Every year legislative leaders ask the Office of Legislative Research (OLR) to identify and provide brief descriptions of important issues that the General Assembly may face in the coming session.
This report represents the professional, nonpartisan views of staff in OLR, the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA), and the Legislative Commissioners’ Office (LCO) regarding possible upcoming legislative issues. It does not represent staff suggestions or recommendations. We identified issues based on interim studies; research requests; non-confidential discussions with legislators, other legislative participants, and executive branch agencies; and our general subject matter knowledge.
OLR compiled this report on the major issues for the 2014 session in consultation with OFA and LCO. OLR analysts wrote the issue descriptions below, except for the Appropriations Committee description, which OFA provided.
Taken from page eight:
Common Core State Standards and Teacher Evaluation
Connecticut is one of 45 states rolling out the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for math and language arts (English). Full implementation of the standards is scheduled in Connecticut for the 2014-15 school year, and the legislature may want to consider bills that address possible issues related to implementation and the accompanying new standardized tests. (A few states, including Massachusetts, are slowing the pace of CCSS testing implementation.) Since the new tests are administered on computers, one issue could be improving the technological capability of school districts to give the new tests.
Connecticut is also in the process of implementing new teacher evaluation systems in every school district. To avoid too many changes taking place simultaneously in the education system, the state may seek a delay in full implementation of the evaluation system until there is more time for teachers and students to adapt to CCSS. Connecticut is currently waiting for federal flexibility approval regarding testing tied to CCSS and the timing of the full implementation of the teacher evaluation.
The General Assembly may need to consider legislation that would help the state gain federal approval.
Read OLR’s report:
2013-R-0344, OLR Backgrounder: Common Core State Standards
This blog is a place to keep current with news regarding Common Core and SBAC without having to wade through the editorials inherent in Facebook groups. I try my best to do the wading for you; all links are actually relevant to parents in Connecticut. I also belong to a closed Facebook group of Connecticut teachers, and sometimes share things I read there. Once in a while I share my own experiences, and occasionally I do manage to connect some dots, or at least raise some pertinent questions.
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