Tolland School District Receives CMT Scores

Tolland students in grades 3 to 6 have improved in most content areas of the Connecticut Mastery Test, according to the results released Wednesday by the state’s Department of Education.

According to Superintendent William Guzman, the scores can be analyzed in two ways: in a chronological sense, comparing 2010’s sixth grade students to the 2011 sixth graders, or through a cohort analysis, which tracks the same group of children year by year. For example, cohort analysis of the 2011 fourth grade class would compare last year’s third grade results with this year’s fourth grade tests.

Guzman said that Tolland improved well on both fronts, showing improved performances in 10 out of 20 areas chronologically and 12 out of 15 areas in a cohort analysis.

The content areas are derived from the three content areas on the exam, mathematics, reading, and writing, as well as two areas of science, which are tested in grades 5 and 8.

There are only 15 areas in a cohort analysis because grade 3 results cannot be compared against a previous test.

Guzman pointed out this year’s fourth grade class as particularly successful. According to a cohort analysis of those students, the at or above goal writing percentage jumped up 15.9 percent from 66.5 percent in 2010 to 82.4 percent in 2011.

Reading also improved dramatically, increasing 8 percent from 73.2 percent at or above goal level to 81.2 percent this year. Mathematics showed a more modest increase of 2.9 percent from 80.8 percent at or above goal level to 83.7 percent.

According to Guzman, a cohort analysis of all six grades shows decreases in performances at only the seventh and eighth grade level.

The seventh grade students writing scores decreased 5.5 percent at or above goal level from 85.2 percent in 2010 to 79.7 percent in 2011. Scores in mathematics also decreased at goal level from 92.3 percent in 2010 to 84.3 percent this year.

The eighth grade class only showed a slight decrease in reading, dropping a tenth of a percentage point from their seventh grade score of 92.8 percent at or above goal level to 92.7 percent in 2011. 

Guzman said that Tolland averages were above state averages in all areas.

While the Tolland scores were generally good, Guzman said that the administration will be using a thorough analysis to improve the education that Tolland students receive.

“The whole testing subject brings to the forefront the emphasis on continued academic improvement,” he said.

The Board of Education, school principals and superintendent will be meeting in August to analyze and discuss the CMT and CAPT results. Guzman says that the administration will also use an analysis comparing Tolland scores to similar communities, like Somers and Ellington, to get a more complete picture of the district’s performance.

Guzman also added that the BOE and principals will be factoring the large number of snow days into their analysis of the scores.

According to the superintendent, the Tolland district had a combined number of 10 snow days or delayed openings in January and February, a crucial preparation time for the state examinations in March.

“Not that we’re making excuses, but the continuity of teaching was really affected by the weather,” Guzman said.

Statewide, students continued to generally improve CMT performance, according to a press release from the state's Department of Education.

“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,” said Acting Commissioner George Coleman.

For a complete breakdown of CMT scores by grade and year, visit the state’s Department of Education Web site.