The 2015 Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) provides an analysis of student performance in Connecticut, measuring college and career readiness in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics for grades 3-8 and 11. Overall, 55.4% of students met or exceeded expectations in ELA while 39.1% did so in math, with significant achievement gaps particularly affecting African American and Hispanic/Latino students. The report categorizes performance across various districts, highlighting both high-performing districts and those needing improvement, especially in serving low-income students.

1. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
September 2, 2015
2015 Smarter Balanced
Assessment Analysis:
State and District Results

2. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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.

3. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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

4. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
About this SBAC Analysis
A 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 11th 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.

5. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
English Language Arts (ELA)
Statewide Results

6. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
English Language Arts (ELA)
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.

7. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
Mathematics
Statewide Results

8. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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.

9. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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.
English Language Arts (ELA)
*Gap refers to the percentage point difference.

10. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
Statewide Achievement Gaps
Mathematics
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.

11. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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

12. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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 Math in Hartford
(14.2%), New Haven (13.5%),
Waterbury (13.3%), and
Bridgeport (9.1%).
Mathematics

13. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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.

14. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
Low-Income Student Performance in Math
Standout Districts
Large Districts Small 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 (26.4%, 15.4%).*
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.

15. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
African American Student Performance in ELA
Standout Districts Statewide Stats:
African American
Students
Percent at Level 3 & 4:
30.3%
Large Districts Small Districts
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%).

16. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
African American Student Performance in Math
Standout Districts
Large Districts Small 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
Percent at Level 3 & 4:
13.9%

17. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
Hispanic/Latino Student Performance in ELA
Standout Districts Statewide Stats:
Hispanic/Latino
Students
Percent at Level 3 & 4:
32.8%
Large Districts Small Districts
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%).

18. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
Hispanic/Latino Student Performance in Math
Standout Districts
Large Districts Small 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
Percent at Level 3 & 4:
17.3%

19. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
ELL Student Performance in ELA
Standout Districts Statewide Stats:
English Language
Learner (ELL) Students
Percent at Level 3 & 4:
10.1%
Large Districts Small Districts
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.

20. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
ELL Student Performance in Math
Standout Districts
Large Districts Small 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
Percent at Level 3 & 4:
7.0%
*ELL cutoff is 5% instead of state total enrollment (6%) due to SDE data suppression parameters.

21. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
CONTACT US
Yamuna Menon, Director of Research and Policy
yamuna.menon@concan.org
Mercy Quaye, Communications Associate
mercy.quaye@conncan.org
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.

22. September 2, 2015 ConnCAN
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_description
s_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_bal
anced_interpretive_guide_2015.pdf