School Board Hears Newtown High School Testing Report

By Eliza Hallabeck

Over the last five years at Newtown High School a consistent effort has been made to improve instructional practices, as NHS Principal Charles Dumais told the Board of Education during its meeting on Tuesday, September 18, before giving a report on 2012 test scores.

Mr Dumais reported the high school’s Standard Assessment Test (SAT), Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), American College Test (ACT), and Advanced Placement exam scores before the school board. During the presentation he also compared the 2012 test scores with the scores of previous years, going back to 2007.

The high school principal illustrated improved instructional practices over the last five years by showing a general increase in test scores across all of the categories of the three tests. Mr Dumais remarked there have been some significant changes in test results over that time.

Close to 80 percent of Newtown High School students who are eligible take the SAT, Mr Dumais said, and the ACT has about a 50 to 60 percent participation rate.

Some of the average score differences since 2007 in the two college preparedness tests include an increased SAT score in mathematics from 538 to 553, a critical reading SAT score increase from 535 to 536, an ACT English increase from roughly 23.75 to 24.5, and an ACT reading score increase from roughly 23.75 to roughly 24.75.

“Our ACT scores in science have been making some dramatic changes over the last five years,” said Mr Dumais, noting the increase from 23.5 in 2007 to 23.75 in 2012 with dips as far down as 23 in 2009.

CAPT score changes since 2007 include an average reading score increase from roughly 258 to roughly 271, a science average score increase from roughly 273 to about 292, and a writing average score increase from 259 to 294.

Advanced Placement course tests have also increased by roughly six percent since 2008, the earliest reported year for those test scores.

Following the meeting, Mr Dumais said he plans to post his report to the Newtown High School blog, located at www.dumais.us/newtown/blog.