CMT Results Mixed Across Grades, Districts

As they did on , Weston, Redding and Easton students scored well above other students across the state on the Connecticut Mastery Test, according to figures released by the Department of Education on Wednesday.

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.

Marie McPadden, the interim superintendent for Easton, Redding and Region 9 until , told Patch Easton and Redding's results were "highly competitive' within their district reference group.

"In both districts at the middle school level, a large percentage of students met goal in reading, writing, and mathematics achieving  at or above 90 percent, with some decrease in grade six writing," McPadden wrote in an email to Patch.

McPadden noted that it's important to keep in mind, for example, the fourth graders who took the CMT last year, took it as fifth graders this year.

"The results in all grades 3-8 overall represent increases in student achievement," McPadden wrote. "Cohort information will also be analyzed to track how the same students perform from year to year."

McPadden offered compliments to the administration and members of the districts' school boards.

"The data is evidence of a rigorous curriculum, teachers who provide strategic instructional practices, administrators who lead the team, and supportive Boards of Education," McPadden wrote.

Some highlights of scores include:

• Improvements in the scores of third graders among all three districts. Most notably, Weston's writing scores increased 14.2 percent, Redding's 12 percent and Easton's 5.9 percent. Easton's third grade students' reading scores improved 13.6 percent.
• The scores for Easton's sixth graders dipped across the board, including a 9.4 percent skid in writing and a 5.9 percent decrease in reading.
• The writing scores for Redding's seventh graders dipped 7.1 percent, while the scores for Easton's seventh graders increased 4.5 percent.
• Redding's eighth graders scored 6.6 percent higher in the reading portion of the CMT, making 98.6 percent of them meet the state's goal.

The full district and statewide results can be found below. Numbers reflect the percentage of students scoring at or above goal or proficiency; figures in parentheses represent year-over-year changes.

3RD GRADE

86.1
(+4.8)

2011

State

63.3
(+0.7)

84.3
(+0.7) 

58.4
(+1.3)

74.0
(+1.7) 

81.1
(+1.8)

4TH GRADE

2011

State

67.3
(+0.1)

85.2
(0.0) 

62.5
(+2.5)

74.7
(+1.8) 

85.4
(-1.1)

5TH GRADE

6TH GRADE

2011

State

71.6
(+0.6) 

88.5
(+0.3)

76.0
(+1.1)

86.5
(+1.0)

86.1
(+0.6)

7TH GRADE

2011

State

68.7
(-0.1)

87.2
(-0.2)

77.8
(+0.3)

85.7
(+0.4) 

79.8
(+0.1)

8TH GRADE

(Editor's note: John Davisson contributed to this article.)