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It has been praised for measuring higher-order thinking skills and prompting school districts across Connecticut to revise how their curriculums are taught so that there is more emphasis on those skills.
Dr. Slone told the school board that the scores are grouped into five categories-below basic, basic, proficient, goal and advanced.
In reading, 64 percent of the current junior class was at least at the goal level, compared with 71 percent for the median in district reference group (DRG) B, which includes 20 other high schools with demographics that are similar to those at BHS.
The state Department of Education has used the DRGs for years as a measuring tool.
BHS had 62.4 percent of its students at the goal level or above in writing, compared to 78.2 as the DRG median, and 71.4 percent at the goal level or above in math, which was above the DRG media of 70.9 percent.
In science, BHS had 65 percent of the Class of 2011 at or above the goal level, compared to 68.3 percent for the DRG median.
Dr. Slone said that to address the lower performance on reading and writing the school district is implementing a raft of strategies, including "developing common formative assessments in all CAPT areas and have several subject areas in ninth and 10th grade devote more time in the media center to "practice reading for information across the curriculum."
"It's a tricky question," BHS Principal Bryan Luizzi said in an interview when asked about why the reading and writing scores have lagged behind the other subject areas in performance.
"It's not as easy to nail down as some of the other areas," he said.
Dr. Luizzi said that he believes that through additional work outside the classroom and improvements in the districts overall curriculum in reading and writing, progress will be made in reading and writing.
The principal said that the school's block scheduling, which began at the start of the current academic year and features 83-minute class periods, will probably help improve student performance in all of the CAPT areas.
"Built into this is a lot of teacher collaboration time and getting common assessments that are aligned with the CAPT," Dr. Luizzi said. "Teachers are identifying areas of strength with the students and realigning the curriculum to benefit the students."
Since he became principal in August 2006, Dr. Luizzi has posted a sign in the entrance of the school that notes the sophomores who scored in the advanced category on all four of the CAPT exams.
He said that 36 students reached that level last March, which is an increase over the previous year.
Dr. Luizzi said he is "split" on offering another CAPT exam to students in either their junior or senior years.
Initially, the state administered the Connecticut Mastery Test to fourth-, sixth- and eighth-grade students.
However, in response to the federal No Child Left Behind Act that former President George W. Bush signed in 2002, the testing now covers every grade from third through eighth.
Dr. Luizzi said that by having students take a state test later in their high school tenure the schools would have more input on how to improve how the curriculums are taught.
However, he said that he is concerned about students' experiencing "test fatigue" since many of them take the Pre-Scholastic Aptitude Test as juniors and take the Scholastic Aptitude Test at least once as seniors.
Dr. Luizzi said that in Finland, which he visited on an education fact-finding trip last year, there is only one major standardized test.
Finland's schools have been recognized for their academic achievements.
