District Test Assessment Report Indicates Steady Progress

By Larissa Lytwyn

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Alice Jackson and Newtown High School Assistant Principal Lorrie Rodrigue provided a summary of the 2004-05 District Assessment Report, based on student performance on the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), at the school board’s last meeting on November 16.

Both Ms Jackson and Ms Rodrigue wanted to make clear that the test scores, which traced performances from the class of 2004 to the class of 2012, were only one indication of student achievement.

The CMT is taken in the fall by fourth, sixth, and eighth graders. It measures students’ academic ability in math, reading, and writing. High school sophomores take the CAPT with the objective of meeting or exceeding a high-achievement “goal of excellence,” Ms Jackson said.

It was important to remember, said Ms Rodrigue, that both the CMT and CAPT assess only a portion of the curriculum. Slight score variations, by as many as seven points, are to be expected within the tests’ error of judgment.

“It is also important to remember that our teachers assess student progress daily through a variety of means,” said Ms Rodrigue, “including journals, labs and logs, as well as teachers’ own tests and quizzes.”

Class Trends

The report’s class-by-class comparison indicated that scores tended to increase from one testing year to the next.

“The class of 2008 and later are starting at much higher achievement levels than previous classes,” Ms Rodrigue noted.

Further, the percentage of students at the “intervention” level, generally between one and three percent, generally decreased as the grades progressed.

Fourth grade classes from 2000 to 2003 saw math scores remain fairly level. There was a slight gain in writing, although reading scores fell slightly.

“We have really worked to integrate writing across the curriculum, because, in previous years, writing was consistently our lowest score,” said Ms Rodrigue. “Improvement in writing really shows through as students progress through the grades. But we also need to keep focusing on the writing for the younger grades, too.”

On the sixth grade level, between 2000 and 2003, scores in math and reading were consistently above 80 percent.

“Our goal is to reach 90 percent,” said Ms Rodrigue.

At the eighth grade level, between 2000 and 2003, scores were approaching 80 percent on all levels, and reading scores for the last two years were above 90 percent.

Between 2001 and 2004, CAPT progress has been slow but steady across the years. The latest 2004 data suggests that scores in all areas are approaching 70 percent. Scores in writing have made significant gains, from 61.8 percent in 2001 to 73.7 percent in 2004.

The report also detailed Newtown’s scoring profile in comparison with other towns in its Economic Reference Group (ERG).

A town’s ERG is determined through such factors as median household income, level of parental education, managerial/professional status, single-parent families, welfare, non-English home language, and average district enrollment.

Towns grouped with Newtown’s ERG include Monroe, Fairfield, and West Hartford.

Newtown is at or above the ERG average in all but sixth grade writing.

“We are now working on improving sixth grade writing with a vengeance,” Ms Rodrigue assured with a smile.

Newtown is currently ranked second in the ERG in sixth grade math as well as second in eighth grade reading.

“Looking at our ERG can serve as an excellent point of reference to where we are, where we have been and, perhaps, where we need to be,” said Ms Jackson.

“A lot of schools,” she continued, “will visit other districts to see what they are doing that reflects their high class scores.”

Newtown, she said, has been visited frequently for its high-level scoring competency in high school math.

 

Areas For Improvement

As for areas that need improving, Ms Jackson said that math applications and problem-solving skills tested in the CMT had to be more consistently developed in fourth through eighth grade. While scores in math have risen steadily through the grades, there is still the need for growth, she said.

In addition, Ms Jackson said it was important for teachers to focus students on doing more critical-response to literature initiatives as a way of improving their students’ editing and revising skills.

“A successful program we’ve had to improve students’ editing and revising skills is to have frequent writers’ workshops, in which students can read and edit each others’ work,” said Ms Rodrigue. “This is a need at both the CMT and CAPT level.”

Another aspect of the CAPT that needs improving, Ms Rodrigue said, is certain math skills. While overall math scores are high, geometry and measurement has not been consistently integrated into all grades, leaving a learning gap for sophomore test-takers.

In addition, Ms Rodrigue said, it would be prudent for middle and high school students to begin reading more nonfiction.

“While our response-to-literature scores are exceptional on the CAPT, the reading-for-information section is very challenging,” Ms Rodrigue said. “It really tests reading comprehension and recall skills. Information students can read about covers a variety of areas, including the social sciences and biology. We really want to integrate a cross-curriculum program of nonfiction reading for our students.”

 

No Child Left Behind

Finally, Ms Jackson explained the relation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation to the district’s CMT and CAPT scores. “Remember that the NCLB national proficiency level is much lower than our state CMT, and especially, CAPT goals,” she said.

The criteria used to measure proficiency are defined under the NCLB as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Subgroup scores of minority groups, including students of color and special education students, are excluded if there are fewer than 40 students. Ms Jackson noted, however, beginning during the 2005-06 year, the district will begin administering the CMT at grades three through eight.

“This will increase subgroup sizes,” she admonished, “so we will monitor district assessments and provide intervention for special education students as needed.”

Ms Rodrigue said that, as the report indicates, the district is continually revising its curriculum and programs to support effective learning for all students.

Areas have been identified for improvement without “teaching the test.”