Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell touted recent gains in Connecticut’s education achievement at a news conference at Bloomfield High School.
Among the accomplishments and milestones highlighted:
- Connecticut’s graduation rate is steadily rising – up 5.2 points since 2010 to 87 percent for the Class of 2014, which is higher than national average of 82 percent. Graduation gaps Connecticut has seen are narrowing with more minority students and students with disabilities graduating in four years than ever before.
- In 2015, almost 27,000 students, a 5.7 percent increase over 2014 – took 48,559 AP tests.
- Since 2011, state funding to the Department of Education increased 24 percent, or over half a billion dollars ($595,485,244).
- ECS grants – the main education funding mechanism to municipalities – is up $173.2 million.
- This past fall, Governor Malloy announced that the SAT will replace the Smarter Balanced test for 11th graders, thus reducing over testing at the high school level and giving all students a chance to take the college entrance exam for free.
Malloy and Wentzell visited Bloomfield High School, which was designated a turnaround school under Connecticut’s Accountability System. Bloomfield has seen an increase in the four-year graduation rate from 74 percent in 2011 to 90 percent in 2014, above the state average. The school also has demonstrated increased SAT scores and students at the school earned higher scores on the 2015 Smarter Balanced assessment in English language arts than the state average.
