All high school students must take the Connecticut Academic Performance Test, which is administered in the 10th grade. This comprehensive exam gauges how well students and schools are performing in relation to Connecticut's Common Core of Learning, academic standards mandated by the state. It functions as an extension of the state's Mastery Tests.
Connecticut Student Assessment Program
There are four major components that make up the Test: Science, Reading Across the Disciplines, Writing Across the Disciplines and Mathematics. These sub-tests assess the skills that students are supposed to have mastered by the completion of the 9th grade.
Reading Across the Disciplines is based on a combination of a Reading for Information test and Reading for Literature exam. Students must read three nonfiction articles and complete a battery of 12 multiple-choice and six open-ended questions. This subtest assesses how well students interpret and evaluate prose.
Writing Across the Disciplines combines the features of an Editing & Revising test with an Interdisciplinary Writing exam. The latter section requires students to compose two short essays based on contemporary issues. Students are presented with three short passages that outline the debate at hand. They must then compose an argument in the form of a persuasive letter. Students' scores are dependent on their use of the given facts, as well as how articulate their position using effective language.
The Mathematics test is made up of 27 grid-in and eight open-ended items. Students must show their reasoning and calculations on the open-ended questions, which are graded on a 4-point scale. The concepts covered in this section include Probability and Discrete Mathematics, Algebra and Functions, Number and Quantity, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics. Most of the problems are related to practical applications in science and business.
The Science component of the Test covers the cumulative knowledge and skills that students are expected to have mastered from grades K-10. These topics include, but are not limited to, genetics, human biology, forces and motion, transformations, astronomy, meteorology, ecosystems, cells, structure of matter and interactions. Students are also tested in their lab skills several weeks prior to the written test. They must perform a specific experiment and answer follow-up questions based on their results. The written exam is comprised of 55 multiple-choice items and 7 open-ended questions, the latter graded on a 4-point scale.
The Editing & Revising test presents students with four passage of student writing. They must answer 24 multiple-choice items that address common mistakes in capitalization, word choice, syntax, punctuation and other grammar conventions.
Multiple-choice items are scored electronically, while graders trained in Connecticut-specific standards score the open-ended and grid-in problems. Each student receives a complete score breakdown and an evaluation describing his or her overall performance. A statistical comparison of average scores by school and district is also included in the report.
While there is no minimum passing score on the CAPT, the results of the exam are listed on each student's grade transcript. In addition, students who exceed the standards of a particular content area will earn a Certification of Mastery. Students who retake any part of the exam in their junior or senior years will receive the designation as well.
Talk to your school counselor for exact test dates and further information, or visit the Department of Education's website at
http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/s-t/index.htm
