Connecticut State Department of Education: Common Core test results

By comparison, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the acceptable achievement level in mathematics was 39.1 percent, which the state said matched state officials’ expectations. Only seven states, including Connecticut, have announced scores. About 267,000 students took the test this spring, which is computerized and based on the so-called Common Core education standards. Despite a nationwide movement among some parents to boycott the test, participation in Connecticut was 96 percent for language arts and 96.8 percent for math, state officials said. “We can’t deliver on the most important aspect of equity and the civil right of a good public education if we don’t know where every kid in the state stands with regard to having had access (to quality education) and the ability to achieve”.

“We are confident that our students will continue to build upon the new baseline they set this year and will rise to meet the challenge of the more rigorous material, as they always do”, said Dianna Wentzell state education commissioner in a release.

Similar disparities exist in math and science. The council will include educators, industry and business leaders, and experts in mathematics.

“Math really stands out as an area that demands further inquiry and demands further emphasis, ” she said.

The state’s largest teacher’s union, the Connecticut Education Association, repeated its criticism of the test on Friday, arguing the new results are not an accurate reflection of what students know and are able to accomplish. State officials said the size of the achievement gap with Smarter Balanced is about the same as with the Mastery Test.

Of the students that completed the Smarter Balanced assessment previous year, over half met or exceeded the benchmark set by the state for English language arts.

Results were categorized into levels 1-4 for math and English language arts/literature. In math, the pass rate for white students was 50.3 percent compared to 13.9 percent for black students and 17.3 percent for Hispanic students.

On the 2012 mastery test, roughly 80 percent of high school juniors got a passing grade in math. On the new test, fewer than 31 percent scored a 3 or 4, which is considered grade level or above.

In a letter sent to parents and guardians on August 7, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson warned, “The scores should not be compared to results from the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program tests”.

“These results do not mean that our students are learning less, rather it reflects that we raised the bar”. School districts and parents have been eagerly awaiting the final scores.