The school board had just heard a presentation on the Common Core Standards at the high school level. When it was time for input, the board’s president, Melanie Robinson, wondered about the future. Will colleges notice a difference in four or five years?

It was an overcast morning as the 117 eighth graders making up the Class of 2027 gathered in the center of the Middle School track along with their family and teachers for their moving up ceremony on June 16.

The state recently released the results of its math and ELA tests for grades 3-8. There’s a tendency to compare the performance of neighboring districts, but the tests have another function.