Wilton students showed considerable improvement in their latest SBAC scores, but the district still trails most of DRG-A in overall results. Preliminary results were released by the state Department of Education Thursday, Aug. 18.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests were given this spring to public school students in third through eighth grade. The standardized tests, now in their second year, measure proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and math. Last year, 11th graders also took the SBAC but it was replaced this year by the SAT.

The tests are scored on four levels:


  • Level 1: Does not meet the achievement level.

  • Level 2: Approaching the achievement level.

  • Level 3: Meets the achievement level.

  • Level 4: Exceeds the achievement level.


Here, 79.8% of students met or exceeded the achievement level in ELA, a 6.3% increase over last year’s score of 73.5%.

This placed Wilton sixth overall in the eight-district District Reference Group (DRG) A. Darien had the highest score at 86.9% of students meeting or exceeding the achievement level, giving it the top score in the state.

In math, 66.8% of students met or exceeded the achievement level, an increase of 10.3% over last year’s score of 56.5%.

As it did last year, the district trailed the rest of DRG-A in math. Once again, Darien had the highest math scores of the DRG with 81.7% of students meeting or exceeding the achievement level, making it the second-highest achieving school district in the state behind the Brass City Charter School District at 82.1%.

Percentagewise, here is how the DRG-A districts scored in 2014-15 compared to 2015-16 in ELA:

                           2014-2015     2015-2016     % Change

Easton                   72.5                 83.0                   10.5 

Darien                   82.5                 86.9                     4.4

New Canaan         79.9                 83.3                     3.5

Redding                 73.6                 79.2                     5.6

Ridgefield              79.0                 82.3                     3.3

Weston                  73.4                 79.2                     5.8 

Westport                83.3                82.2                     -1.1

Wilton                   73.5                79.8                      6.3

Percentagewise, here is how the DRG-A districts scored in 2014-15 compared to 2015-16 in math:

                           2014-2015        2015-2016     % Change

Easton                  63.3                 76.5                      13.5

Darien                   77.8                81.7                        3.9

New Canaan         74.8                79.1                        4.2

Redding                67.5               70.5                         6.5 

Ridgefield             65.9                70.5                        4.6 

Weston                 70.2                 71.8                       1.6

Westport               73.3                74.4                        1.1

Wilton                  56.5                66.8                       10.3

Statewide, 55.7% of students scored at level 3 or above in ELA and 44% scored at level 3 or above in math.

A look at Wilton’s two schools where the tests were administered showed them closely aligned in scores.

At Cider Mill, 79.5% of students scored level 3 or above in ELA and 66.9% in math.

At Middlebrook, 80.1% of students scored level 3 or above in ELA and 66.7% in math.

Drilling down, here is the percentage of students scoring level 3 or above by grade level for ELA:


  • Grade 3 — 81.5

  • Grade 4 — 83.4

  • Grade 5 — 73.9

  • Grade 6 — 79.8

  • Grade 7 — 82.2

  • Grade 8 — 79.8


For math, the results were:

  • Grade 3 — 75.3

  • Grade 4 — 72.9

  • Grade 5 — 53.7

  • Grade 6 — 64.6

  • Grade 7 — 67.9

  • Grade 8 — 67.6


Some grades showed significant improvement. Last year, 46.6% of fifth graders scored level 3 or above in math. This year, that class — in sixth grade — saw 64.6% of students achieving level 3 or above.

Similarly, last year’s sixth graders saw 48.3% of students scoring level 3 or above. This year that class, in seventh grade, saw 67.9% of students meeting or exceeding the achievement level.