Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School is analyzing  the results of the annual Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test scores, principal Sara Dingledy told the school committee last week.

“Many of our students, are exceeding expectations... but our overall score did dip, and so this is something we’re definitely keeping an eye on,” Ms. Dingledy told the committee.

“I hope that at least we [gain] three or four points next year,” she added, referring to the state’s four-point scoring system for year-to-year progress on MCAS tests.

The school gained a point in English, but lost two in science, Ms. Dingledy said.

“Our lowest-performing students are actually making gains, but we’re stagnating in other areas, and we need to look and kind of uncover why,” she told the school committee.

Science is the hardest test for Island students to pass because it is heavy on terminology, Ms. Dingledy said. Although some school districts offer the science test in Spanish, she said, there is no option for Portuguese, the home language for many Island children.

“That is a continuous struggle for our students,” Ms. Dingledy said.

Ms. Dingledy is working with science department chair Louis Hall to interpret the MCAS results and how the school can use them, she said.

The state test results have some bright spots, Ms. Dingledy said.

The high school graduation rate went up, and — unlike last year — the school was not rated as one that “needs intervention,” because more students took the MCAS in 2024.

“We were at 99 percentage for participation [and] we moved up slightly in our accountability rating,” Ms. Dingledy said.

Ending the MCAS as a graduation requirement would not affect many Island students, she said.

“It’s a very small percentage who cannot graduate because of the MCAS,” Ms. Dingledy said.