ConnCAN State & Districts SBAC analysis 9 3-15

September 2, 2015 ConnCAN

September 2, 2015

2015 Smarter Balanced Assessment Analysis: State and District Results


What is SBAC?Simply put, the Smarter Balanced Assessment is statewide annual assessment of

student performance that is designed to measure our students’ achievement against

rigorous academic standards. The Smarter Balanced Assessment measures

Connecticut students college-and career-readiness in English Language Arts/Literacy

(ELA) and Mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11.


Why SBAC?

The Smarter Balanced Assessment is an important tool to help prepare our students for

college and careers. Along with the higher standards set in place by the Common Core,

the Smarter Balanced Assessment is one of the many tools that will help parents and

educators accurately determine whether students are on track to be prepared for the

challenges ahead.

“This baseline data gives us a new reference point to determine how well our schools and

districts are preparing students for the challenges of college and career. Results from this

test are one point of data to help improve practice and better serve students”

–Jennifer Alexander, ConnCAN CEO

For more information, please visit readyct.org


About this SBAC AnalysisA note on score interpretation from the Connecticut State Board of Education“One must keep in mind that when new content standards are assessed, the summative assessment scores will reflect both the degree to which the content standards are well implemented in a school and the degree to which students have learned them,” SBE Connecticut Smarter Balanced Assessments 2015 Interpretive Guide

About our analysis

Achievement Level Descriptors: The results are reported as Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs). These are the four levels (1 through 4) that show the percent of students that exceed, meet, approach, or do not approach the achievement level. According to the State Department of Education, a score at or above Level 3 indicates that students have met the achievement level expected for their grade and are “on track.” Therefore, this analysis includes the total percentage of students at Levels 3 & 4. A score at or above Level 3 in 11 th grade suggests conditional evidence that a student is ready for entry-level, transferable, credit-bearing college courses.

Grades, Subjects, and Student Groups: ALDs are reported for students in tested grades 3-8 and grade 11 in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics for the 2014-2015 school year. This analysis reports on overall and group performance for the following student groups: low-income, African American, Hispanic/Latino, and English Language Learners (ELL). “Low-income” refers to students who qualify for Free or Reduced Price Lunch.

Standout Districts: “Standout District” refers to a district that has met the following criteria for each student group reported: 1) District student group enrollment exceeds the state student group enrollment; 2) District student group performance exceeds the state student group performance; 3) District performance ranks in the top five districts who meet criteria 1 and 2. “Large Districts” refer to public school districts that enroll higher than the state average district enrollment (2,698 students), while “Small Districts” refer to districts enrolling fewer than 2,698 students.


English Language Arts (ELA)

Statewide Results



Statewide Results

Overall: 55.4% of students in Grades 3-8 and 11 students met Level 3 or 4 in English Language Arts (ELA), which exceeded state expectations.

Highest performing districts: In each of the state’s highest performing districts, at least 8 in 10 students (82%) are “on track” in ELA.

Large Districts* Darien, Westport, Monroe, Avon, and New Canaan

Small Districts*Region 9, Chester, Kent, Salisbury, and Essex

*See definition on “About this SBAC Analysis” page.


Mathematics

Statewide Results


Mathematics

Statewide Results

Overall: 39.1% of students are meeting or exceeding the achievement level in Mathematics, which matched expectations.

Highest-performing districts: In each of the state’s highest performing districts, at least 2 in 3 students (67%) are “on track” in Math.

Large Districts* Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Avon, and Glastonbury

Small Districts*Salem, Andover, Weston, Region 9, and Mansfield

*See definition on “About this SBAC Analysis” page.


Statewide Achievement Gaps

Achievement gaps* persist: More than two thirds of African American (69.7%) and Hispanic/Latino (67.2%) students tested statewide are not meeting grade level expectations, compared to only 32.7% of their white peers, all scoring at Level 1 or 2 in English Language Arts. For low-income students, 70.0% of students who qualify for free lunch and 54.4% of students who qualify for reduced priced lunch scored at Level 1 or 2 in English Language Arts, compared to only 30.8% of their non-low-income peers.


*Gap refers to the percentage point difference.


Statewide Achievement GapsMathematics

Achievement gaps* persist: The majority of African American (86.1%) and of Hispanic/Latino (82.7%) students tested statewide are not meeting grade level expectations in Mathematics, compared to only 49.7% of their white peers, all scoring at Level 1 or 2. For low-income students, 84.6% of students who qualify for free lunch and 73.6% of students who qualify for reduced priced scored at Level 1 or 2 in Mathematics, compared to only 47.7% of their non-low-income peers.

