Andover elementary students score among the highest in the state
By Robert D. Muirhead, Journal Inquirer, December 14, 2006

ANDOVER - Andover Elementary School is among the top-scoring elementary schools in the state, according to a report by the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now.

ConnCAN - a statewide educational rights group dedicated to closing the academic achievement gap between rich and poor students - recently released its report, "State of Connecticut Public Education." The report draws from the group's series of "school report cards," which publish ratings of the state's elementary schools by achievement in the Connecticut Mastery Tests.

Andover Elementary School's performance gains between grades 4 and 5 ranked eighth in the state, according to the group's report.

The performance gains take into account the results of a single unit of students as they move from grade 4 to grade 5.

Significant gains in CMT scores from year to year reflect an individual school system's success at improving student education over incremental periods of time, School Superintendent Andrew Maneggia said.

At Wednesday night's Board of Education meeting, Maneggia provided the board with a list of the school's CMT results from 2001 to 2006, ranked alongside average state results.

The list measured the percentage of students who achieved results at or above state performance goals.

In 2005, 66 percent of fourth-grade students achieved a math score at or above the state's goals. The following year, the same class -now in fifth grade - achieved an 83 percent ranking, an increase of 17 percent.

Reading skills also increased significantly, with reading skills going from 55.3 percent to 76.6 percent above state goals. Writing skills advanced from 56.5 percent in 2005 to 80.9 percent in 2006.

The 2006 school year was the first year in which all grades 3 through 6 took the elementary level CMTs. Previous years only tracked the test in grades 4 and 6.

Andover Elementary placed at the top of the list of performance gains for elementary school systems, although as Maneggia noted, the Andover elementary school district comprises only one school, thus affecting the district's overall performance. Maneggia credits some of the gains to the switch between biannual and annual testing and the significance of testing in the spring, when students have had time to readjust to learning.

But the results of classes in the past six years between fourth- and sixth-grade reflect a significant achievement level for the school, according to Maneggia.

"I'd like to see us make smaller, incremental gains from year to year," said the superintendent.

The ConnCAN report does not take into account any factor beyond CMT results.

In other action Wednesday night, school board Chairman Jay Linddy handed out a report on the final steps of the school expansion project.

Andover Elementary School is currently adding four classrooms to the building in a $1.7 million project.

According to the production schedule, the lighting grid will be installed by today, with final painting to end by Dec. 21.

Millwork will begin Dec. 22 and finish Dec. 28. Finish flooring will then start the next day, ending on Jan. 4.

Final clean-up is scheduled to be completed by Jan.