Student test scores on the rise

HARTFORD — Good news on the student achievement front.

Connecticut standardized test scores released Monday show gains in both reading and math to their highest point under this test.

Still, fewer than half of some 231,000 students in grades three through eight who took the test last spring are deemed at grade level or above in math.

And although there seems to have been some gains made in closing the achievement gap, officials aren’t sure yet by how much.

“Our mission to close gaps around the state remains a priority,” said Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona

in a written statement.

In 2019, 34.2 percent of black students and 35.7 percent of Hispanic students statewide were at grade level in reading compared with 69.2 percent of white students and 76.9 percent of Asian students.

In math, 23.3 percent of black students and 27 percent of Hispanic students statewide were at grade level compared with 62.1 percent of white students and 76.9 percent of Asian students. For each group that represented an increase from 2018.

Now in its fifth year of administration, the 2019 Smarter Balanced assessment show average scores, overall, have increased to their highest level since the state began using the test in the 201415 school year.

In 201819, statewide reading achievement levels improved for the second year in a row, from 55.3 percent in 201718 to 55.7 percent in 201819. The biggest gain was seen in sixth and seventh grades, state officials said.

In math, there was also strong improvement in all grades statewide. The overall percentage of students meeting the proficiency benchmark improved from 46.8 percent in 201718 to 48.1 percent in 201819. Students in grades three and four did reach the 50 percent mark in terms of proficiency.

Across the state, there was close to a 99 percent participation rate in the test, state officials said.

How local districts did

New Haven posted its strongest results overall in both math and language arts since the exam was first administered in 201516. In language arts, 34.4 percent of the Elm City’s third through eighth graders met or exceeded the goal; in math 22.5 percent of third through eighth graders met or exceeded the goal.

From the previous year, the percentage of students meeting their language arts and math targets improved 0.9 points and 1.2 points respectively. Since the first year the test was administered in 20152016, the improvement was 2.3 points for language arts and 4 points for math. However, the cohort of students tested on the SBAC is different from year to year.

For students who remained in the third to eighth grade cohort for the last two years, the average growth rate for New Haven students in language arts was 32.6 percent and the overall percentage of students who met their growth goals was 55.2 percent. In math, the growth rate was 33.3 percent and the percentage who met their individual growth goals was 53.6 percent.

A request for comment was made to the New Haven Public Schools but was not returned by press time.

Bridgeport, Milford, Monroe, Oxford and Seymour saw overall increases in both subject areas.

In Bridgeport, 27.4 percent of students across the six grades scored at or above grade level in reading in 2019 compared with 25.7 in 2018. In math, 15.7 percent of Bridgeport students met the target, compared with 14.9 percent in 2019.

Acting Bridgeport Schools Superintendent Michael Testani said he was pleased the district continues to show growth in those areas.

“We still have a lot of work to do in ELA (English Language Arts) and math to give our children the necessary skills to compete,” Testani said.

Though much lower than the state average, Bridgeport does not have the lowest averages in the state. In New Britain, 20.2 percent of students tested at grade level in reading and 11.3 percent in math across the six grades tested.

Other districts that showed growth in at least one subject area include Derby, Fairfield, Stratford and Trumbull.

Stratford Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said the district started tracking upward in math performance in 201718.

“We have added to our math resources and enhanced curriculum,” Robinson said. “As with any changes in education, it takes time to see the improvements in performance.”

In Shelton, the percentage of students achieving at or above grade level in reading dropped from 72.1 percent to 70.8 percent. In math, the percent reaching proficiency dropped from 63.3 to 62 percent.

“We continue to face challenges,” said Shelton Schools Superintendent Christopher Clouet. Still, he points out that district outcomes continue to outpace the state in growth in mathematics scores.

“Over the last three years, we have seen our high needs students grow in both ELA and math,” said Clout. “In spite of being underfunded compared with similar districts and facing constraints in terms of growing class sizes and offering professional learning, we are committed to meeting the needs of every student.”

In Trumbull, where 80 percent of students met the reading target and 76.5 percent met the math target, the challenge, said Schools Superintendent Gary Cialfi, is to maintain what the district is doing right in the face of an increasingly diverse student body.

“We have maintained strong achievement to the point that we are in the same ball park” as the state’s top tier school districts, Cialfi said.

Jonathan Budd, Trumbull’s assistant superintendent, said the numbers are particularly strong when you consider the size and complexity of the school district.

“We are much bigger and much more diverse than other districts who are doing as well, so other districts are looking at Trumbull and saying ‘how can we catch up,’” Budd said.

Trumbull, meanwhile, will use the scores to better monitor student progress and make sure what is taught is relevant.

The test is aligned to the Connecticut Core Standards, considered more rigorous than the previous Connecticut Mastery Test. Unlike that test, which was periodically adjusted, there are no plans to revise the test to which some school districts and teachers are just now getting accustomed.

In a written statement, Gov. Ned Lamont credited teachers for the improved results.

“They are to be commended for their efforts,” Lamont said. “The ability to attract businesses and encourage them to expand and grow in our state is directly connected to the strength of our workforce, which is why it is critical that we provide the youngest in our communities with the tools needed to succeed in today’s economy.”

Cardona called on districts to continue to identify local practices that are working so all students can achieve successful outcomes regardless of their zip code.

High needs students reflected their highest achievement in 201819 and are improving at a rate that is faster than the state as a whole. That goes for low income families, English learners and students with disabilities. All are showing improvements.

Ajit Gopalakrishnan, chief of the State Department of Education’s performance department, called the raised performance averages heartening, especially when it comes to high needs students who are concentrated in the state’s 33 Alliance districts. Most of those districts saw healthy percentage gains. Gopalakrishnan said there is also growth at the middle school grades.

By now, students in sixth grade and below have been exposed to common core standards their entire school careers. The standards are considered rigorous and meet federal accountability standards.

Beyond comparing scores one year to the next, the state has also started to track how the same students do over time.

The growth there, Gopalakrishnan said, is not as strong as the department would like it to be.

“Some (districts) are doing it,” he added. “There are examples of high growth in (high needs) districts ... but the short answer is there are no short cuts to improving academic achievement.”

Some have a ways to go. Bridgeport, for instance, shows fewer students over time meeting the growth target.

The complete results for the state, districts and schools, and student groups are available on the public EdSight portal at http://edsight.ct.gov.