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NEW CANAAN, Conn. New Canaan Public Schools Superintendent David Abbey sees room for improvement in the districts scores on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test, even though the district continued to outpace average statewide scores.
The state Department of Education unveiled the scores Tuesday. The tests were taken by New Canaan High School tenth graders earlier in the year.
The average math scale score was 291.4, up from the 288.8 in 2010. Eighty-six percent of all the math scores were at or above a state goal, and 98.3 percent were at or above proficiency. Last years tenth graders tested at 98.2 percent at or above the proficient mark.
In the reading portion, New Canaan tenth graders posted an average score of 282.7, down from 284.6 in 2010. The 2011 scores had 82 percent at or above goal, down nearly 3 percentage points from last year, and 98.6 percent at or above proficiency, down half a percent from the 2010 mark of 99.1.
New Canaan shined in the writing tests, with an average score of 301.3. The 2011 testers finished at 90.3 percent at or above goal, nearly a point better than the 2010 tenth graders. Just as last year, the percentage of students testing at or above proficiency is 99.1 percent.
The science scores, however, were down. New Canaans average scale score was 287.9, more than 12 points less than 2010. In addition, 72.2 percent of students met or exceeded state goals, nearly 8 percent fewer than 2010. Nearly 97 percent of New Canaan students tested at or above proficiency, a drop of about 1 percent from the 2011 mark of 98.2.
New Canaan scores easily outpaced the state average in all four subject areas. Abbey was even keel about the numbers, though he admitted the scores can be better. I think theyre solid, but theres room for improvement, said Abbey, specifically pointing to the science scores. We will spend time over the next few weeks and months looking at the results.
Abbey also wanted to analyze the CAPT scores alongside the Connecticut Mastery Test scores taken by students in grades 3 through 8 to get a fuller picture of the districts performance. Its like putting together the pieces of a puzzle, he said. The CMT test scores will be released on Wednesday.
Percent of students at or above goal:
State New Canaan State
Math 2010 98.2 78.8
Math 2011 98.3 80.3
Science 2010 98.2 81.5
Science 2011 96.9 81.7
Reading 2010 99.1 82.9
Reading 2011 98.6 81.9
Writing 2010 99.1 86.2
Writing 2011 99.1 88.6
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