Representing a higher bar with tougher questions and in many cases new instructional material, state officials said the dramatic drop in scores was to be expected and shouldn’t be compared to the old test. They also threatened local superintendents, who were given access to the information, not to give it to anyone until today.
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California lawmakers made it clear when they approved new Common Core standards for testing K-12 students in math and English language arts that new scores could not legitimately be compared to old scores in gauging achievement. Despite a nationwide movement among some parents to boycott the test, participation in Connecticut was 96 percent for language arts and 96.8 percent for math, state officials said.
The state Department of Education released scores Friday showing that 29 percent of New Haven students are on track for literacy and 14 percent for math, compared to 55.4 percent and 39.1 percent statewide. “However, we have room to grow and more to do”.
Wentzell said she will also intensify support and professional development for math educators.
For the English language arts assessment, 57.6 percent of Wallingford students met or exceeded the achievement level; 78.4 percent of students in Cheshire met or exceeded the achievement level; 38.6 percent of Meriden students met or exceeded the achievement level; and 66.6 percent of students in Southington met or exceeded the achievement level. State officials said the size of the achievement gap with Smarter Balanced is about the same as with the Mastery Test.
About a third of black and Hispanic students met or exceeded that achievement level in English Language Arts, while 13.9 percent of black students and 17.3 percent of Hispanic students did so in math. Almost 22 percent of all students statewide were in the lowest level in math, and 32.4 percent scored in the lowest level in language arts.
Two thirds of white students earned a 3 or a 4 in English Language Arts and half did so on the math test. Students still take the Connecticut Mastery Test and CAPT for science.
The Connecticut Common Core test results are in.
“I think the scores are clearly a reflection of the classroom and the good teaching that went on”, Moore said, “as opposed to any test prep. Because there has been zero test prep done for Smarter Balanced”.
“These results do not mean that our students are learning less, rather it reflects that we raised the bar”.
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“The results provide important baseline data that we can use to create a stronger educational experience for all students in every school, reflecting the high standard of college, career, and life success”, he said in a release.
