Overview:
The Athol-Royalston School District in Massachusetts is implementing new initiatives linked to the Vision of a Massachusetts Graduate, a statewide effort to develop critical thinkers, active citizens, skilled communicators, and empowered individuals. The district is aligning curriculum across grades to ensure equity and consistency, and has adopted new programs such as Bridges in Mathematics and MyView for literacy. The district is also using data to target instruction and expand electives in computer science, engineering, and robotics.
ATHOL – The Athol-Royalston School District has been working to implement new initiatives linked to Vision of a Massachusetts Graduate, a statewide effort launched under Gov. Maura Healey’s K-12 Graduation Council.
According to Mass.gov, the Vision of a Massachusetts Graduate outlines the skills students should have by graduation to be ready for college and careers. It focuses on developing “thinkers, contributors, and leaders,” emphasizing problem-solving, collaboration, communication and responsible decision-making.
Superintendent Matthew Ehrenworth said the district’s work on this statewide program reflects months of collaboration with staff and families.
“It drives everything we’re doing in each of our schools, from elementary to high school,” he said. “We want students to be critical thinkers, active citizens, skilled communicators and empowered individuals.”
Ehrenworth introduced the district’s curriculum leadership team, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Karin Patenaude, Athol Community Elementary School Assistant Principal Brandi Brown, and Athol High School Principal David King, who presented updates on curriculum and student performance.
Patenaude said the district is aligning curriculum across grades to ensure equity and consistency.
“We want high-quality, grade-level instructional materials in front of students,” she said. “Vertically, skills should build from one grade to the next, and horizontally, students in different classrooms should be exposed to the same content.”
Brown highlighted the adoption of the Bridges in Mathematics program at Athol Community and Royalston Community elementary schools.
“We have kids cheering when math time is coming, which is not the norm,” she said. For literacy, the district continues using MyView and recently added a phonics program from the University of Florida Literacy Institute.
Fall 2025 data from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) showed a dip in second-grade scores from spring 25 in both reading and math, which Brown said is being analyzed closely.
“We’re really digging in with our teachers to make sure every student gets exactly what they need,” she said. “We’re using data to target instruction so kids aren’t being taught what they already know, and they’re not being pushed too far ahead.”
At Athol-Royalston Middle School, Patenaude reported that sixth graders improved from the 24th to 38th percentile in math, while eighth graders held steady around the 49th percentile. Seventh-grade scores dipped slightly, which she linked to learning gaps from the early pandemic years.
King said collaboration between the middle and high schools has strengthened instruction, with administrative teams meeting twice a month to share successful practices. Over the past five years, the district has adopted Illustrative Math, MyPerspectives, OpenSciEd, and most recently, Savvas Chemistry. They are also working to expand electives in computer science, engineering and robotics.
High school NWEA data showed steady growth, with reading proficiency rising from 31% to 44% among current freshmen and 44% to 54% among sophomores. Freshman math scores increased from 39% to 47%.
“We’ve launched the early implementation of our Vision of a Graduate,”said King. “Our next step is to implement it with intent. We have a lot of work ahead, but the road map is clear, and it leads to every student meeting those graduate qualities before they cross the stage.”