Newtown CAPT Results in Bottom Half of DRG

Compared with public school systems in similar communities across the state, Newtown is in the bottom half, and in one case, dead last when it comes to 2011 Connecticut Academic Performance Tests results, according to results released Tuesday

Its worst subject by far is science, in which 62.6-percent of Newtown 10^th graders scored at or above goal on the CAPT. That percentage is the lowest among the 19 districts in District Reference Group B. Coincidentally, the second lowest was Greenwich High School with 62.8-percent.

Among students who score at or above proficient in science, Newtown does slightly better, coming in 17^th at 94.4-percent, slightly more than Greenwich and West Hartford.

School districts are grouped into DRGs depending on whether the communities in which they are located share similar socioeconomic conditions. Newtown belongs in DRG B, which includes Avon, Brookfield, Fairfield, Greenwich Monroe, Trumbull and New Fairfield.

The CAPT tests are given once a year to high school sophomores.

In math, the , Newtown comes in 17^th this year within its DRG. Among students who scored at proficient or above in math, Newtown comes in at the bottom half of the pack at 12^th.

In writing where Newtown saw increases – nearly 2 full percentage points from last year – bringing it to 78.1 percent of students who scored at or above goal, the district is still second-to-last in its DRG, above Glastonbury, which had 78-percent of students who scored at or above goal.

When it comes to students who scored at or above proficient in writing, Newtown came more middle-of-the-pack at No. 11.

Newtown also was more middle of the pack when it came to reading at No. 11 and 14 among other districts in DRG-B.