Connecticut test scores show extent of pandemic learning loss, hope for recovery

Alison Cross, Hartford Courant
·4 min read

Newly released data from the Connecticut State Department of Education confirms that student achievement has yet to rebound from pandemic learning loss, but signs of accelerated academic growth leave officials hopeful for a recovery.

The 2021-22 state assessments reveal that student performance in English language arts, mathematics and science, which had experienced a sustained three-year increase before the pandemic, was lower than performance levels recorded during the 2018-2019 school year.

Nearly 89% of Connecticut school districts saw their average student performance decrease from pre-pandemic levels in at least one of the three academic categories.

Comparisons of last year’s performance index with the 2018-2019 data show that on average, across the state, student ELA performance declined 5%, math performance declined 7%, and science performance declined nearly 4%.

According to CSDE estimates, this decline amounts to fourth and fifth-graders trailing up to three months behind their expected achievement and middle-schoolers up to seven months behind in ELA and possibly more than a year behind in math.

Among these same age groups, the pace at which students learned math was on average higher in 2021-2022 than in the 2018-2019 school year — a fact that CSDE officials find promising, the scores show.

“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 CSDE press release.

On average, the percentage of Connecticut students who met their target growth rate in ELA rose from 39.9% in 2018-2019 to 40.2% in 2021-2022. Math saw even greater gains, increasing from 42.9% in 2018-2019 to 45.8% this past school year.

A CSDE press release on the data said that the “academic growth results offer some encouraging signs of learning acceleration. … The rates of academic growth will need to increase substantially in the coming months and years to shorten the recovery period.”

In an effort to advance this recovery, the CSDE has allocated more than $82 million in funding for additional after-school and summer enrichment programs, professional development, school mental health resources, support for students experiencing homelessness, and services for students with disabilities.

The CSDE said that the department will collaborate with educators and community stakeholders to identify new student engagement and learning strategies.

“As students return to classrooms this fall, we remain committed to working with district and school leaders who are considering these results with other sources of information, which must include the voices of educators, students, families, and the community. Through these partnerships, we continue to work toward equitable learning recovery so that all students will thrive,” Russell-Tucker said.

Other information

  • Achievement gaps among students of color continue to persist. In 2021-2022 the average math performance index of Connecticut’s Asian students was 76.6, followed by white students with 66.4, multiracial students with 60.9, Native Hawaiian/Pacific islander students with 57.6, Native American students with 53, Hispanic and Latino students with 47.6, and Black students with 44.9.

  • Across all subjects, average female-student performance declined at a slightly higher rate than their male classmates.

  • In 2021-2022 the average SAT score for Connecticut students dropped 13 points for ELA and 14 points for math compared to pre-pandemic levels. Overall, 82% of districts saw lower scores.

  • Before the pandemic, 59 school districts met or exceeded the state’s ELA performance target. In 2021-2022, 40 schools reached this goal. Just 13 schools met or exceeded the math performance target and 29 met or exceeded the science performance target.

  • Despite an overall statewide decline, during the 2021-2022 school year 22 districts saw ELA performance increase, 21 saw math performance increase, and 46 saw science performance increase compared to 2018-2019 levels.

  • The five districts that saw the most significant decline in student ELA performance include Andover School District, the Capitol Region Education Council, Booker T. Washington Academy District, Achievement First Bridgeport Academy District, and the Achievement First Hartford Academy District.

  • The five districts that saw the most significant decline in student math performance include the Elm City College Preparatory School District, Achievement First Bridgeport Academy District, Booker T. Washington Academy District, Amistad Academy District, and the Achievement First Hartford Academy District.

  • The five districts that saw the most significant decline in student science performance include the Brass City Charter School District, Achievement First Bridgeport Academy District, Elm City College Preparatory School District, Odyssey Community School District, and the Sprague School District.