Community Corner

Five of Southington's Schools Reach 'Excelling' in Latest CMT, CAPT Performance Reports

DePaolo Middle School and the Plantsville, Derynoski, Strong and Thalberg schools all earned grades of excelling, according to recent data from the Connecticut Department of Education.

Five Southington schools received “excelling” grades in the recently released school performance and the district achieved it’s target goals for both the Connecticut Mastery Test and Connecticut Academic Performance Test, according to data recently released by the Connecticut Department of Education and the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now.

The scores, released to the public late last week, show Southington has made continued progress in numerous areas and including the highest grade possible for five schools, including DePaolo Middle School and the Derynoski, Plantsville, Strong and Thalberg Elementary Schools.

To achieve a grade of “excelling,” schools need to gain “an overall SPI of 88 or above and more than 25 percent of students score ‘advanced’ in a majority of subjects tested and the majority of subgroup gaps are less than 10 SPI points and the CAPT participation rate is at least 95 percent and the graduation rate is at least 94 percent and the Holding Power Rate is at least 96 percent.”

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Two Southington schools, Flanders Elementary and Kelley Elementary, were listed as progressing – the second highest grade available – while Hatton Elementary, South End Elementary, Kennedy Middle School and Southington high school were listed as “transitioning” schools, the third highest achievement level.

“The reports show that if given the tools necessary to succeed, kids in Connecticut can perform at high levels regardless of race, wealth, or zip code,” said Jennifer Alexander, chief executive officer for ConnCAN. “However, the reports indicate that not every child in Connecticut has access to the high-quality public school options they deserve, and reinforce the need to continue investing in efforts that will ensure all of our kids have access to a world-class education that will prepare them for success in college and careers.”

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The preceding comes from the Connecticut State Department of Education, which released 2013 School and District Performance Reports. The report provides a numerical rating for every school across Connecticut, titled the School Performance Index (SPI). The numerical rating for each school takes into account results from the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) or Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT). 

According to the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, key findings from an initial read of the reports include: more than half of all schools met their SPI targets, but fewer than 30 percent of schools in Alliance Districts met their SPI targets; only 35.2 percent of all schools met their SPI targets for high-needs students; and thirteen “Focus Schools,” which is the second lowest rating a school can receive, demonstrated enough progress over two years to exit from “Focus Schools” status.

For a complete list of schools and their grades, by district, see the attached PDF. For more on scores, including a breakdown by school, click the link provided

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