The Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) is given to all 10th graders in Connecticut. Science is one of the sections assessed by the state on this test. Students are assessed on knowledge in the areas of Life, Physical and Earth Sciences. They are also assessed on the processes and skills of scientific investigation through multiple choice and open-ended written responses.

As part of this, students are required to complete a performance task prior to the test. This task requires students to design, conduct, and evaluate an experiment to solve a problem. Questions on the written test relate to this experiment.

Performance Standard Guidelines Faculty Requirements For Implementation

• Beginning with the class of 2006, each student, in addition to earning twenty-one (21) credits, must satisfactorily achieve a Performance Standard in order to graduate from the Stratford School District. The Performance Standard is aligned with the Connecticut Academic Performance Test. When a student does not satisfactorily achieve the school district's Performance Standard on the CAPT during their sophomore year (the results are received by the school in July/August) each student will be required to retake the test the following year. In addition, each student who did not achieve the performance standard on the CAPT will have an opportunity to achieve the Performance Standard by satisfactorily achieving three performance tasks administered by the classroom teacher.

• A performance task is a benchmark assessment that is generally administered to any group of students. A student who did not achieve the Performance Standard on any CAPT category will have the opportunity to achieve the Performance Standard by satisfactorily achieving three performance tasks. The teacher must make special note of the identified student, record each benchmark assessment as a performance task and archive the task until the student satisfactorily achieves three performance tasks.

• The district's Performance Standard will then be achieved by the student. The district Performance Standard may be satisfactorily achieved by reaching the proficient level on all four CAPT categories: Reading Across the Disciplines, Writing Across the Disciplines, Math and Science. The performance tasks (benchmark assessment) will be recorded only for those students not achieving a proficient level in any category on the CAPT. A phase-in for each category will begin with the class of 2006.