Darien Students: Smarter, Cheaper, Better Behaved

In her State of the Town report, Board of Education Chairman Kimberly Westcott announced that while pinched for pennies, the Darien school district is in "excellent shape;" according to the Connecticut State Department of Education, the same holds true when compared to the rest of the state.

Superintendent of Schools Donald Fiftal presented to the Board of Education last Tuesday, the Strategic School Profile (SSP) for 2008-09, recently released by the CSDE. The annual SSP report presents a profile of the Darien Public Schools as a statistical comparison to counterparts in the District Reference Group (DRG), as well as to the state average. It's a lengthy document culled from a vast amount of data, and Fiftal highlighted just a few points. In comparison to most schools, Fiftal noted, Darien students score very high on standardized tests and commit very few disciplinary offenses for proportionally far fewer dollars-per-head.

"Darien should consider itself very lucky and very proud," Fiftal said.

Across the board, Darien students' standardized test scores are higher than the state average. On the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests, tenth graders scored over 30 percent higher in every subject area; and for SAT I Reasoning Tests, the district average tops the state by at least 30 points in each subset. Whether or not these tests serve their purpose as accurate measures of academic aptitude is debatable. Nonetheless, yearly administration is required per the No Child Left Behind Act, and an analysis of the scores can often help teachers revise their curricular.

"Essentially our performance levels are very, very high. Although there are—for particular years, particular grade levels, particular cohorts—issues, we can work on that," Fiftal said.

Darien students with learning disabilities also received top marks, in many cases scoring three times higher than the state average.

"I want to pause for a moment and let that point sink in," said Fiftal. "In a month or so, we're going to be talking about special education and the reality of those costs, but we can't lose sight of achievement and accomplishment."

With regards to disciplinary offenses, which include any violation resulting in suspension or expulsion, the incident numbers are comparatively low, said Fiftal.

The high school reported 77 incidents for the 2008-09 school year, 57 of which were school policy violations; four involved drugs, alcohol or tobacco.

"I can tell you that in one day, I could have four alcohol or drug related issues. For us to have that in one year is quite a credit to our community," said Fiftal, who has worked in school districts throughout the state.

Of the 10 incidents reported at the middle school, most were verbal confrontations, and among the elementary schools, incidents were so infrequent that they are not included in the SSP. The State withheld that information as such low numbers could prove personally identifiable, said Fiftal.

"These are adolescents. Think back to what we were and what our friends were like, and have some appreciation for that," said Fiftal.

Darien's high test scores and low disciplinary-infraction rate come at a proportionally low cost, said Fiftal. Where counterpart schools in the DRG (New Canaan, Westport, Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Easton) spend $15,251 per pupil, Darien spends $14,147.

"We have always taken pride in that," said Fiftal. "We spend less than close to 10 percent, yet our results stand proudly beside any school community."

Darien spends 10 percent more per student than the state average, which stands at $12,805. Fiftal attests that statistic to the cost of living.

"All things considered, this community should continue to take great pride in an efficient, economical, but productive educational system."

Strategic School Profiles for 2008-09 have not yet been released for all school districts in the state. Darien's SSP is not currently available online.