City students outperform peers

Norwalk does well among urban districts in standardized reading, math test scores

NORWALK — Based on statewide standardized test scores released Monday, Norwalk students mostly outperformed their peers in other urban districts in reading and math.

This year, 48.2 percent of Norwalk students scored at or above grade level in reading on the Smarter Balanced Assessment, just a tenth of a point down from the 201718, and 40.6 percent of students scored at or above grade level in math, half a point down from 201718.

“The SBAC results are a significant factor in the state’s Next Generation Accountability Plan,” Norwalk schools Chief Communications Officer BrendaWilcox Williams said. “Norwalk’s most recent Accountability Index is the highest of the 10 largest cities in the State, as well as the highest in our District Reference Group, which includes Stamford.”

Districts across the state showed the largest gains in reading and math since the test was implemented five years ago.

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,” Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona said 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 Norwalk, 35.4 percent of black and 37.6 percent of Hispanic students were at or above grade level in reading, compared with 72.6 percent of Asian and 71.5 percent of white 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. In Norwalk, 25.1 percent of black and 30.3 percent of Hispanic students performed at or above grade level, compared with 63.9 percent of white and 72.2 percent of Asian students.

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. In Norwalk, it was above 98 percent.

The new normal

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.”