Agenda Item:
Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic
Performance Test (CAPT) Results
September 16, 2014 Meeting Date:
From: Nancy DePalma, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Paul Vicinus, Director of Secondary Education
Through:
Chip Ward, Director of Finance and Planning
Tom Moore, Superintendent
Background:
This report presents the Spring 2014 results of the CMT and CAPT tests.
Dr. DePalma, Mr. Vicinus and Mr. Ward will be available to answer questions.
Agenda Item:
VI. B. 1

With the piloting of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) tests in the Spring of
2014 in West Hartford, we can only report on the grade 5 and 8 science CMT results. Limited results from the SBAC pilot testing will be made available in early 2015. The table below summarizes the results for West Hartford, DRG B and the state as a whole for the seven years that the science CMT has been given. West Hartford’s grade 5 science scores were off a little from their peak in 2013 but still substantially above levels in the first couple of years of the science test. West
Hartford’s grade 8 science were the strongest they have ever been. Interested parties looking for more CMT data than that presented here can go to www.ctreports.com
and, on the public portion of the site, access an amazing array of student performance data at the school or district level including access to valuable demographic detail.
Science Results:
Grade /Subject 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Grade 5 Science 62.8% 67.7% 71.1% 68.5% 74.8% 76.5% 74.1%
DRG B Average 75.6% 78.6% 79.3% 80.6% 83.6% 82.9% 81.0%
State Average 55.2% 58.3% 59.7% 60.2% 64.1% 62.5% 59.6%
Grade 8 Science 71.6% 74.5% 69.9% 74.2% 72.9% 72.6% 76.1%
DRG B Average 80.7% 82.9% 82.5% 83.8% 83.3% 80.3% 83.3%
State Average 58.9% 60.9% 63.1% 63.3% 62.1% 60.6% 62.5%
Scores highlighted in green are the highest ever in that row
This is the seventh year of the administration of the 4 th generation Science CMT tests. The science test is designed to measure students’ understanding of fundamental science concepts in life, physical, and earth sciences, how those concepts apply to the real world, and how empirical evidence is derived and critiqued through the practices of scientific inquiry. The test includes multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions that require students to write a response. The Science CMT is given in grades 5 and grade 8. The grade 5 test covers science content taught in 3 grades, while the grade 8 test covers science content taught in 6 th through 8 th rd through 5
grades. th

70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
45%
40%
90%
85%
80%
75%
2008
2009 2010 2011
Test Year
West Hartford DRG B
2012 2013 2014
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
45%
40%
90%
85%
80%
75%
2008
2009 2010 2011
Test Year
West Hartford
2012
DRG B
2013 2014

With the piloting of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) tests in the Spring of
2014 in West Hartford we can only report on the grade 10 science CAPT results. Limited results from the SBAC pilot testing will be made available in early 2015. The spring 2014 Science CAPT scores were the highest the district has seen. West Hartford saw its Science scores increase by 8.4 points from 64.2% to 72.6%. Conard’s increases from 58.7% to 70.1% and Halls’ increase from
71.4% to 77.4%
The science portion of the CAPT assesses important scientific knowledge and skills from the areas of life science, physical science, and earth science. The test consists of 60 multiple choice and 5 open-ended items that are reported in 5 content strands – Energy Transformation, Chemical
Structures and Properties, Global Interdependence, Cell Chemistry & Biotechnology, and Genetics,
Evolution and Biodiversity. The Science CAPT continues to assess the student’s knowledge about
Scientific Inquiry, Literacy and Numeracy but those skills are imbedded in the 5 content strands instead of being assessed independently.
2008 2009
Table 1 – Science CAPT Score History
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
West Hartford
Conard
Hall
DRG B
64.6%
59.6%
70.3%
68.7%
61.4%
56.4%
66.9%
65.9%
63.4%
58.3%
68.0%
70.3%
69.2%
70.7%
68.2%
71.4%
63.0%
61.9%
64.8%
71.3%
64.2%
58.7%
71.4%
73.0%
72.6%
70.1%
77.4%
73.7%
Top scores shaded in green
Science CAPT Results
8 year history by school
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
2007 2008 2009 2010
Conard
2011
Hall
2012 2013
DRG B
2014