*Gap refers to the percentage point difference.


Connecticut’s Five Largest Districts

Less than half of all students in Connecticut’s largest school districts scored at Level 3 & 4.

Stamford had the highest performance out of the five largest districts, though less than half of all district students (49.4%) are “on track” in ELA.

Less than 3 in 10 students are “on track” in ELA in New Haven (29.1%), Hartford (26.8%), Waterbury (26.1%), and Bridgeport (23.8%).

English Language Arts


Connecticut’s Five Largest Districts

Less than 2 in 5 students in Connecticut’s largest school districts scored at Levels 3 & 4.

Stamford had the highest performance out of five largest districts, though less than half (37.5%) of district students are “on track” in Math.

Less than 1 in 7 students are “on track” in ELA in Math in Hartford (14.2%), New Haven (13.5%), Waterbury (13.3%), and Bridgeport (9.1%).

Mathematics


Low-Income Student Performance in ELA

Standout Districts Statewide Stats:Low-income Students

Percent at Level 3 & 4: Reduced Lunch 45.6%

Free Lunch 30.0%

Large Districts Small Districts

Enfield 54.9% Side By Side Charter 62.8%

Hamden 53.6% Griswold 61.0%

Groton 52.8% Learn 56.7%

Middletown 52.2% Elm City College Preparatory

55.3%

Stratford 51.8% Killingly 53.5%

Statewide: Less than half of students receiving free or reduced price lunch are “on track” in ELA.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more low-income students than the percent of low-income students statewide (38%). These districts also have a higher percent of total students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for low-income students (45.6%, 30.0%).*

*Overall district performance is reflected relative to overall statewide low-income performance because district-level low-income data was unavailable at the time of release.


Low-Income Student Performance in Math

Standout Districts


Groton 38.8% Side By Side Charter 43.4%

Stamford 37.5% Elm City College Preparatory

42.1%

Hamden 36.3% Griswold 39.3%

Enfield 34.9% Amistad Academy 34.4%

Middletown 33.4% Sprague 31.6%

Statewide: Less than one third of students receiving free or reduced price lunch are “on track” in Math.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more low-income students than the percent of low-income students statewide (38%). These districts also have a higher percent of total students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for low-income students (45.6%, 30.0%).*

Statewide Stats:Low-income Students

Percent at Level 3 & 4: Reduced Lunch 26.4%

Free Lunch 15.4%

*Overall district performance is reflected relative to overall statewide low-income performance because district-level low-income data was unavailable at the time of release.


African American Student Performance in ELA

Standout Districts Statewide Stats:African American

Students

Percent at Level 3 & 4: 30.3%


CREC (Capitol Region Education Council)

38.4% Side By Side Charter 58.8%

Stratford 38.3% Elm City College Preparatory

53.9%

Windsor 33.8% Odyssey Community 52.9%

Hamden 32.1% Bloomfield 47.7%

West Haven 31.1% Amistad Academy 45.5%

Statewide: About 3 in 10 African American students statewide are “on track” in ELA.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more African American students than the percent of African American students statewide (13%). These districts also have a higher percent of African American students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for African American students (30.3%).


African American Student Performance in Math

Standout Districts


Windsor 19.4% Elm City College Preparatory

40.1%

CREC 18.2% Odyssey Community 33.3%

Stamford 16.1% Amistad Academy 30.2%

West Haven 15.6% Cooperative Educational Services

28.2%

Hamden 14.4% Achievement First Hartford Academy

26.5%

Statewide: About 1 in 7 African American students statewide are “on track” in Math.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more African American students than the percent of African American students statewide (13%). These districts also have a higher percent of African American students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for African American students (13.9%)

Statewide Stats:African American

Students



Hispanic/Latino Student Performance in ELA

Standout Districts Statewide Stats:Hispanic/Latino

Students



Connecticut Technical High School System

44.1% Side by Side Charter 66.1%

Stratford 42.5% Elm City College Preparatory

59.5%

Norwalk 38.7% Amistad Academy 51.8%

CREC 36.8% Learn 45.9%

West Haven 36.5% Cooperative Educational Services

44.1%

Statewide: About 3 in 10 Hispanic/Latino students statewide are “on track” in ELA.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more Hispanic/Latino students than the percent of Hispanic/Latino students statewide (22%). These districts also have a higher percent of Hispanic/Latino students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for Hispanic/Latino students (32.8%).


