The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Implementation of Selected Components of Connecticut’s Statewide Accountability System - September 29, 2025

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General audits whether the Connecticut State Department of Education implemented selected components of Connecticut’s statewide accountability system during fall 2022 using data from school year 2021–2022. Results indicate CSDE implemented two key components and provided additional funding and support to qualifying LEAs, but deviated on identifying low-performing schools and sometimes misidentified ATSI student subgroups due to coding error, affecting CSI and targeted support decisions. Recommendations focus on amending state plan procedures to ensure alignment with accountability improvement guidance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Results in Brief

Why Did the OIG Perform This Audit?

What Did the OIG Find?

What Is the Impact?

What Are the Next Steps?

| | U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General | | --- | --- | | The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Implementation of Selected Components of Connecticut’s Statewide Accountability System
September 29, 2025 ED-OIG/A24IL0199 | | Statements that managerial practices need improvements, as well as other conclusionsand recommendations in this report, represent the opinions of the Office of Inspector General. The appropriate Department of Education officials will determine what corrective actions should be taken. In accordance with Freedom of Information Act (Title 5, United States Code, Section 552), reports that the Office of Inspector General issues are available to members of the press and general public to the extent information they contain is not subject to exemptions in the Act. September 29, 2025 Charlene M. Russell-Tucker Commissioner Connecticut State Department of Education 450 Columbus Boulevard Hartford, CT 06103 Dear Commissioner Russell-Tucker: Enclosed is our final audit report,“The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Implementation of Selected Components of Connecticut’s Statewide Accountability System,” Control Number ED OIG/A24IL0199 . This report incorporates the comments you provided in response to the draft report. The U.S. Department of Education’s policy is to expedite audit resolution by timely acting on findingsand recommendations. Therefore, if you have any additional comments or information that you believe may have a bearing on the resolution of this audit, you should send them directly to the following Department of Education official, who will consider them before taking final Departmental action on this audit: Hayley Sanon Acting Assistant Secretary Office of Elementary and Secondary Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, D.C. 20202 We appreciate your cooperation during this review. If you have any questions, please contact me at (916) 213-7630 or [Ben.Sanders@ed.gov](Ben.Sanders@ed.gov). Sincerely, /s/ Ben Sanders Director, Elementary and Secondary Education Oversight Team Enclosure U. S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General Results in Brief The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Implementation of Selected Components of Connecticut’s Statewide Accountability System Why Did the OIG Perform This Audit? The U.S. Department of Education (Department) allocates funds to States through statutory formulas based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each State. To receive funding, a State plan that includes a description of its accountability system must be submitted to the Department for review and approval. For the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 Federal funding periods, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) was awarded about $156.4 million and $155 million in Title I, Part A funds, respectively. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires States to reserve a portion of their Title I funds to provide technical assistance and support for local educational agencies (LEA) with schools whose students are most in need of the additional support to improve their academic performance. Therefore, it is essential that the funds reach those students. The objective of our audit was to determine whether CSDE implemented selected components of its statewide accountability system in the fall of 2022 based on data for school year 2021–2022. What Did the OIG Find? | We found that CSDE implemented two (student academic achievement and school success indicators and annual meaningful differentiation) of the three selected components of the statewide accountability system ( Finding 1) and provided additional funding and support services to LEAs with identified schools in accordance with Connecticut’s approved State plan and CSDE’s policies and procedures ( Finding 2) . However, its implementation of cert

FAQs

What was the objective of the OIG audit for Connecticut’s accountability system implementation?

The OIG aimed to determine whether CSDE implemented selected components of its statewide accountability system in fall 2022 based on data for school year 2021–2022.

Which accountability components did the OIG find CSDE implemented, and where did it deviate?

The OIG found CSDE implemented two of the three selected components and provided additional funding and support to LEAs. However, CSDE deviated on aspects of the third component related to identifying low-performing schools, leading to incomplete CSI identification.

What impact could result from incorrect CSI or ATSI identification?

If CSI identification procedures in an approved state plan are not followed, eligible schools may miss resources while ineligible schools may receive them. Incorrect ATSI identification can also affect future CSI identification for student subgroups and schools needing additional support.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai