67°
STAMFORD, Conn. The city's middle school students made big strides on the 2011 Connecticut Mastery Test, but results were mixed for elementary school pupils, according to figures released Wednesday by the State Department of Education.
Taken by some 250,000 Connecticut third- through eighth- graders in March, the test measures performance in math, reading and writing. Fifth- and eighth-grade students are also tested in science.
Student scores are divided into five levels: below basic, basic, proficient, goal and advanced.
In Stamford, more than half city students met the goal in all but several grade levels and subjects. In fifth grade reading, only 48.7 percent met the state goal, and in seventh-grade writing, 48.4 percent of students met the state goal.
However, seventh-graders met the state goal at high percentages in two main categorieswith 82.1 percent reaching the goal in math and 86.3 percent in reading.
Test scores were dramatically lower in grade eight than grade seven. Grade eight pupils met the goal in math at 55.2 percent, in reading at 68.2 percent and in writing at 56.1 percent.
State officials indicated that scores generally increased from last year throughout Connecticut. They also said that the overall trend is positive throughout the state and for Stamford over the past six years since the fourth generation CMT was introduced in 2006.
The percentage of third-grade students meeting goal in mathematics has risen 7 percent since 2006, a trend also shown in Stamford, where the percentage of students reaching goal in third-grade math has increased from 52.6 percent in 2006 to 59.3 percent in 2011.
Math scores have improved at every grade level for Stamford students over the six-year span, with major gains in the middle school grades. The percentage of sixth-grade students reaching goal has increased by 23.4 percent, 14 percent in seventh grade and 6.2-percent in grade 8.
Middle school students also showed big gains in reading over the six-year period, with a 9.8 percent increase in students meeting the state goal in sixth grade, 5.6 percent in seventh grade, and 8.1 percent in grade eight.
Writing scores, however, for Stamford's elementary school pupils have declined, while middle school students showed mixed results. The percentage of the city's third-grade students meeting goal in writing dropped 0.6 percent in six years, along with a 4.5 percent decline for fifth graders, and 6 percent in grade six.
What is your reaction to the initial 2011 CMT results in Stamford? Leave a comment below.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Stamford and receive free news updates.
