CT Students Falling Behind After Pandemic Disruptions: District-By-District Data

CONNECTICUT — New state and national data revealed a worrisome trend of students falling behind due to years of pandemic disruptions. Students at different grade levels are months to a year behind in certain subjects, according to state Department of Education estimates.

The state Department of Education tracks student achievement year-by-year in a performance index, which is based on SAT, Smarter Balanced and alternate assessment test scores; the state goal is a score of 75. The 2021-2022 school year index is still below the three most recent pre-pandemic years for both students with high needs and those without.

Student proficiency in English language arts and math are down about 6 to 8 percentage points from pre-pandemic years, while science is down about 4 percentage points.

See below for how your school district performed, or click here. (Click on the name to the right of "School District" which is "Achievement First Bridgeport Academy District" and then you can scroll down to find your local school system. The data is presented in alphabetical order).

Nearly nine out of every 10 school districts experienced a drop in ELA and math indices between 2018-2019 and 2021-2022 school years.

Students in 4th and 5th grade are estimated to be about two to three months behind expected performance due to pandemic disruptions, according to SDE. Middle school students are about five to seven months behind in ELA and a year or more behind in math.

On the plus side, academic growth within the 2021-2022 school year was better than the previous school year.

“While there is still a lot of work to do, it is heartening to see some signs of academic success despite two unusually challenging school years for educators, students, and their school communities,” said Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker in a statement.

Nationally, pandemic disruptions erased two decades of progress for 9-year-olds, according to the New York Times. The National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores declined across the board, but were most pronounced among groups that were already struggling. Students of color experienced the steepest decline, which widened the achievement gap, according to the Associated Press.

The National Center for Education Statistics found that students who had greater access to resources during remote learning — such as a laptop and frequent teacher availability — tended to perform better.

Connecticut academic assessment tests weren’t administered in the 2019-2020 school year due to the pandemic, and Connecticut received a waiver to not implement school and district accountability in 2020-2021.

The performance index averages test scores across all students, instead of focusing on the percentage of students who meet or exceed goal. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage school districts to raise achievement across the board, instead of focusing on students who are slightly below meeting goal, according to SDE.