Preston — Local students fared better than the statewide averages in the Smarter Balanced Achievement test results released last week, and also ranked at or near the top among the region's towns that send students to Norwich Free Academy.

But all Preston grades fell short of meeting the Board of Education's goals of 80 percent of students meeting or exceeding the state standard in English Language Arts and 70 percent reaching or exceeding the state standard in math.

Superintendent John Welch distributed summaries of the test scores and comparisons to the Board of Education on Thursday.

Overall, 67.3 percent of Preston students in grades three through eight reached or exceeded state standards in English, and 55.8 percent met or exceeded the standard in math.

Statewide, 55.7 percent of students reached the standard in English and 44 percent in math.

Preston ranked first among the eight schools that send students to NFA in English and second to Voluntown in math.

Welch said he is pleased with the town's scores in relation to the state.

Preston started taking the Smarter Balanced tests last year, one year later than many other towns to allow more time to implement the new Common Core curriculum that the new online tests measure.

Preston implemented a new reading curriculum last year, and will launch a new math curriculum this school year.

“It took a lot of creativity on the part of teachers to put in place the Common Core,” Welch said.

By grade level, Preston's younger students fared better on both the English and math tests. Third- and fourth-graders nearly met the town's 70 percent goal in math, with 69.1 percent of third-graders and 65.9 percent of fourth-graders scoring at or above the state standard.

Fifth-graders came closest to the 80 percent goal in English, with 77.5 percent reaching or exceeding the state standard.

Students in grades three through six all reached 70 percent or higher in English.

Other math scores ranged from 45 to 59 percent reaching state standards, and in English, 54.4 percent of seventh-graders and 63 percent of eighth-graders reached or exceeded the state standard in English.

The lower scores for upper grades is a reversal of how Preston students fared on Connecticut Mastery Tests in past years, when upper grades routinely scored better.

Welch said computer glitches at the Preston Plains Middle School during the test might have been a factor if students became frustrated and lost interest or concentration.

Seven of 10 grades showed improvement over last year, Welch showed in a chart comparing students' progress over time.

Welch said teachers and Curriculum Director Ivy Davis, who is also the middle school principal, will do a more in-depth analysis of the scores, including individual students' scores, in the coming weeks and may adjust instruction based on the data.

c.bessette@theday.com