New Haven, CT [August 28, 2015] – The State Department of Education today released results from the 2014-15 Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC). As expected, student scores reflected a lower readiness level than previously assessed by Connecticut’s earlier exams, the CMT and CAPT.
To assist Connecticut families in navigating their student’s SBAC scores, ConnCAN has teamed up with the Connecticut Council For Education Reform (CCER) to produce a website called, ReadyCT.org. The site will give parents answers to frequently asked SBAC questions, provide ongoing, in-depth analysis on Connecticut scores, offer testimonials on the importance of college and career readiness and serve as a resource for publicly available SBAC information and analysis.
Now that the data is available, both organizations are taking the time to analyze the results thoroughly, and understand where our children stand. Additional information on the scores is available at ReadyCT.org.
“We hope this website will help parents and community members who are searching for answers and understanding when it comes to their students’ SBAC results,” said ConnCAN CEO Jennifer Alexander. “This baseline data gives us a new starting 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.
“For parents, getting results that suddenly look different and lower than we are used to might be alarming. It’s important to understand that we can’t compare these results to results on the old state test. The Smarter Balanced test is measuring students’ progress towards an entirely new and higher goal,” said Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of CCER. “Comparing these results to the old state tests would be like to comparing your blood pressure to an EKG result. Both may provide information about your health, but they do so in very different and incomparable ways. This year’s test results are a baseline, a starting point from which we should see steady improvements in years to come.”
“With the release of these results, Connecticut now has a more accurate reference point on our students’ college and career readiness,” Alexander said. “We hope this website helps parents, educators and advocates understand SBAC results and make informed decisions in the future. This baseline year gives us a new starting point to understand our students’ progress towards high standards and helps provide some of the data needed to target students’ needs and help them improve. That’s why it is important that parents receive accurate information about the assessment so they can separate myth from reality when it comes to SBAC and help ensure that their children will be ready for the challenges ahead.”
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About the Connecticut Council for Education Reform
The Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER)–a statewide, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) not- for-profit organization–works to close the achievement gap and raise academic outcomes for all students in Connecticut. The achievement gap is the disparity in academic achievement between children from low-income families and children of color, and their peers. We advocate for state policies and local practices that research shows have the best chance of raising achievement for high-need student populations. For more information on CCER, go to www.ctedreform.org
About the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now:
ConnCAN is a research and advocacy organization committed to promoting student-focused policies to ensure all of Connecticut’s students have equal access to quality public schools. Learn more at conncan.org
