Region 13 Schools’ 2016 Smarter Balanced Test Scores

The results are in and Connecticut students made improvements on Smarter Balanced exams. The tests replace the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT).

The percentage of students statewide meeting or exceeding English standards rose by 3.3 points to 55.7 percent and 3.9 points to 44 percent in math.

The 2014-2015 test administration was a baseline year for Smarter Balanced exams, which have new and higher standards for students that assess critical thinking skills.

“These gains are a testament to the commitment of our students for rising to meet the challenge of higher standards and to our families, teachers, and leaders for instilling critical thinking skills and a love of learning in our students,” Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell said.

The State Department of Education will complete a detailed analysis of the data and track the growth of the same set of students as they progress from one year to the next. For example, SDE will be able to see how a cohort of third-graders last year grew in one year’s time.

Wentzell noted that about half of Alliance Districts improved at a rate faster than the state and some Alliance Districts made gains of five percentage points or more. Alliance Districts are the 30 lowest-performing districts in the state that get extra funding to help improve student outcomes.

In ELA (English Language Arts), six Alliance Districts improved by 5 percentage points or higher: Bloomfield at 6.1 points, East Haven at 7.2 points, New Haven at 5.0 points, Norwich at 5.1 points, West Haven at 5.1 points, and Windham at 8.7 points. In math, 10 districts improved by 5 points or higher: Ansonia at 5.5 points, Bloomfield at 5.9 points, East Haven at 6.4 points, Killingly at 5.4 points, Meriden at 7.1 points, Putnam at 10.3 points, Vernon at 5.1 points, West Haven at 10.3 points, Windham at 6.6 points, and Windsor Locks at 7.9 points.

See how your school district fared below:

Region 13 (Durham/Middlefield) results:

ELA by grade
Grade Three:60%.
Grade Four:68%
Grade Five:77%
Grade Six:74%
Grade Seven:60%
Grade Eight:65%
All grades combined:67%

61% of Regional School District 13 students met or exceeded ELA standards in 2014-2015 while 67% met or exceeded standards in 2015-2016.

Math by grade
Grade Three:57%
Grade Four:58%
Grade Five:51%
Grade Six:54%
Grade Seven:47%
Grade Eight:50%
All grades combined:52%

48% of Regional School District 13 students met or exceeded math standards in 2014-2015 while 52% met or exceeded standards in 2015-2016.

“With record-high graduation rates and now significantly improved scores on the Smarter Balanced test, our smart investments and commitment to our children are changing lives,” Gov. Dannel Malloy said. “Every time we raise the bar for our children and set high expectations, they reach it.”

Image via Shutterstock

— By Rich Scinto (Patch Staff)