Average scores on End of Course exams rose slightly in several subjects for Fairfield County students for the 2011-2012 school year, while the numbers indicate that, like students across the state, Fairfield test takers continue to struggle with U.S. History and the Constitution subject matter.
Across the board, average scores for Fairfield Central High School test takers were (2010-2011 scores in parentheses): Algebra – 70.5 (70.5), Biology – 73.1 (67.2), English 1 – 70 (67.4), U.S. History and the Constitution – 63.1 (64.4). For Fairfield Middle School test takers, those numbers were: Algebra – 85.5 (88.7) and English 1 – 81.8 (82.2).
The percentage of test takers earning either a D or an F outweighed those earning an A or B in all subjects, with the greatest disparity in the U.S. History and the Constitution subject. No students garnered either an A or a B in U.S. History and the Constitution, while 87.3 percent received an F and 11 percent a D. Only 1.7 percent received a C in the subject. During the 2010-2011 school year, 75.7 percent of test takers received an F in the subject, while 19.1 percent received a D and 4.8 percent a C. Less than half of 1 percent earned a B. Fewer high school students were tested overall in 2011-2012, while 10 more middle school students took the exams in 2011-2012.
While the average score was up slightly in English 1, a similar gap exists between those making F and those making A. Of the 155 high school students tested in English 1 in 2011-2012, 50.3 percent received a grade of F, while only 1.3 percent earned an A. Likewise, 20.6 percent received a D, while 7.1 percent received a B. At the middle school level, the numbers tell a somewhat different story, with 15.9 percent of test takers earning an A in Algebra with only 2.3 percent receiving an F, 43.2 percent a B, 27.3 percent a C and 11.4 percent a D. Only 2.3 percent received an F in English 1 as well at the middle school, while 7 percent earned an A, 34.9 percent a B, 16.3 percent a C and 39.5 percent a D.
In Biology, 7.5 percent of Fairfield Central High School test takers received an A, 10.6 percent a B, 16.1 percent a C, 26.1 percent a D and 39.7 percent an F.
Statewide, average scores were 81 in Algebra, 80.8 in Biology, 78.2 in English and 71.2 in U.S. History and the Constitution. In Algebra, 20 percent of test takers scored an A, while 18.3 percent scored an F. In Biology, 27.4 percent earned an A and 23.7 percent an F. In English, 13.4 percent scored an A, 26 percent an F, and in U.S. History and the Constitution, 3 percent received an A and 47.2 percent an F. The average scores were up across all subjects from 2010-2011, increasing a tenth of a point in Algebra, 3.2 points in Biology, 1.1 points in English and two-tenths of a point in U.S. History and the Constitution.
“The credit for student achievement gains belongs to hard working students, parents and teachers,” said State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais. “Measuring student achievement is an important tool to improving instructional practices. End-of-Course assessments demonstrate how well high school students have mastered key concepts and skills they will use after graduation.”