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Although Wilton scores beat the statewide average at every grade level, many fewer students in grades 5, 6 and 7 reached the state’s goal on the 2013 Connecticut Mastery Tests than in 2012. The CMT tests math, reading and writing for grades 3 through 8, plus science for grades 5 and 8.
The most noticeable decline was seen at the fifth-grade level, where scores dropped in all four test categories. There was a more than 10 percentage point difference between this year’s writing scores and last year’s, when 87 percent of fifth-graders tested at the goal level. This year, 76 percent reached goal.
In the fifth-grade science category, 85 percent of students tested at goal this year, while 90 percent reached goal last year. The reading scores dropped 4 percentage points, and in math, there was a more than 3 percentage point difference.
There was a decrease in all three test categories at the sixth- and seventh-grade levels. The biggest decline in the sixth-grade scores was in reading, where 90 percent of students reached goal, versus 93 percent last year. In seventh-grade scores, the biggest drop was seen in writing. This year, 83 percent of students tested at the writing goal, which is down from 86 percent.
There were no major changes in the scores at the third-, fourth- and eighth-grade levels.
Statewide, CMT scores declined. The state Department of Education blamed the transition to Common Core standards in many districts as a reason for the drop.
“Student performance data on the CMT show decreases in all grades and content areas as compared to last year,” a release said. The CMTs were taken in March.
At the high school level, Wilton’s scores on the 2013 Connecticut Academic Performance Test saw a slight decrease. The test, given annually to 10th-graders, covers math, reading, writing and science.
While more students reached goal in math, fewer students reached goal in the other three test categories, especially writing. In math, 85 percent of students tested at goal, up from 81 percent. In writing, 89 students scored at goal, down from 93 percent.
To see a full report of Wilton's CMT and CAPT scores, click here.
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