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FAIRFIELD, Conn. ‒ Fairfield’s performance on Connecticut’s standardized tests improved in all subjects at the high school level this year. At elementary and middle schools, however, the results were mixed.
The Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) are administered annually in March to students across Connecticut. The CMT tests math, reading and writing for grades 3 through 8, and science for grades 5 and 8. The CAPT covers math, reading, writing and science for grade 10 students. Both have five levels of performance for each subject: below basic, basic, proficient, goal and advanced.
Fairfield’s sophomores improved in all four subjects from 2011 to 2012. The percentage of test-takers reaching the “goal” level rose across the board. The biggest gain was in reading, where the “goal” students jumped 8.7 percentage points, from 63.2 to 71.9 percent. The number of “proficient” students dropped in both science and reading by less than 1.3 percentage points in both categories.
Third-grade scores rose in math and writing at both the “goal” and “proficient” levels, but dropped in both rankings for reading. The biggest change was in mathematics. The number of “goal” scores rose 3.6 points from last year for third-graders, while the number of “proficient” pupils climbed 2.5 percentage points.
Similarly, fourth-graders’ scores rose in math, dropped in reading and stayed flat in writing. Math scores picked up by just over 1 percent in both “goal” and “proficient” scores. Reading marks in both categories dropped by less than a percentage point.
Fifth- and sixth-graders both saw their math scores drop in both “goal” and “proficiency” levels. Fifth-graders, however, pulled up their reading scores, with 3.4 percent more of the total making “goal” for 2012. Sixth-grade “goal” scores dropped by 1.4 percentage points in reading.
Seventh-graders also saw drops in math scores, with 2.2 percent fewer students making “goal” and 2.4 percent fewer at “proficient.” But seventh-graders rose in writing, with 1.9 percent more at “goal” and a 2.4 percentage point climb in proficiency.
Eighth-graders improved over their counterparts from 2012 in all four subjects. Their biggest improvement was in writing, with a 6.5 percentage point increase in students reaching the “goal” level. In math, reading and science, eighth-graders improved by less than 1 percentage point.
Check back with the Fairfield Daily Voice for comments from Fairfield Public Schools officials and more analysis of this year’s scores. You can also see more in-depth numbers at the state database.
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