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Students Prepare To Take The CMT

B Y M ICHELE H OGAN

Take a deep breath and relax - it's CMT time.

Elementary students in grades four, six and eight throughout Connecticut

Public Schools will be tested in basic academic skills over a two-week period

starting Monday, September 22. One test will be given each day, and the tests

typically last from 45 minutes to just over an hour.

Assistant Superintendent Robert Kuklis commented that "No one assessment can

test everything a student should learn in school, so we need a variety of

assessment tools. The mastery test is simply one way to check if our students

are learning basic reading, writing and mathematical skills."

Gerry Leoda, fifth grade teacher at Hawley School, commented that, "while the

tests offer some valuable information in terms of what areas the schools can

improve, unfortunately there is undue importance placed on these tests.

It's ridiculous! The public seems to think that this is the only way we assess

students. The public places so much importance on the results that the

pressure from the public trickles down to the students in terms of their

stress level."

Mr Leoda went on to describe how he has helped a fourth grade class overcome

the stress generated by the CMT.

"As a stress relieving process, last year, I encouraged my students to write

to the State Office with their thoughts about the testing."

Newtown Is Doing Okay

Newtown CMT results for last year compare favorably with Connecticut in

general.

Table:

(If it could easily changed to a bar graph it would be better. If not, a table

would be OK)

CMT Prepares Students

For SAT

Perhaps one reason why undue stress is generated by the CMT is the idea that

CMT performance is related to SAT performance. Parents care about college

admission and look for indicators that their children are gaining the skills

they will need when applying for college.

According to Tom Murphy of the Connecticut Department of Education, "it is

widely accepted that the introduction of Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMT) with

its focus on reading, writing and mathematics has had a positive effect on

student acquisition of those skills. Since the SAT reflects academic

performance in the same areas, the CMT can help prepare students for SATs

later."

Certainly, Connecticut as a whole, and Newtown in particular, is a high

scoring area. For the State of Connecticut, 1997 marked a 24-year high for the

SAT state average scores in mathematics and an eight-year high in average

verbal test scores.

Locally, Newtown SAT scores are significantly higher than the state average.

In 1997, the SAT1 math average (mean) for Newtown was a score of 540, compared

to 507 for Connecticut, and 511 for the nation. The average Newtown verbal

score was 533 compared to 509 for Connecticut and 505 for the nation.

More local students are deciding to take the SAT than ever before. The

percentage of graduating seniors taking the SAT from Newtown has steadily

increased over the last five years, from 68 percent in 1993, to 93 percent in

1997. This increase of 25 percentage points over five years compares with no

increase in SAT test taking at either the state or national level.

Different Statistics

for CMT and SAT

Although the CMT and SAT cover the same basic skill areas, the results are

typically reviewed in a different manner.

The SAT places the test-taker at a specific score point within a wide range of

possible scores, so the score can be used to differentiate between

individuals.

With CMT data, the percentage of students who achieve at a pre-determined

level is typically the most widely publicized data. This is considered an

important indicator of whether the school system is delivering.

Teaching to the Test

Dr Kuklis commented that by setting "one bar and having students reach it, the

state is sending a clear message in terms of achievement."

He cautions, however, that "the goal standard is one number - (either the

student achieves that pre-set level, or they don't). Students perform on a

whole range.

"If you get so caught up on that number, you strategically teach toward those

kids on the margin."

This is good news for children who need a little extra help to meet the goal,

because the teacher will have a strong reason to get them over the "bar."

One might question how this affects students already at the mastery level, or

students so far beneath it that they are unlikely to meet the mastery level

even with extra help.

Improving Curriculum

Since the fourth grade CMT includes basic skills acquired from kindergarten to

the end of grade three, administrators look for programming improvements from

the earliest levels.

Dr Kuklis commented, "The reading recovery program for first grade students is

a highly effective way to teach reading strategies, one-on-one, to students

who might otherwise fall behind."

