

Andover High School hosted a re-accreditation visit from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) from March 16-18, as part of a decennial review process designed to evaluate how well AHS supports student learning and identify areas of improvement.

According to Assistant Principal Alicia Linsey, the process started during the 2023-2024 school year with a visit from the Collaborative Conference team, a group of visiting educators from across the New England area. In preparation for the visit, a team of AHS faculty members and administrators was formed.

“We picked out priority areas and presented those to this visiting NEASC committee … and they agreed with [our priority areas],” said biology teacher Lindsey L’Ecuyer, the AHS committee’s science department representative.

There were five priority areas that AHS pledged to work on starting in the 2023-2024 school year: developing the Vision of a Graduate, implementing consistent curricula throughout all departments, vertical/horizontal alignment across departments and throughout grades, promotion of school pride, and building infrastructure.

The Vision of a Graduate outlines the skills and values that the school hopes to instill in every student by the time they graduate.

Vertical alignment refers to improving coordination between teachers across grade levels to ensure student skills build progressively, while horizontal alignment emphasizes greater collaboration between teachers across departments.

“[The committee is] working on … finding time in the school day for teachers to collaborate more,” L’Ecuyer said, adding that AHS has begun standardizing curricula to support this effort.

“There are committees in the school that have been working on documenting curriculum in a consistent format for our core classes … freshman English, for example, [and] biology,” L’Ecuyer said.

Linsey mentioned that students and parents also play a role in the accreditation process. A team of visiting evaluators—distinct from the Collaborative Conference team—conduct interviews to gather student perspectives on the school climate and learning experiences.

Although the committee leads the reflection process, administrators are then responsible for implementing action plans based on their findings. In accordance with these plans, faculty members must provide evidence of integration of the district goals.

L’Ecuyer emphasized that NEASC accreditation is more about reflecting on and improving school processes than it is about recognition.

“It’s less of a badge as it is opening yourself up to reflecting on and documenting what you do well and what it’s like setting goals for your school,” L’Ecuyer said.

Beyond internal reflection and planning, the “badge” that the reaccreditation process provides does carry additional, tangible benefits for students. It reassures families and colleges that AHS maintains a rigorous academic program, and that it’s constantly working towards improving learning.

“My understanding is that colleges know Andover High School—they know what our programs are like,” L’Ecuyer said. “[Because] of [accreditation] … they know the kinds of students that graduate from here, and what skills that [they] have.”

Accreditation also plays a role in the school’s ability to receive funding.

“NEASC accreditation is required for eligibility to receive some private, state, and federal grants, loans, and other federal funds,” Linsey noted in an email.

Articles

A Paw-Fect Tale

April 3, 2026

Office Maggie Stars in a Children’s Book

Saarvi Deshwal || EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Andover High School’s Officer Maggie now stars in her own children’s book, written by Officer Thomas Paolera and illustrated by senior Olivia Horvath.

Officer Maggie: The Police Comfort Dog introduces a day-in-the-life of the AHS police dog at a preschool to an elementary reading level. The book explains Maggie’s purpose as a police dog and follows her through a workday, from catching bad guys to eating treats.

The idea for the book began at Paolera’s home, where he would regularly read books with his two sons. “We’re reading children’s books all the time,” said Paolera. “I was sitting here looking at Maggie and I said, ‘Let me give this a try.’”

After drafting the initial text, Paolera reached out to Meghan Michaud, an art and graphic design teacher, to help find a student to illustrate the book. Michaud recommended Olivia Horvath, a junior at the time, who had experience with Adobe Illustration software and an interest in graphic design.

“I was equally as shocked as I was not surprised,” shared Horvath on her reaction to being asked to illustrate the book. Given her experience with Adobe software, Michaud felt she was a natural fit for the project.

The process of making the book took longer than expected. It was anticipated that the process would only take a few months, but the project ultimately lasted about a year.

It was “a lot of late nights,” said Horvath. “[I would work] on the book, then go to class the next day, get edits on it, go back and edit it, and just doing that over and over.”

Using Adobe Illustrator, Horvath created vectors—images created from curves, points, and lines rather than pixels, allowing it to be scaled up and down without the risk of it becoming blurry—of all the characters, people, grass, cars, and many other details that could easily go unnoticed by an average reader. She then brought together all the different aspects in Adobe InDesign, where she laid out the text.

“It sounds so much simpler than it is,” added Horvath. Some illustrations were based on real photographs shared by Paolera of him and Maggie, which were then adapted into illustrated versions for the book.

Paolera and Michaud described the process as very “collaborative,” with many drafts and revisions. “[There was] definitely a lot of back and forth,” shared Paolera. “[Olivia] fixed a couple things, put her spin on it, and then I asked to change some small things … we just did some final edits and added some small things here and there.”

In addition, students stopping by the Graphic Design room during H-Blocks or after school offered input on the book at its various stages. “There were always students that were giving feedback—sometimes unsolicited feedback,” commented Michaud. “But there were always fresh eyes on it that were familiar with Officer Paolera and Officer Maggie. So I think that’s a unique thing.”

Just under 200 copies of Officer Maggie: The Police Comfort Dog were printed, and some will be at Memorial Hall Library and AHS for student display. Additionally, Paolera is doing read-alongs at all the Andover Public School elementary schools and at Shawsheen Preschool. Two copies of the book will be donated to each of the libraries at the schools they visit.

Despite taking longer than anticipated, “it came out great,” said Michaud. “I can’t wait to see what kids think about it when it gets out in the public.”

“The best part was just seeing it come together,” commented Horvath. “I think my favorite spread would be the last two pages, where it shows Officer Maggie in the back of a police car driving off after work.” Horvath shared that digital illustration is something she can see herself doing in the future and that she is happy with the outcome of this project.

“I did the easy part. Olivia did all the hard work and she did a really great job illustrating, and it came out awesome,” reflected Paolera.

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Sophomore Perspectives On English MCAS

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