State Governance

State Board of Education

Connecticut’s State Board of Education consists of eleven members, each serving a four-year term. The board members are appointed by the governor with consent of the General Assembly. Additionally, two students, without voting privileges serve one-year terms on the board.

The State Board of Education has authority over:

• Teacher licensures
• Summative Assessments
• Content Standards Adoption
• Recommends the Chief State School Officer
• Authorizes Charter Schools

Governor

Ned Lamont (D)

Chief State School Officer

Dianna Wentzell

Appointed by the governor

State Context

State Demographics

Public Education Enrollment by Special Populations:

Free and Reduced Price Lunch: 37.1%

English Language Learners: 5.7%

Served by IDEA: 13.0%

2015 NAEP State Data

Reading scores for Grade 4 by state average, race/ethnicity and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:

 

Reading scores for Grade 4 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:

 

Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by state average, race/ethnicity and NLSP-eligibility compared to the national average:

 

Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:

 

Science scores for Grade 8 by state average, race/ethnicity and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:

 

Graduation Rates

Adjusted cohort graduation rate between 2011 and 2015:

 

Charter Schools:

Year Charter School Law was Enacted: 1996

Number of Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 22

Number of Students Served by Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 8,036

Charter School Cap Law: Connecticut’s law contains a cap on charter school that limits 250 students per charter school or 25 percent of the enrollment of the district in which the charter is located, whichever is less.

ESSA Plan & Implementation

Learn about Connecticut’s ESSA plan.