The purpose of this section of the unit is to allow students the opportunity to learn about privacy while preparing for the CAPT test, and to allow teachers the opportunity to learn how to teach sensitive issues in ways responsive to privacy concerns. Though never accused of invading a student’s privacy (yet) the CAPT (Connecticut Academic Performance Test) Interdisciplinary exam asks the students to do many things that may reveal personal and private opinions on controversial topics. The students are not only asked to discuss what they know about a topic and read differing positions on the topic, and to analyze graphs and pictures. They must also finally write a position paper on the topic that is likely to involve their personal values. The topics have ranged from the death penalty to government funding of space exploration. The CAPT Interdisciplinary exam is designed to allow students to utilize their acquired skills in real life situations. Students need not pass the CAPT exam to graduate but more and more districts are pushing the exam as the means for assessing whether or not the students are learning.
The CAPT exam was developed to hold secondary educational institutions accountable for the education of their students. It extends the Connecticut Mastery Test given in 4, 6, and 8th grades to the high school level. The CAPT, however, serves a different purpose than the CMT. The CAPT exam encourages improved student learning by:
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1. Setting high performance standards on a comprehensive range of important skills and knowledge;
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2. Emphasizing the application and integration of skills and knowledge in realistic contexts;
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3. Providing timely assessment data regarding students’ strengths and weaknesses; and
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4. Providing an expanded measure of accountability for all levels of Connecticut’s education system up to and including the high school. (High School Assessment and Testing Unit)
The first generation of CAPT, given prior to 2001, consisted of one piece of student writing. The second generation will be similar in that the students will read source material, take a position and write a persuasive response. However, this second-generation test will consist of two shorter tests that equal the amount of time of one test. The students will be given three short nonfiction pieces, including graphs and charts about one subject. Then they will be asked to write on one extended response, open-ended question to assess how well they write a persuasive essay. The students will be graded holistically by two readers and will be evaluated on how well they used the information from each of the sources. Each test will be completed in 55 minutes on two separate days.
In this rapid and fast paced world, students need to acquire critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and communication skills in order to survive. They need to be able to make informed decisions, and communicate their ideas to the world around them. The aim of the Interdisciplinary exam is to promote the acquisition of these skills. The test assesses the students' ability to employ these skills in a realistic and interdisciplinary context. Basically, they are to take everything that they have learned through their educational experience and apply it to one or two real-life situations. For example, people need to make informed decisions about the world around them (through newspaper articles, editorials, documentaries, etc.) and communicate their opinion to others (write an editorial or letter to a congressperson). In a real-life situation, however, people are allowed as much time as warranted to think about an issue; they are allowed to talk more about the issue; and, they are allowed to make the decision to as to whether or not they want to write that letter to the congressperson. The students are given a limited amount of time to think, discuss and write. The papers are, however, viewed as rough drafts.
Every 10th grade student in Connecticut with little exception (based on disabilities or limited English proficiency) must take the CAPT exam. The areas of testing include English, Math, Science and Interdisciplinary, which requires the students to utilize knowledge from across the curriculum. Eleventh and twelfth grade students who have not passed the CAPT exam (or portions thereof) may voluntarily retake part of the exam. As stated before, according to state law, the CAPT exam is not a prerequisite to graduation and cannot be made a prerequisite unless the law is changed. Instead, students receive Certificates of Mastery for each part of the exam they pass. Their scores become part of their permanent record, at which employers and colleges can look.
Each year, the press is allowed to publish CAPT results. The results are utilized in "evaluating the annual progress of particular educational programs and are the primary basis for assessing the annual progress of schools and school districts as specified under Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act." (High School Assessment and Testing Unit) The CAPT can be reported several ways. Some reports highlight individual success, some provide information of the strengths and weaknesses of a school's program, and some reports are fashioned to hold schools accountable for the academic achievement of their students. A student's performance on the CAPT is made a part of their permanent record and official school transcripts. The results are recorded on a sticker that cannot be legally removed from students' records. School districts and individual schools receive in the form of a School Roster Report information regarding the performance of each of their students. District CAPT results are public information and are shared with the press.
CAPT like tests are spreading across the country. Parents, taxpayers and politicians are demanding that the schools be held accountable for the education of their students. The exam, however, may be seen by some as in itself an invasion of privacy. Across the nation many teachers and many students are disgusted with the trend of standardized testing. Some students have refused to take standardized tests. Some teachers believe that we are becoming more of a "learn it for the test" society. However, it looks as if the CAPT exam is here to stay. The main question is “How can students prepare for the CAPT in a way that respects legitimate privacy concerns?” The answer is in a writing program.