Connecticut Schools Report Rising Test Scores, Declining Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism declined in Connecticut schools last year as student test scores increased in mathematics, according to recent data released by the State Department of Education, which reflected a continuation of several consecutive years of improved student performance.

According to the Department of Education, chronic absenteeism declined from 20% in the 2022-23 school year to 17.7%. That one-year decrease of 2.3% represents more than 11,000 fewer students who missed 10% or more of school days in Connecticut in 2023-24. A total of 158 school districts, more than 80%, reported a decline in chronic absenteeism.

The Education Department said its home visitation initiative, the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program, has helped drive significant improvement in attendance six months after a visit. This program targets students with chronic absences and sends staff to visit the student’s home to communicate with parents and children about how they can get back into the classroom. The agency found a correlation between LEAP and double-digit improvements in student attendance rates six months after a visit.

Meanwhile, the statistics found chronic absenteeism in younger age groups decreased at a faster rate compared to upper grades, suggesting early engagement helped keep students in class.

While the report found absenteeism above the pre-pandemic rate of 12.2% during the 2019-20 school year, it was down six points from a peak of 23.7% in the 2021-22 school year. High-needs students were still seeing higher rates of absenteeism, but those rates have dropped from a peak of 34% of students missing 20% of classes in 2021-22 to 25.5% of students in 2023-24, a 8.5% decline in two years.

Student performance increased in nearly all mathematics metrics and several English language arts metrics. On average, student proficiency increased 0.5% from 59.7 to 60.2, according to the report.

While still below the state’s target performance in these metrics, the increase observed in the report represents a recovery of nearly two points from two years ago, showing year-over-year improvements.

In English language arts, test scores remained consistent with previous years’ performance, with younger grades seeing improvements in test-taking. In mathematics, all but the eleventh grade saw year-over-year improvement.

Additionally, educational performance in science proficiency saw year-over-year gains for all but the fifth grade, with proficiency rising to a grade of 61.8, just two points behind 2019 metrics.

In the report, the Education Department highlighted some of its strategies for encouraging students to return to classrooms. Those strategies included masterclasses to improve teachers’ reading instruction, investments in core student curricula, summer enrichment efforts, apprenticeship programs and dedicating resources to support students with disabilities.

Posted by Joe O’Leary