The Connecticut Department of Education released the preliminary results of the 2017 Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. The percent of Greenwich Public Schools (GPS) students that meet or exceed expectations in English Language Arts in grades 3-8 remained relatively stable at 75.6% in 2017 as compared to 75.9% in 2016. The percent of students that meet or exceed expectations in Mathematics in grades 3-8 increased from 66.3% in 2016 to 70.7% in 2017.
The 2017 ELA SBA results place GPS scores in the 86th percentile of Districts across the State, an increase from the 81st percentile in 2016. The Math SBA results place GPS scores in the 89th percentile of Districts across the State, an increase from the 80th percentile in 2016.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jill Gildea, said, “In the Greenwich Public Schools, our focus is on the growth of all learners. In realizing the Vision of the Graduate, we pay attention to the academic, personal, and interpersonal growth of our learners. It is important to keep in mind that this is one year of academic data and only one component of our Comprehensive Assessment System, which is used to monitor academic growth. We are pleased to see improvement in student outcomes in mathematics.”
2016 – 2017 Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA)
Overall Preliminary Results for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics
Percent of Students in Grade 3-8 Meeting/Exceeding Expectations
| 2016
Meets/Exceeds |
2017
Meets/Exceeds |
|
| ELA
|
75.9% | 75.6% |
| MATH
|
66.3% | 70.7% |
The Greenwich Public Schools continue to report a strong participation rate, ranging from 98% to 100% and exceeding the federal requirements of 95%. A limited number of students did not participate in some assessments based on their classifications as Special Education and/or as English Language Learners.
Next Steps:
Having received the data today, GPS administrators will now begin their in depth review of the the standardized assessment data. An initial focus will be to look at the differentials in the results between schools, student groups, and the ELA and Math SBA assessments. All administrators will review the current status of student learning as measured by the standardized assessments and instructional practices to identify successes to celebrate and amplify, and areas of focus to address through school and program improvement plans.
The Board of Education is scheduled to receive a comprehensive report on the standardized assessment results in October, with additional updates and a more detailed analysis communicated through scheduled monitoring reports for STEM and Humanities in March and April, respectively.
