Next Generation Accountability System

Overview

School and District Accountability

Connecticut’s Next Generation Accountability System is a broad set of 12 indicators that help tell the story of how well a school is preparing its students for success in college, careers, and life. The system moves beyond test scores and graduation rates and instead provides a more holistic, multifactor perspective of district and school performance and incorporates student growth over time. It was developed through extensive consultation with district and school leaders, Connecticut educators, state and national experts, CSDE staff, and many others. The system was conceived and developed under ESEA Flexibility and approved by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) on August 6, 2015. It was later included as part of Connecticut’s state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  Connecticut’s ESSA plan was approved on August 4, 2017. For complete school and district accountability results, please visit EdSight at http://edsight.ct.gov.


Connecticut's Federal Request for Flexibility from School/District Accountability in 2020-21

In light of the cancellation of statewide assessments in 2019-20 and its impact on accountability calculations for the 2020-21 school year, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) offered states the opportunity to request flexibility from school/district accountability for the 2020-21 school year. Therefore, Connecticut sought flexibility to decouple state assessment results from accountability determinations based on data from the 2020-21 school year.

Specifically, Connecticut requested federal approval to not issue summative ratings (i.e., the Accountability Index), not categorize schools into 1-5 categories, and not identify new Turnaround or Focus schools (category 4 and 5) in Fall 2021 based on data from the 2020-21 school year. USED originally required Connecticut's ESSA State Plan Addendum Template Submission.  Subsequently, USED provided states with a simpler accountability template to request the same flexibilities. Connecticut’s template submission and USED’s approval are listed below. 

 

Connecticut's Federal Waiver Request from Assessment, Accountability, and Reporting in 2019-20