Preliminary science test scores rose for fifth and 10th graders taking two different statewide exams but declined for eighth graders, according to the Connecticut Department of Education.
Compared with last year’s results for science tests, students in grade 5 taking the 2015-16 Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and students in grade 10 taking the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) showed increases of 4.1 and 2 percentage points, respectively.
Eighth graders’ scores on the CMT dipped by slightly less than 1 percentage point, Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell said in a statement.
Statewide, those results amount to 59.6 percent of fifth-graders scoring at goal or higher; 60.2 percent of eighth graders doing so, and 47.3 percent of high school sophomores performing at that level.
While the results show state students are “moving in the right direction,” Wentzell said Connecticut needs to “do more to ensure all students are prepared to take on the jobs of the future,” particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
“As we evaluate the 2015-16 science data, we will look for schools that are improving their science performance and try to find successful strategies that can be shared with other schools,” she said.
