MANCHESTER-- It might be the first day of school, but test scores are already part of the conversation.
Gov. Dan Malloy and state education commissioner Dianna Wentzell toured Manchester's Keeney Street Elementary School on Thursday. They visited classrooms and also answered questions about the state's soon-to-be released new standardized tests.
The first Smarter Balanced tests will be accorded plenty of importance — and education officials and the governor keep warning that the first batch of scores will be low because the test is new and more rigorous.
"There is a different scoring system than the test we have traditional given in Connecticut. So people should prepare to have different scores," Malloy said.
The state is also embarking on a new rating system for schools that deemphasizes testing.
For high school students, less than half the accountability rating will be based on test scores. Other factors to be weighed include a school's chronic absenteeism rate, the number of students who go on to higher education, the graduation rate, physical fitness and access to the arts.
For elementary and middle school students, greater emphasis will be placed on year-to-year improvement in test scores rather than on any particular score. Attendance and physical fitness also will be considered.
The new accountability system will be a major shift from the state's School Performance Index, which depended on test scores alone.
"We think it's more holistic look at how schools are serving our kids, and we also think these are all parts of what helps kids out of high school," said Wentzell.
"How the state looks at schools, the snapshot they take. I think that will evolve over time," said Matt Geary, superintendent for Manchester Public School system.
Geary says for the past few years new programs were launched in Manchester schools to encourage collaboration, creativity and communication skills.
He says students in all schools take part in the genus hour--a program that empowers students to explore their passions.
"We got students picking areas their passionate about it and they get to look a little further, and think deeply about important issues," Geary said.
Some parents consider the broadening of measurements of school performance a welcome development.
"You don't be want to be judged on well you do on a test, like I was never good at testing," said Rebecca Choinski of Manchester.
Educators say such changes should improve their students' quality of work while upping their test scores.
