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Community Corner

School Officials: Raising Rigor Not Hurting Grades

Curriculum Committee approves final phase of plan to toughen academic standards.

 

The s plan to raise academic rigor is not having a negative impact on student grades, Robert Angeli, associate auperintendent of achools for instruction, said in a report he submitted to the Curriculum Committee this week.

The committee gave the go-ahead to implement Phase IV of a plan to reorganize the academic levels in the district. The final phase of the plan takes effect in the 2012-13 school year and involves increasing academic rigor in grades 11 and 12.

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The academic-level reorganization plan is designed to close the achievement gap that leaves Meriden’s economically disadvantaged students lagging far behind their wealthier peers in school. The plan involves collapsing the academic levels separating the highest- and lowest-performing students and raising academic standards for all students to better prepare them for college.

Instead of a three-level system—high-achieving, at grade level, and below grade level—a two-tier system is being phased in—academic and accelerated levels. The district began implementing the new system in 2010-11 at grades 6, 7 and 9. This school year, the plan was implemented at grades 8 and 10. The plan culminates with grades 11 and 12 next year.

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A comparison of student grades for the past two school years shows that raising rigor has not caused grades to slip, as some feared, according to Angeli’s presentation to the committee. In most cases, the percentage of students getting As and Bs has remained steady or even increased a bit and the percentage of students getting Ds and Fs has decreased somewhat, Angeli revealed.

Student performance on the MDAs (Meriden District Assessments) also shows evidence of slightly higher achievement, Angeli shared. Results of other standardized tests like CMTs and CAPT tests are due in early summer.

One troublesome spot is sixth grade math, where the percentage of As and Bs dropped from 66 to 55 percent and the percentage of Ds and Fs rose from 16 to 25 percent from 2010-11 to 2011-12.

“Even more than As and Bs for me,” said School Superintendent Dr. Mark Benigni, “it’s work completion that matters. We’re not going to give students zeros and write them off.”

Instead, the district has adopted a policy of encouraging students to make up their work until they get it right, Benigni said.

While pleased that raising rigor is not negatively impacting report cards, Benigni said he is still troubled by the number of failing grades. “There’s still more work to do,” he added.

Angeli said additional academic supports may be needed in grades 11 and 12 next year as rigor is increased. Next year’s juniors will be used to the higher standards because they’ve experienced them for the past two years, Angeli pointed out. Tougher academics will be new for next year’s seniors.

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