Education

Connecticut’s State Highlights

January 03, 2006 2 min read
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Vital Statistics
Public schools 1,099
Public school teachers 42,370
Pre-K-12 students 577,203
Annual pre-K-12 expenditures $6.3 billion
Minority students 32%
Children in poverty 10%
Students with disabilities 12.1%
English-language learners 4%

Summary of Grades

Connecticut scores at or above average in each of the four graded policy categories in Quality Counts.

In standards and accountability, Connecticut fares best on measures of school accountability. The state loses points on policies related to academic standards because the American Federation of Teachers has not rated its English standards clear and specific for any grade span. Connecticut’s social studies standards also fall short of that rating at the elementary and high school levels.

Connecticut does better in teacher quality, ranking third among all 50 states and the District of Columbia in this area. It has an extensive set of teacher assessments in place, both for aspiring teachers and those already in the classroom. Connecticut is also one of only 15 states to require and finance mentoring for new teachers.

In school climate, Connecticut gains points for indicators related to class size. Its average class size in elementary schools is lower than the national average, and the state includes class-size data on school report cards. But the strength of the state’s charter school law received a mediocre rating from the Center for Education Reform.

In the resource equity category, Connecticut performs at about the same level as the average state. For example, Connecticut ranks near the middle of the nation on the coefficient-of-variation measure, indicating a moderate level of disparity in per-pupil expenditures across districts in the state.

State Policy Report Card
Connecticut Avg. State Score
Standards and accountability B- B-
Efforts to improve teacher quality A- C+
School climate B- C+
Resource equity C C
Overall Grade B- C+
Quality Counts Grading Breakdown
Standards and accountability Points awardedPoints possible
Standards 29.58 40
Assessment 23.75 30
School accountability 27 30
80 100
Efforts to improve teacher quality Points awardedPoints possible
Teacher education and qualifications 28.44 35
Teacher assessment 30 30
Professional support and training 19.7 20
Accountability for teacher quality 13.5 15
92 100
School climate Points awardedPoints possible
Engagement 11.5 15
School safety 16.33 20
Parent involvement 11.85 15
Choice and autonomy 15 20
Class size 10 10
School size 7.17 10
School facilities 10 10
82 100
Resource equity Points awardedPoints possible
Wealth-neutrality score 26 33.3
McLoone Index 25 33.3
Coefficient of variation 25 33.3
76 100

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Grading Curve A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59)

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