New data shows where CT schools have improved and lagged in post Covid pandemic recovery

Connecticut schools have seen both wins and losses in efforts to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the latest data from the state Department of Education provides a picture of how exactly students across the state are doing, from test scores to fitness rates.

The state released the 2023-24 results from the Next Generation Accountability System recently, ranking schools and districts based on a set of 12 indicators and showing which areas Connecticut has made the most progress and where it is lagging.

The results build on an earlier release of state assessment and attendance data, which highlighted how attendance and test scores were improving in Connecticut schools, but were still below pre-pandemic levels.

The next generation accountability system results goes further, looking at indicators including academic achievement, growth, chronic absenteeism, college and career readiness, high school graduation, postsecondary entrance, physical fitness and the arts.

"It goes beyond test scores to really provide a more holistic picture of a school or district," Ajit Gopalakrishnan the education department's chief performance officer said at last month's state Board of Education meeting.

While progress was made in several indicators, such as in chronic absenteeism and math and science achievement, the state is still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels and is generally below its targets across the board.

Lagging English achievement

The first indicator, academic achievement, is calculated based on assessment scores and can be looked at as an average measure of overall performance in a content area, according to the system's indicator overview.

The latest data shows that statewide achievement in English Language Arts has been flat, with a performance rating of 63.9 across all students - the exact same as last year, and still below pre-pandemic levels and the state's target of 75 or higher.

The 2023-24 ELA achievement level is at the lowest it has been since at least 2014-2015, making it nearly a decade low, according to the results.

Despite a lack of significant progress statewide, Gopalakrishnan noted in his presentation that there were several examples of schools that have seen post-pandemic recovery. "But I think, it's just harder, in general, to sort of refresh and bring back those foundational skills as students progress through the grades," he said.

Even so, the data showed some ELA growth for students in grades 4-8 compared to the previous year. So, although ELA test scores may not show improvement, academic growth is another way that students can show it, Gopalakrishnan said.

Slight gains in math and science

The state was seeing some gains in math and science achievement, among all students.

Although it wasn't as high as pre-pandemic levels, and still under the state's target level, math and science performance has seen a gradual rise since 2021.

"There's still work to do, but we're beginning to head in the right direction," Gopalakrishnan said.

The small, but noticeable trend continued in the 2023-24 school year, when math achievement improved by .2% from the previous year. Math achievement is now at an index 60.2. In the last decade, math achievement was at its highest around 2018, with an index of 63.1, and its lowest in 2021 with an index of 58.6.

And while there was an improvement in math achievement, math growth actually showed lower levels this year, according to the state data.

In science, students have demonstrated some post-pandemic recovery, with a performance index of 61.8 in the last school year compared to 61.6 in the 2022-23 school year and 61.4 in the 2021-22 school year.

And other areas have also seen some wins.

Based on the results, Connecticut has shown progress toward English proficiency for English learners/multilingual learners, postsecondary preparation, and students staying on track for graduation, Gopalakrishnan said. More students with high needs are graduating within six years, college enrollment and participation in arts classes has increased, and more students are on track to high school graduation.

"Those are really good signs for us," Gopalakrishnan said.

Post-pandemic recovery in chronic absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism was at its peak in the wake of the pandemic in the 2021-22 school year, with 23.9% of students chronically absent, meaning they missed 10% or greater of the total number of days enrolled in the school year, according to the state data. 

But since then, Connecticut has seen improvement in attendance rates, with the lowest chronically absent percentage in 2023-24 since before the pandemic.

17.7% of students were chronically absent in the last school year, which improved upon the 20% in 2022-23.

Before the pandemic, chronic absenteeism rates hovered around 16%. And while it is not at the target of 5%, attendance rates have now improved for the second year in a row and are much closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Physical fitness

Similar to other indicators, physical fitness rates are slightly up, but still well below pre-pandemic levels.

In the 2023-24 school year, physical fitness was at 47.2%. That means less than half of Connecticut students passed the state's fitness test, which requires students to meet or exceed the “Health Fitness Zone Standard” in all four areas of the physical fitness assessment.

The Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment is administered every year to students in grades 4, 6, 8, and high school, and includes a curl up, mile run, push up, and sit and reach, which measure four aspects of physical fitness: muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and cardio fitness.

In the years prior to the pandemic, the pass rate was around 50%. The state's fitness rate target is 75%.

In 2022-23, students' physical fitness levels hit a 10-year low, with 45.5% of students reaching the fitness zone standard on all four assessments.

While that has gone up, state leaders say the continued struggle for fitness rate recovery is not exactly surprising.

"We did see this as a result of the pandemic," said John Frasseneli, director of school health, nutrition, family services and adult education at the state Department of Education, during the presentation on the results last month. He said with the pandemic, there was an increase in obesity as well as an overall increase in sedentary activities.

But it didn't stop there. Sedentary activities among children have only continued, as kids are on their phones more and less active, Frasseneli said. In addition, physical education was less available for students, especially in low-income communities.

"When we talk to districts, we are seeing kind of a squeezing out of physical education opportunities in districts and a reduction in both interscholastic and intramural athletics as a result of budget cuts," he said during the Nov. 6 meeting.

Improvement and the disparities within

On the overall accountability index results, which is the percentage of points earned across all available indicators, the statewide average was 70.8%. The target level is 85% or higher.

"I'm pleased to say that this year, that overall number is up," Gopalakrishnan said.

But looking at how districts compare to that average provides a picture of the disparities that continue to persist among districts in post-pandemic recovery.

For example, while the state on average was about 15 percentage points below target, Connecticut's wealthiest districts such as Darien and New Canaan were actually above target, with some of the highest scores. Districts consisting of more urban, low-income areas such as Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven were significantly below that, and below average, with accountability index results of around 58%.

But Gopalakrishnan had said the accountability report aimed to help address that.

"We don't just put out lists of schools and try to blame and shame on schools. No, that's not what we do. We use the information to identify schools that need our support, and we bring that support," he said.

In total, 66 schools are identified for state support, and eligible for extra funding, according to the report. Such schools show a pattern of low academic growth or student achievement, and many continue from prior years, Gopalakrishnan said. "These aren't just one year blips, we're looking over time," he said.

Gopalakrishnan noted that some of the schools identified as low-performing in prior years no longer have that designation, a testament to the initiatives in place to help.

"You know, anytime we put out any of this type of information, we also like to surround it with all the things that we are doing and we plan to do as well," Gopalakrishnan said.

Some of the efforts include specific initiatives to elevate curriculum frameworks and curricula, funding for tutoring expansion, mental health services grants, encouraging FAFSA completion, a grant to increase the percentage of students earning college credit in high school, grants to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities, and expansion of the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program to increase student attendance.

The results also identified 151 schools with high performance, notable academic growth, or substantial improvement, which are honored as Schools of Distinction.