Bethany Elementary Students Net Higher Test Grades

Editor's Note: This is the first of a three-part series looking at CMT scores in the area. Amity Regional Middle School will be featured next, and the Woodbridge elementary results .

As statewide results from the 2011 Connecticut Mastery Test show improved results, the gains from Bethany students largely outpaced their peers.

The growth was most evident in fifth grade reading, which saw double digit percentage improvements of students with proficient or better scores. The biggest declines came in fifth grade writing and third grade math. The sample size for each grade was fewer than 100 students.

The CMT, taken annually by more than 240,000 public school students in grades 3 through 8, consists of seven hours of testing in math, reading, writing, and — at some levels — science.

Students are graded on a scale of 1 ("below basic") to 5 ("advanced") on each section. Though the test is not pass/fail, Connecticut sets a goal range and a proficiency level for each grade and subject.

Reading and writing for fifth graders suffered the biggest decline since 2010, but the same categories for sixth graders saw the biggest increase. In reading, 100 percent of students were deemed proficient and met the state goal.

The state Board of Education was pleased with the improved scores throughout the state.

“It is encouraging to see that our public schools are making progress by increasing the numbers of students who are moving into the Proficient level of performance and from the Proficient level into the Goal level,” commented George Coleman, acting commissioner of the state Board of Education. “However, our greatest challenges are ahead of us. We must accelerate our efforts to improve the outcomes for those students who are at risk of scoring below Proficient, while at the same time challenging all students to perform at higher levels.”

3RD GRADE

4TH GRADE

5TH GRADE

93.5

(+19.4)

6TH GRADE

John Davisson contributed to this report.