New Haven school children made gains in proficiency in literacy, math, and science during the last academic year, according to data just released by the Connecticut State Board of Education. In English Language Arts (ELA), a higher proportion of students met their growth goals, and students on average achieved a greater percentage of their growth goals.
Overall Achievement Yearly Comparison (Level 3 and Above)
Students’ proficiency scores in ELA edged up in 2023-24 over the previous year, as measured by the Smarter Balanced Assessment. While New Haven’s proficiency scores lagged behind the state as a whole, its rate of growth in proficiency was higher, 1.3 points as compared to 0.4 point.
New Haven school children’s growth in ELA edged past pre-pandemic levels. The percentage of students who met their ELA growth targets was 33.1 percent in 2023-24, as compared to 32.6 percent in 2018-19. New Haven’s 3.8 points in ELA growth tripled that of the state as a whole, at 1.3 points.
The average percentage of the ELA growth target achieved was 56.0 percent in 2023-24, up from 52.1 percent the previous year, and compared to 55.2 percent in 2018-19. The rate of increase in the average percentage of growth target achieved (APTA) by New Haven students also exceeded that of the state as a whole. New Haven’s score increased 3.9 points, as compared to 1.5 points for the state. New Haven’s 56.0 percent APTA is close to the state average of 58.7 percent.
Improving student growth and achievement scores in literacy is a strategic priority for the New Haven Public Schools. The newly adopted strategic operating plan, The Path to Excellence, sets a goal of achieving an average of 70.1 percent of ELA growth target by 2029.
35.3 percent of 11th graders taking the SAT in evidence based reading and writing scored substantially better than last year’s benchmark, an improvement of 8.5 points. New Haven must continue to improve to reach the state benchmark of 54.8 percent, but again the rate of growth in New Haven’s scores exceeded the state’s, which was 2.4 points.
In math, proficiency scores continue their gradual growth, though they lag pre-pandemic scores and the state average. Math SBA proficiency scores were 14.4 percent, up 0.9 point from the previous year and 2.9 points from 2021-22, but down from 22.5 percent in 2018-19. By contrast, the state average was 44.1 percent last year.