Hispanic/Latino Student Performance in Math

Standout Districts


Stamford 23.7% Side by Side Charter 48.2%

Norwalk 20.2% Elm City College Preparatory

48.1%

CREC 19.2% Amistad Academy 40.4%

Danbury 18.7% Cooperative Educational Services

29.4%

West Haven 17.9% Bridgeport Achievement First

27.7%

Statewide: About 1 in 6 Hispanic/Latino students statewide are “on track” in Math.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more Hispanic/Latino students than the percent of Hispanic/Latino students statewide (22%). These districts also have a higher percent of Hispanic/Latino students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for Hispanic/Latino students (17.3%).

Statewide Stats:Hispanic/Latino

Students



ELL Student Performance in ELA

Standout Districts Statewide Stats:English Language

Learner (ELL) Students



Greenwich 35.8% Amistad Academy 31.7%

Torrington 14.1% Achievement First Hartford Academy

29.0%

Norwalk 12.2% Bridgeport Achievement First

27.9%

East Haven 11.9% Rocky Hill 26.8%

Danbury 11.8% Norwich Free Academy

10.8%

Statewide: About 1 in 10 English Language Learner (ELL) students statewide are “on track” in ELA.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more ELL students than the percent of ELL students statewide (6%). These districts also have a higher percent of ELL students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for ELL students (10.1%).*

*ELL cutoff is 5% instead of state total enrollment (6%) due to SDE data suppression parameters.


ELL Student Performance in Math

Standout Districts


Greenwich 32.9% Amistad Academy 24.4%

Manchester 9.8% Bridgeport Achievement First

21.3%

Torrington 8.7% Norwich Free Academy

18.6%

East Haven 8.5% Achievement First Hartford Academy

12.9%

Norwalk 8.1% Rocky Hill 12.2%

Statewide: About 1 in 14 ELL students statewide are “on track” in Math.

Standout districts: The following districts serve more ELL students than the percent of ELL students statewide (6%). These districts also have a higher percent of ELL students scoring at Level 3 and 4 than overall statewide percentages for ELL students (7.0%).*

Statewide Stats:English Language

Learner (ELL) Students


*ELL cutoff is 5% instead of state total enrollment (6%) due to SDE data suppression parameters.


CONTACT USYamuna Menon, Director of Research and Policy

[email protected]

Mercy Quaye, Communications [email protected]

The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) believes that all of Connecticut’s children deserve a high-quality education and works to change state and local policy to make that vision a reality. We conduct research and work with communities to inform and advocate for policies that will lead to excellent schools for all students. We are committed to promoting student-focused policies that ensure all students have equal opportunity and access to an excellent education.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Sources:1. Conn. State Dept. of Educ., Smarter Balanced in Connecticut: A New Starting Point for Future Growth, 2014-

2015 Smarter Balanced Assessment Statewide, District, and School Scores, Aug. 28, 2015, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2748&Q=335770

2. Conn. State Dept. of Educ., 2014-2015 Student Enrollment by State, District, and School, July 2015, Obtained by direct request from the department, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2758&q=334880

3. Conn. State Dept. of Educ., State Department Of Education Releases New Test Scores: Scores Present a New Starting Point for Growth, Statewide Scores in English Language Arts Exceed Expectations, Match Expectations for Math, Aug. 28, 2015, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/pressroom/state_releases_new_test_scores_2015.pdf

4. Conn. State Dept. of Educ., Connecticut’s Achievement Level Descriptions for the Smarter Balanced Assessment, 2015, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/student_assessment/smarter_balanced/ct_achievement_level_descriptions_for_the_smarter_balanced_assessment_-_f.pdf

5. Conn. State Board of Educ., Connecticut Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics Interpretive Guide, 2015, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/student_assessment/smarter_balanced/reporting/connecticut_smarter_balanced_interpretive_guide_2015.pdf

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2748&Q=335770

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2758&q=334880

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/pressroom/state_releases_new_test_scores_2015.pdf

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/student_assessment/smarter_balanced/ct_achievement_level_descriptions_for_the_smarter_balanced_assessment_-_f.pdf

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/student_assessment/smarter_balanced/ct_achievement_level_descriptions_for_the_smarter_balanced_assessment_-_f.pdf

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/student_assessment/smarter_balanced/reporting/connecticut_smarter_balanced_interpretive_guide_2015.pdf

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/student_assessment/smarter_balanced/reporting/connecticut_smarter_balanced_interpretive_guide_2015.pdf