Southington Students Exceed State Averages in Basic Skills
Data presented to the Board of Education last Thursday night shows that Southington students are performing above state averages in literacy and other basic academic areas, yet there is still work to be done.
Administrators from the district presented students’ proficiency levels in literacy, math and science on a scale of one through four. Level one is the lowest performing level, while four is the highest. The data that were presented showed that 68% of Southington students are at level three or four in literacy measurements, easily exceeding the state average of 51%. That percentage is especially high for the town’s seventh graders, 73.5%. At the same time, it also means that 32% of students across the district are performing below proficiency.
“With approximately 32% of students below proficiency, we remain focused on strengthening explicit instruction in foundational reading skills, comprehension, vocabulary and writing while also providing targeted support based on student needs,” said district curriculum coordinator for English Language Arts and Social Studies Stephanie Lawlor.
Board member Bob Brown commented that while the above-average results were encouraging, he wondered what the reasons were for students underperforming. In reply, Superintendent Steven Madancy argued that socioeconomic factors play a large part in success rates.
“If you just look at the state test results, and you look at the socioeconomic status and the per-pupil expenditure of districts, the highest achieving districts have the most resources. It plays out year over year, time over time,” said Madancy.
Madancy also underscored that students who have access to reading materials and other learning supports from an early age, whether at school or at home, often perform higher on standardized state testing.
The presentation further showed that, of those students designated as “high needs," or those with IEPs, multilingual students and those who qualify for reduced lunches, 46.1% performed at levels three or four of proficiency this past school year. By contrast, among all other students, 68% were at level three or four proficiency.
“To address these needs, we continue to refine our literacy MTSS [multi-tiered systems of supports] process. Each elementary school has a school literacy leadership team that analyzes data, identifies instructional priorities and plans supports for teachers and grade level teams. We're also strengthening our collaboration between literacy leaders and special education to align instruction and interventions, address specific reading needs and monitor progress across all tiers of support,” said Lawlor.
More than 80% of children in kindergarten through second grade met their end of year benchmark levels in foundational reading skills. That includes 90% of kindergarteners, 87% of first graders and 80% of second graders. Still, that leaves 20% of this year’s third graders starting at below benchmark reading levels.
Math and Science Proficiency Relatively High
The district’s share of students at levels three and four proficiency in mathematics is 67.4%. By comparison, the state average is 46.7%. In Southington, the highest performing cohort was third grade, where 72% of children are at levels three and four.
“Grades five through eight all achieved the highest proficiency rates in the past five years. We're also pleased to see overall student cohort growth in grades five into six of about 2% and in grades six and seven, about 6%. As a math department, we have focused on strengthening core instruction, creating greater consistency across classrooms and schools, and ensuring that every student has access to meaningful grade-level mathematics,” said Alicia Naleway, district curriculum coordinator for math and sciences.
For those students designated as high needs, achievement numbers were once again significantly lower. 44.8% of high-needs students were at levels three and four in math proficiency last year – less than half. But it should be noted that figure is above the pre-COVID level of 38.5%.
The percentage of all students hitting their growth target level in math dropped from 70% in 2024-2025 to 68.30% in 2025-2026.
“This suggests a need to look more closely at growth by grade level and student subgroups to identify where we can better support all students in making strong progress in math,” said Naleway.
In the area of science, 67.5% of 11th graders, 75.4% of eighth graders and 67% of fifth graders are performing at levels three and four of proficiency. The state average, by contrast, is 51.4%.
These numbers led district curriculum leaders to list a number of priorities for the current school year. This includes a consistent, aligned and rigorous curriculum, high-quality teaching for all students and evidence-based learning. Providing systems and structures for student support, and developing strategies for social and emotional wellbeing are also priorities, said district Director of Teaching and Learning Christina Zlatin.
“This will help us better address the diverse literacy needs of our learners, particularly in the elementary grades, with an emphasis on providing targeted evidence-based instruction and support,” said Zlatin. “Together, these efforts reflect our commitment to using data to inform our decisions, to strengthen our practices, and to ensure the conditions to help all students succeed and thrive.”
