Cheshire's Strength in CAPT Math Scores Begins in Third Grade (Update)

The math proficiency of 96 percent for Cheshire's 10th grade students in the CAPT scores is a result of many factors, said Scott Detrick, assistant superintendent for instruction.

"The math proficiency in third grade, with additional (instructional) support, has paid off," Detrick said. "There is a pretty good foundation for third and fourth grade," he said.

Students in Cheshire score significantly higher than their peers across the state in the 2011 Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) according to results released Tuesday by the Connecticut Department of Education.

Detrick said a new elementary math curriculum which will be taught beginning this fall could bring test scores even higher. "We've seen some stagnation of scores," in elementary school, he said.

Cheshire students' results show a slight improvement over 2010 scores in all proficiency categories and a decrease of eight percentage points in the state's goal for the reading results.

Detrick said however, that Cheshire's reading scores are in line with results from 2010. The decline was less than four percent in proficiency, he noted. "The state declined," as well, Detrick said.

State-wide scores improved over 2010 test results, according to the state eduction department, except reading which showed a small decrease in student performance.

Detrick said teachers don't over-emphasize the importance of the standardized tests in the district; a concern of parents about "teaching to the test." 

"My thought is it has to be balanced, students need to know the format for the tests. It would be unfair to not know the expectations," Detrick said. 

The state-wide CAPT results can be seen here. Results for Cheshire are in the attched pdf.