Trumbull Pupils Score Above State Test Scores in CMT, CAPT

Trumbull saw decreases in its Connecticut Aptitude Proficiency test scores but fared well compared several others in its District Reference Group of 21 school systems.

Trumbull Assistant Supt. Gary Cialfi said district officials are analyzing the results the numbers for the Connecticut Mastery test and CAPT this week, and would comment next week.

Board of Education Chairman Ted Lovely praised the students' work.

"Overall, I am pleased with both the CMT and CAPT results. In most areas, we are at the same level as Trumbull results have been in the past. The CAPT scores with the exception of Reading are encouraging. The Math CMT results are particularly impressive," he said.

First Selectman Tim Herbst said more Trumbull pupils met or exceeded the goal and proficiency standards in some areas compared to Fairfield, in the same DRG. Also, no teachers have been laid off in Trumbull and class sizes were maintained with a small budget increase despite the tough economy, he added.

"We're moving the right direction. Overall, the trend would indicate" Trumbull students test well.

He said the test scores prove critics wrong who charge that the last school budget, with its increase, has "decimated" or "dismantled" the district.

"We're getting a lot of bang for our buck," he said. "I look at these scores with excitement."

CAPT is administered only to 10th-graders—some 40,000 statewide—and consists of eight hours of multiple choice and free response questions. Students who fail to score at or above the state-mandated proficiency level are required to retest in grades 11 and/or 12.

Trumbull is compared to districts in its District Reference Group, containing 20 other districts with similar demographics and student needs that includes Fairfield, Monroe, Greenwich, Avon and West Hartford. Results are also compared to state averages.

Trumbull's CAPT scores were above the state's, according to the figures released. 

73.1     (-0.1)

Connecticut Mastery Tests

Trumbull logged small increases and decreases but overall, the state reported increases.

Student performance on the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) is generally better than it was in 2010, "continuing a trend of incremental improvement over previous years," a release states.

The test assesses approximately 250,000 students on their application of skills and knowledge in the academic content areas of mathematics, reading and writing in Grades 3 through 8, and science in Grades 5 and 8, according to the release.

According to the state Department of Education:

• Reading: "From 2006 to 2011, the percentage of Grade 3 students who scored at or above Goal in reading increased from 54.4 percent to 58.4 percent, for an increase of four percentage points. This translates into an additional 1,640 students who were meeting Goal in reading in 2011 over the number meeting Goal in 2006. In Grade 8, the percentage of students who scored at Goal in reading increased from 66.7 percent in 2006 to 74.7 percent in 2011, for an increase of eight percentage points. This indicates that approximately 3,280 additional 8th-graders met the state’s Goal standard for reading in 2011 than met Goal in 2006. The percentage of students meeting Goal in reading has increased steadily over the Fourth Generation of the CMT from 2006 to 2011, and is at its highest point in 2011 in every grade except Grade 5."
• Mathematics: "The percentage of Grade 3 students meeting Goal for mathematics in 2011 (63.3 percent) is seven percentage points higher than it was in 2006 (56.3 percent). As a result, approximately 2,870 more Grade 3 students are meeting Goal in 2011 than did so in 2006. For Grade 8, 66.8 percent of CMT test-takers are meeting Goal in 2011, compared with 58.3 in 2006, for an increase of 8.5 percentage points. This translates into approximately 3,485 additional students within that grade who would have not met Goal in 2006. Over the course of the Fourth Generation CMT, there have been steady increases in the percentage of students meeting Goal in mathematics in all six grades, with Grades 5, 6 and 7 registering double-digit gains."
• Writing: "For Grade 3 writing, the percentage of students scoring at Goal has remained relatively flat between 2006 and 2011 at 61.1 percent. In Grade 8, 64.8 percent of the CMT test-takers scored at Goal in 2011 compared with 62.4 percent in 2006, for an increase of 2.4 percentage points or, approximately, an additional 980 students meeting Goal in 2011. Across the grades between 2006 and 2011, the percentage of students scoring at the Goal level in writing increased in Grades 4, 5, 6 and 8, decreased in Grade 7, and did not change in Grade 3."
• Science: "CMT science has been administered in Grades 5 and 8 since 2008. In 2008 (not listed in Table 1), 55.2 percent of Grade 5 students met Goal in science. By 2011, the percentage increased by five percentage points to 60.2 percent. This represents the equivalent of an additional 2,050 students meeting Grade 5 Goal in science. From 2008 to 2011, there was a 4.4 percentage point increase in Grade 8 science performance at the Goal level, which accounts for approximately 1,800 additional students meeting Goal in 2011 than in 2008.Vertical Scale Score Reporting. The CMT vertical scales are designed to measure change or growth in student achievement across grades."

2010