AURORA | The first crack at new social studies and science tests didn’t go particularly well for students in Aurora and around the state.
Statewide, just 17 percent of students in fourth and seventh grade earned what amounts to a passing score — “strong” or “distinguished” — on the social studies tests. On the science tests, the numbers for fifth grade and seventh grade students were better — with 34 percent scoring “strong” or “distinguished.”
Still, state and local officials stressed last week that the results from the new Colorado Measures of Academic Success said they weren’t surprised that scores were low on the new tests, which are designed to be more difficult than their predecessor, the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program, TCAP.
In the Cherry Creek School District — where students outpaced the state averages on both tests — Assistant Superintendent of Performance Improvement Judy Skupa said in a statement that the new scores can’t be compared to the old tests.
“These new expectations do not mean that our students know less than they did before or are less capable than they were in previous years,” she said. “Because the TCAP and CMAS tests are different, direct comparisons between the two are not possible.”
In Cherry Creek, 44 percent of fifth graders scored strong or distinguished on the science tests. That figure includes Canyon Creek Elementary School in Aurora, where 88 percent of students were strong or distinguished, one of the highest percentages in the state. In eighth grade, 41 percent received the high scores.
On the social studies tests, 28 percent of Cherry Creek fourth graders scored strong or distinguished, compared to 24 percent of seventh graders.
In Aurora Public Schools, students lagged behind the state averages. On the fourth grade social studies test, just five percent of students scored distinguished or strong, including several schools where no students received the highest marks. In seventh grade, 6 percent received the high marks.
In science, 14 percent of fifth graders and 13 percent of eighth graders scored strong or distinguished.
John Youngquist, chief academic officer at APS, said officials weren’t certain about what to expect from the new tests.
Now that the results are in, he said district officials are reviewing curriculum and the resources teachers have.
“It’s an opportunity to clarify how does our curriculum align with, support and ensure the teachers have the right resources to drive the effort forward,” he said.