School Board Reviews CMT, CAPT, SAT And District Improvement Plans

By Laurie Borst

On Tuesday, October 24, the Board of Education conducted a special session to review state reports on standardized testing results. Assistant Superintendent Alice Jackson led the presentation, which included an overview of the district’s schools improvement plans. Principals and assistant principals from all Newtown schools presented sections of the report.

Mrs Jackson cautioned that the data presented regarding standardized testing scores is one test administered yearly. It is a snapshot of where the students were at that time.

Another caveat is the criteria for reporting scores for subgroups, i.e., special education, racial ethnic groups, gender. Data is only reported if the subgroup is at least 20. Data is used only if the subgroup is at least 40.

This leads to what looks like less proficiency at some levels when compared to other schools in Newtown’s District Reference Group or DRG. Some of the schools in the DRG have small special ed groups and those scores are not reflected in their overall proficiency percentages.

The Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT), is administered to students in grades three through eight. The CMT measures students’ abilities in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Newtown students’ scores of proficiency in mathematics are above 80 percent at all grade levels.

“Our scores in mathematics are so good,” Mrs Jackson reported, “that we have administrators from many districts asking, ‘Can we visit your schools to see what you’re doing in math?’”

Reading scores after fourth grade are all above 80 percent proficient. The lowest proficiency in writing occurs at the third grade level, with 76 percent. By eighth grade, that number rises to 82 percent.

The Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) is given to tenth grade students. The CAPT measures student proficiency in math, reading, writing, and science. This is the only test currently that assesses science proficiency. Starting in 2008, fifth and eighth graders will also be tested for science proficiency.

Newtown’s CAPT scores reveal that 78.6 percent of sophomores scored at the proficient level or higher in mathematics, 69.4 percent in reading, 67.2 percent in writing, and 63.8 percent in science. Virtually every district in the DRG posted the lowest percentages on the science portion of the test.

The SAT assesses student ability in reading, writing, and mathematics. Across the board, Newtown students scored five percent higher than the state average, and up to seven percent higher than the national average.

The district has identified four goals for the 2006-2007 school year. Those goals are to improve academic achievement of all students, accelerate the learning of special education students, improve climate and communication, and improve student performance through the use of technology.

Some of the steps that will be taken at the elementary level include broadening the repertoire of teaching strategies, refining early intervention strategies for at risk or underachieving students, extend Responsive Classroom training to all staff and bus drivers, and integrate technology into content areas. Similar strategies will be implemented at the intermediate, middle, and high school levels also.

At all grade levels, administrators reported a decrease in bullying incidents and an increase in communications between faculty and students. At the elementary level, the Responsive Classroom model has proven effective. The high school has implemented smaller advisory groups, with one faculty member working with groups of approximately 15 students. At the intermediate and middle school levels, antibullying seminars are held.