The Board of Education recently heard a number of reports on test results. At its meeting on September 18, it heard a report on the School Panorama 2018-19 Social-Emotional Survey; and at its meeting on October 16, it heard about the Smarter Balanced test, Connecticut SAT School Day, Advanced Placement tests, and the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Map Growth assessment results.

The School Panorama 2018-19 Social-Emotional Survey report was shared by Reed Intermediate School Principal Anne Uberti, who coordinated the survey process with the school district’s Safe School Climate committee, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue.

Ms Uberti explained the School Panorama 2018-19 Social-Emotional Survey highlights “really valuable results” principals and school staff can use to implement strategies. For the survey, according to a presentation shared at the meeting, 830 students in third to fifth grade were surveyed, along with 2,100 students in sixth to twelfth grade, 450 teachers and certified staff members, and 817 families. Student topics covered in the survey included growth mindset, learning strategies, self-management, and social awareness. Teachers were surveyed on school climate and school leadership, and parents were surveyed on school engagement, school climate, school fit, and school safety.

“Overall, students in grades three through five had results that were pretty much at the top of the national average,” Ms Uberti said. Later, she pointed out students in grades six to 12 did not have results as high as the younger grades, but the survey results also offer district administrators and educators information to replicate the results at the younger grades for the older students.

“The results were most positive in the grades where evidence-based social/emotional programming and practices are already in place,” Ms Uberti read from the presentation. She added, “I don’t think that is a coincidence.”

The School Panorama 2018-19 Social-Emotional Survey results also included suggested “moves” based on the results from the surveys. Ms Uberti reported there are a number of conclusions that can be drawn from the results, like there are a number of strengths in Newtown’s schools, and there are opportunities for growth.

Test Data

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jean Evans Davila presented data from the Smarter Balanced test, Connecticut SAT School Day, and Advanced Placement tests at the October 16 meeting. Newtown students in grades three to eight all performed higher than the state average on Smarter Balanced English language arts (ELA) and literacy. Ms Davila said the data is “one piece of the puzzle,” and classroom assessments and classroom observations also help teachers support individual students. All the test results shared by Ms Davila were from last school year.

“We do outperform the state everywhere, and we would expect that of ourselves, right? In this [District Reference Group (DRG)], with the resources we put into education, the quality of the professionals hired, and the experiences that our students have with their parents, who care for them before they come to us,” said Ms Davila.

While Ms Davila said grade three performed the highest in Newtown’s DRG, she pointed out grades four and five could use more supports, and the schools have been “briefed” about the results.

Ms Davila also reported the district’s Smarter Balanced mathematics results and highlighted a new growth report available with the test data. The growth model, she said, shows the average percentage of growth the state set for the different grades. The information can also track individual student growth. Ms Davila said the district will want to look further at the growth data.

“This is probably the most momentous occasion in the state of Connecticut that we can have data of this quality,” said Ms Davila, who asked to share a further presentation about the growth model at a future board meeting. “Other states don’t have this yet.”

When speaking about the results from the Connecticut SAT School Day, she said it is the state-mandated literacy and math test for high school juniors. Ms Davila highlighted that 83 percent of students tested have achieved levels three and four, the highest levels of the test. In math, 62 percent of students achieved the same levels.

Data from Advanced Placement tests at Newtown High School was also shared. Ms Davila said in 2016 that 83.6 percent of tests were at the three, four, and five levels. In 2017, 81.8 percent achieved those levels, and in 2018, 85.9 percent scored at those levels.

“But here’s the real big thing,” Ms Davila said, “there was a decline in test taking. This is the lowest number of tests taken to date... You are able to get a high uptick in who is getting those scores when you only have 713 tests being taken versus 742 tests.”

Map Growth Assessment

Ms Uberti presented the NWEA Map Growth assessment results at the October 16 meeting. The assessment is computer adaptive, and it adjusts as students answer questions. Students in kindergarten take the math portion in the spring; first to sixth grade take the reading and math assessments in the fall, winter, and spring; seventh and eighth grade take the reading, language usage, and math assessments in the fall and spring; and ninth grade students take the math and reading assessments in the fall and spring, according to the presentation. The tests measure growth over time, according to Ms Uberti, and they can be used to see reports that measure what students know and what they are ready to learn. The scores also predict how students will perform on the Smarter Balanced tests and proficiency for the Connecticut SAT School Day test.

The NWEA Map Growth results allows schools to assess areas of the curriculum that need more instruction, Ms Uberti explained.

The presentations that shared test data at both the September 18 meeting and the October 16 meeting are available on the district’s website, newtown.k12.ct.us, with the meetings’ minutes.