Connecticut’s Achievement Gap Has Grown On Almost Every Measure

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On average, Connecticut’s achievement gap remains the largest in the country. Low-income and minority students are falling farther behind while overall performance stagnates

ConnCAN’s analysis of yesterday’s release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results in fourth and eighth grade math and reading shows that Connecticut has lost ground on closing achievement gaps, and overall student performance in the state is essentially stagnant.

Click here to see ConnCAN’s analysis of the 2011 NAEP data.

The achievement gap is defined by the performance of student subgroups (i.e., African-American, Hispanic, low-income, English Language Learner (ELL)) compared to their white, wealthier, or English-speaking peers. For example:

- Low-income students and students of color are about three grade levels behind everyone else on both reading and math
- ELL fourth graders are over five grade levels behind their non-ELL peers in reading and nearly four grade levels behind in math

In addition, absolute performance by student subgroups on a number of measures is distressingly low. For example, on fourth grade math:

- Low-income students in Connecticut scored worse than similar students in 34 other states
- ELL students in Connecticut scored significantly worse than similar students in 27 other states
- Hispanic students in Connecticut scored worse than similar students in 22 other states

“The story of the decade is Connecticut’s devastating achievement gap – yet we continue to move in the wrong direction,” said Patrick Riccards, ConnCAN’s CEO. “We’ve been asleep at the wheel, and these results are a huge wake up call. We absolutely cannot afford to ignore the need for transformational, systemic reforms. State leaders must take bold steps this year to fundamentally overhaul the way we deliver public education, starting with a fair, transparent school funding system and excellent teaching in every classroom.”

Additional findings:

Overall student achievement across the board in Connecticut is largely stagnant or down:
-2.3 points in fourth grade math
-1.6 points in fourth grade reading
-1.6 points in eighth grade math
+2.9 points in eighth grade reading

Connecticut’s overall performance relative to other states is strong in reading at the 8th grade level, but our overall math performance ranks 22nd in fourth grade and 19th eighth grade.

These results come at a time when Connecticut is at a crossroads. We are in the midst of an economic crisis in addition to a demographic shift in student population and needs – more and more of our students are now in poverty, and by 2020, half of Connecticut’s young workforce will be made up of people of color. Both of these factors can and must be addressed by our public schools.

In particular, Connecticut’s poor performance in math does not bode well for the jobs of the future, most of which will come from STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields. Making sure our workforce is well educated and prepared for the challenges of a 21st century economy is the most critical challenge our state leaders face. Now is the time for the kind of major policy changes that will help our students become active and productive members of society.


About ConnCAN

The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) is an advocacy organization building a movement of concerned Connecticut citizens working to create fundamental change in our education system. To learn more, visit: www.conncan.org.