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Strengthen state leadership and drive accountability for educational change.

Demand Accountability

Total Points
Incomplete
4
Complete
4

1(a) - Leadership Matters

4 out of 4 points

Connecticut receives 4 out of 4 available points for building state-level leadership capacity. In 2012, Governor Malloy’s administration undertook a major education reform agenda as a top priority, overseeing the passage of a landmark education reform bill that sought to increase accountability and professional development for educators, increase preschool opportunities for low-income children, create a common chart of accounts, and build a framework for intervention in the neediest schools and districts.1 In 2013-2016, the administration worked with the legislature to expand upon the interventions passed in 20122, defend the Common Core3 and teacher evaluations4, establish the Office of Early Childhood, increase preschool slots for low-income students,5 and protect education funding even while facing significant budget deficits.6 In order to balance the FY 2016-17 budget, cuts of over $825 million were made from the original budget,7 of which only $108.6 million was reduced in the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) budget and $3.6 million was cut in the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) budget8.

In addition, the Governor has been attempting to put leadership in place that has the capacity to support the goals of his administration. Governor Malloy has appointed or reappointed all 8 of the SBOE’s appointed members.9 The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has also been reorganized over the past few years, with all CSDE offices reporting hierarchically to the Commissioner and Governor.10 As of February, 2016, the four major offices in the new organization (Talent, Turnaround, Performance, and Academic), had permanent appointees, but the Chief Academic Officer has since left CSDE.11

1(b) - Provide the Data to Inform and Drive Decisions

0 out of 4 points

Connecticut receives 0 out of 4 available points for its efforts to collect, analyze, and report out on data that can drive decisions-making. The Board of Regents for Higher Education, in partnership with the Departments of Education and Labor, has been charged with developing a Preschool through Twenty and Workforce Information Network (P20 WIN) for the state.12 P20 WIN represents an inter-agency network-between the Connecticut State Department of Education, the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education, the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Labor and the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges—which allows state agencies to audit education programs and make improvements.13

However, the project does not use a data warehouse or database, and each agency retains its individual data. The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) has initiated an Early Childhood Information System,14 which will collect the preschool data needed for its longitudinal analysis of the state’s school readiness program,15 based upon data from preschool through the fourth grade16. The Connecticut State Department of Education retains ownership of its K-12 data.17 The Board of Regents for Higher Education, the University of Connecticut, the independent colleges of CT, and the Department of Labor will each separately maintain data.18

Since 2015, the Connecticut State Department of Education has been required to submit an annual report on the quality of teacher preparation programs.19 However, this report has not yet been produced. It also does not link information on teacher effectiveness or the effectiveness of preparation programs to longitudinal student data. There does not appear to be any plan for P20-WIN to create that link either.

Furthermore, data from the agencies in the P20-WIN network are only ever linked when there is a specific audit or evaluation of publicly funded education programs that has been approved through a P20 WIN data request.20 Thus, Connecticut cannot be said to have implemented any true system for tracking student progress from Pre-K-20 or making that information publicly available.

Demand Accountability Rubric

1(a) - Leadership Matters - 4 points available

  • The Governor endorses an education reform agenda.
  • The Governor appoints at least half of the members of the State Board of Education (CSBE).
  • The CSDE is reorganized and staffed with specific offices that oversee early childhood education, school turnaround, and teacher and school leadership development.
  • The new CSDE offices report hierarchically to the Commissioner and the Governor.

1(b) - Provide the Data to Inform and Drive Decisions - 4 points available

  • CT develops a longitudinal data system for tracking student progress from Pre-K to post-secondary school.
  • CT links the longitudinal student data system to teacher and principal effectiveness.
  • CT links the longitudinal data systems to the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs.
  • CT makes information in the longitudinal data system publicly available.
= Complete     = Incomplete

Sources

  1. [1] P.A. 12-116.
  2. P.A. 13-184, as amended by P.A. 13-247
  3. Five bills in 2014 (H.B. 5078; H.B. 5114; H.B. 5168; H.B. 5154; S.B. 53) would have negatively affected the funding and/or implementation of the Common Core; none of these passed.
  4. No action was taken on H.B. 5331, which sought to alter the teacher evaluation system, after a 2014 public hearing.
  5. P.A. 14-39.
  6. P.A. 15-244, Section 33 lists the Education Cost Sharing town-by-town grants. The Alliance District increases are calculated by subtracting the FY 2014-15 grants found in P.A. 14-47, Section 18 from the FY 2016-17 grants found in P.A. 15-244.
  7. P.A. 15-244, Section 1.
  8. P.A. 16-02, May Special Session, Section 1.
  9. The SBOE has two student members who cannot vote, two members who are on the SBOE due to their appointed positions elsewhere, and the commissioner who is secretary to the board. That leaves eight members who were all chosen or re-nominated by Governor Malloy. (Connecticut State Departmnet of Education website. State Board of Education Members. Retreived October, 2016.).
  10. C.G.A Section 10-3a.
  11. Connecticut State Department of Education (2016). Organization Chart for the Connecticut State Department of Education. Retrieved October, 2016.
  12. Board of Regents for Higher Education (n.d.). P20 Win Data Sharing. Retrieved October 2016.
  13. Ibid.
  14. Office of Early Childhood (2015). Early Childhood Information System. Retrieved October 2016.
  15. Ibid.
  16. C.G.S. 10-500.
  17. Connecticut State Colleges and Universities website. P20 Win: Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved October 2016.
  18. Ibid.
  19. P.A. 15-243, Section 1.
  20. Connecticut State Colleges and Universities website. P20 Win: Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved October 2016.