He also commented that the CMT results are a detailed diagnostic tool for

teachers - a great way for teachers to understand the learning needs of each

of their students. "Any good teacher teaches to their children, and will look

at each of their students' results in depth," he said.

However, the teacher typically has to wait until sometime in December to get

individual test results.

Some Kids Don't Test Well

Mr Leoda questions the format of the paper and pencil test, especially at the

fourth grade level. "Some children tire of sitting at a desk," he said. Some

children learn better when hearing a question, others when seeing a question.

These individual differences in preferred learning styles are not taken into

account.

Some students prefer to do things their own way, which is not always the way

that gets them the most points. Mr Leoda commented that "some of my best, most

creative eloquent writers have done very poorly on the CMT tests because they

are not following the formula."

The Test Formula

Sometimes the formula outlined in the test "does not simulate the writing

process," commented Bill Bachrach, Reading Specialist at Middle Gate School.

It is questionable whether preparing a pre-writing "question wheel" in a short

amount of time indicates writing ability.

"Real writing takes place over a few days; you become a critical eye to your

own writing," commented Mr Bachrach. "Pre-writing skills are a difficult one

in which to get data," he added.

Yet pre-writing is a part of the CMT, so teachers will be tempted to teach it

according to the formula presented in the Connecticut Mastery Test, Second

Generation, Language Arts, Objectives and Sample Items , one of two guides

available at the State Office.

What Is More Important,

Test Scores or The Child?

When Mr Leoda taught in Bridgeport, he found that enhancing test scores became

the focus of each day, even in the face of more important concerns about the

child as a whole. Mr Leoda commented that "the more we learn about teaching

kids, the more we learn about the value of a holistic approach."

Back To the Drawing Board

SAT, CMT Being Re-Written

Administrators know that teachers teach to the test, and are re-writing the

tests to incorporate new thinking in education. The trend in both CMT and SAT

development is to give a broader assessment of skills, and require higher

level thinking from the students.

CMT tests were introduced in 1986 to identify students in trouble

academically. It was improved with "Generation 2" CMTs in 1992, and now there

is talk of a new Generation 3 which is being developed over the next two or

three years.

The trend in test development, identified by Dr Kuklis, is toward "less

multiple choice, which can involve guess work, and more of a focus on

problem-solving, where the student is expected to communicate how they arrived

at a certain answer."

Basic computation skills such as the ability to add and subtract are still

tested on Generation 2 CMT.

With the new SAT and CMT under development, patterns in numbers, real life

examples, and problem solving strategies will be given increasing emphasis.

With the reading components of the CMT, questions which test a student's

ability to understand, interpret and respond critically to what they read is

emphasized over spelling. Spelling still counts, as one component of the

editing skills subsection of writing.

With Generation 2, students have 45 minutes to write on a specific topic, and

also have multiple choice questions to assess how they generate and organize

ideas for written work, such as pre-writing questions mentioned above.

Mr Murphy gave a sample of a new type CMT question. "A student might be asked

to compare purchasing something at the mall versus ordering it by mail order.

The assessment of the answer is not a simple `right or wrong.'

"If the mathematical concepts used are sound, the presentation concise and

coherent, a student could get full marks arguing for either the mall or the

mail order." One student might argue in favor of mail order, citing that the

gas used to get to the mall increases the actual cost of the product. Another

might argue in favor of the mall, citing that waiting for the mail order to

arrive entails the cost of not having the use of the product as soon. Both are

legitimate positions, provided they are supported.

Likewise, the SAT is being reworked in order to "address real-world problems,

and ask students to demonstrate their knowledge rather than just `fill in the

bubble,'" says Mr Murphy.

Regardless of prospective improvements to the CMT, Connecticut children are

writing the CMT Generation 2 starting on Monday.

What does Mr Leoda recommend to parents?

"Wear the CMT scores loosely, and wear them with a tablespoon full of salt."

Photo Captions:

Students in Calla Sellner's fourth grade class hone geometry skills in

preparation for the Connecticut Mastery Tests.