You asked several questions relating to the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). Your specific questions and answers follow.

What are the requirements of the CAPT and do the requirements vary by school or district?

Connecticut law requires a statewide assessment to be administered to all public school students in grade 10 (C. G. S. 10-14n). The CAPT has been administered to public high school students in Connecticut since 1994 to assess their reading, writing, mathematics, and science skills. CAPT administration is mandated by the state and does not vary throughout the districts. This assessment is supposed to help guide curriculum and enable the measurement of progress towards educational goals that have been established for Connecticut. The testing requirements are discussed extensively in the “CAPT Second Generation Program Overview,” published by the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE). Relevant portions are summarized below.

Timing of the Test. According to the SDE the decision to test students in the spring of Grade 10 was made for several reasons. The middle of the high school experience, the spring of grade 10 or fall of grade 11, was believed to be the most appropriate time for the test. This allows a significant amount of high school content to be covered prior to the test, while still allowing sufficient time for schools to attend to students showing areas of weakness. Spring testing was chosen over fall testing because scoring can be done over the summer and results reported back to districts by the beginning of the next school year. This means little instructional time will pass between the administration of the test and the availability of results. Also, testing in the spring of Grade 10 allows students two additional opportunities for retesting in order to gain certification of mastery.

Consequences Of Not Meeting Goal Standards. There is no passing score on the CAPT, rather, goal standards are set for each of the four content areas. Any student who fails to meet mastery goal level on all components may annually retake the components he did not master in the 11^th or 12^th grade. While the test is not supposed to be used as the sole criterion for graduation or promotion, those students who achieve state goals in any of the subjects tested receive a Certification of Mastery and students’ test results become a part of their school records and are reported on their high school transcript. Local and regional boards of education must also include CAPT results when developing criteria applicable to classes graduating in 2006 and thereafter to be used in assessing whether students have the basic skills necessary for graduation (C. G. S. § 10-223a).

How is the test comprised and what does it measure?

According to SDE materials, the CAPT is comprised of four major content areas: Mathematics; Reading Across the Disciplines; Writing Across the Disciplines; and Science.

Reading. Reading Across Disciplines consists of two tests that assess students’ reading skills. In the Response to Literature test, students are asked to read a short story and then respond in writing to four open-ended questions. Students are evaluated on their initial understanding of the text, their ability to interpret the text and make connections between the text and other texts and experiences, and their ability to critically evaluate the text. The Reading for Information test requires students to read three nonfiction articles and answer a combination of 12 multiple-choice and six open-ended questions. The test measures students’ ability to interpret or explain each article and evaluate the way the author wrote the article.

Writing. The Writing Across the Disciplines section contains two tests that assess students’ writings skills. In the Interdisciplinary Writing section students are presented with two issues. For each issue, students read three short articles, take a position on the issue, and write a first draft of a persuasive letter. The test measures how well students

take a clear position on an issue and use accurate information to support their position. Students are assessed on how well they organize and express their ideas.

The Editing and Revising test focuses on editing, composing and revising skills. The test requires students to read four passages of sample student writing and answer 24 multiple choice questions to correct errors in organization, word choice, syntax, capitalization, punctuation, usage, and spelling.

Science. The Science test assesses scientific knowledge from three areas. Life science focuses on ecosystems, cells, genetics, and evolution. Physical science focuses on the structure of matter, reactions and interactions, forces and motion, and energy sources and transformations. Finally, earth/space science includes astronomy, earth’s natural resources, meteorology and earth history and dynamics.

According to the SDE, the assessment is not a test of high school content but, rather, a cumulative assessment of science knowledge and skills that students should have acquired in grades K-10. The science test consists of 55 multiple-choice and seven open-ended items and also assesses experimentation with a hands-on laboratory activity.

Mathematics. The Mathematics section assesses how well students compute and estimate, solve problems, and communicate their understanding. The math test assesses the following content strands: number and quantity; measurement and geometry; statistics, probability and discrete mathematics; and algebra and functions. The mathematics test consists of 35 questions, eight of which are open ended.

What are the high school curriculum requirements and is it permissible to change the curriculum sequence so that students are adequately prepared in their knowledge of the subject matter of the test?

The SDE does produce materials to guide the districts in curriculum development. For example, the November 2003 draft “Content Standards and Expected Performance for High School Science – Grades 9-10” is posted on the SDE web page. According to the framework, students in grades 9 through 10 should study life science, earth science, and physical science. Physical science focuses on alternative energy resources and the physics of modern technologies. Life science includes cell chemistry and biotechnology and organic and synthetic polymers. Earth science includes a balanced environment and understanding evolution.

SDE curriculum consultants have also developed handbooks specifically for school district use in preparing students to meet the requirements of the CAPT. However, there is no statewide curriculum in Connecticut. It is up to each school board to create a curriculum to meet the state’s instructional requirements.

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