Series 6000: Instruction

6146.2 Statewide Proficiency/Mastery Examinations

Each student enrolled in grades three through eight inclusive and grade eleven shall annually take statewide mastery examinations that measure essential and grade-appropriate skills in English language arts/reading and mathematics.

Each student enrolled in grades five, eight, and eleven shall in those specific grades take a statewide mastery examination that measures essential and grade appropriate skills in science.

All mastery examinations described above shall be

- provided by and administered under the supervision of the State Board of Education;

- paid for by the State Board of Education and taken at no financial cost by any student, and;

- administered during the regular school day.

Students in grade eleven who meet or exceed the state-wide mastery goal level on any component of a mastery examination shall have entered onto their permanent record and transcript designation of having met or exceeded such goal level.

Thomaston Public Schools may not require achievement of a specific score on any mastery examination in whole or part, or on any subsequent examination retest in whole or part, as the sole criterion of promotion or graduation.

Students with special needs shall participate in mastery testing except in the rare case when a Planning and Placement Team determines that participation would be  inappropriate and recommends the use of an alternative assessment as specified by  the State Board of Education. In compliance with federal law, out-of-level testing  is not an option for students enrolled in special education. 

All students identified as English learners (ELs) shall annually take the LAS Links  language proficiency assessment. Furthermore, all ELs are required to wholly participate on all state-administered mastery assessments in every applicable grade  and content area. Achievement scores for recently-arrived ELs (defined as enrolled in school in this state or another state for fewer than twenty months) shall not be  used for the purposes of calculating the school’s and district’s academic  achievement measure within Connecticut’s accountability system until such  students have completed three consecutive years of testing (as defined in C.G.S. 10-223e). 

In compliance with federal legislation and state accountability, Thomaston Public  Schools will, for each state-administered assessment excluding alternate  assessments, maintain a participation standard of 95 percent of the school’s and/or  grade-level’s total population. The Board of Education realizes there are  consequences for districts and schools not meeting this participation role threshold  on these state summative assessments. 

(cf. 5121 - Examination/Grading/Rating) 

(cf. 5125 - Student Records; Confidentiality) 

(cf. 6146 - Graduation Requirements) 

(cf. 6162.31 - Test Exclusion) 

Legal Reference:

Connecticut General Statutes 

10-14n Statewide mastery examination. Conditions for reexamination. Limitation on use of test results. (as amended by PA 03-174 and PA 03-168) 

10-14o Compensatory education grant. Financial statement of 

expenditures. 

10-14p Reports by local and regional boards re instructional 

improvement and student progress. 

10-14q Exceptions (as amended by PA 01-205) 

10-223e Statewide education accountability plan 

PL 107-110 – Title I, 34 CFR Part 20034 CFR, Part 200 

Regulations appearing in Federal Register, 9/13/06. 

Policy Adopted: May 11, 2020 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS  Thomaston, Connecticut