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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

Connecticut took the national frameworks and built its K-12 around them. Math and reading run on the Common Core, science runs on the Next Generation Science Standards, and social studies follows a state framework adopted in 2015. The distinctive move is at the top: every public school junior sits for the SAT on a school day, paid for by the state. That decision shapes what high school looks like in the final years.

  • Connecticut Core Standards
Source: Connecticut Connecticut Core Standards
The shape of K-12
A plain-language read of how the state runs school.
What students learn
Math and reading both follow the Common Core, which Connecticut adopted in 2010 and now calls the Connecticut Core Standards. In practice that means students build reading and writing skills across grade levels using the same scope a parent would recognise from most other states. Science is anchored in NGSS and taught as something students do, designing investigations and explaining how things work, rather than memorising facts from a textbook.
How students are measured
The main spring test is the Smarter Balanced Assessment in reading and math, taken on a computer by students in grades 3 through 8. Science is tested separately in grades 5, 8, and 11 against the NGSS framework. The big one for high school is the SAT, which every junior takes on a school day in the spring at no cost to families. NAEP samples a few classrooms every couple of years for national comparisons.
Frameworks adopted, by subject
The standards documents the state writes against in each subject.
Subject Framework Adopted Source
Mathematics
Connecticut Core Standards
2010View
English Language Arts
Connecticut Core Standards
2010View
Science
Connecticut Core Standards
2015View
Social Studies
Connecticut Core Standards
2015View
Assessments
The tests students take across K-12, grouped by purpose.

Other

Tests that do not fit the buckets above.

State Summative

Smarter Balanced Assessment: ELA/Literacy (Grades 3-8)

Connecticut's spring summative test in reading and writing for grades 3 through 8, aligned to the Connecticut Core Standards for ELA.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

Smarter Balanced Assessment: Mathematics (Grades 3-8)

Connecticut's spring summative math test for grades 3 through 8, aligned to the Connecticut Core Standards for Mathematics.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

NGSS Science Assessment (Grade 5)

Computer-based science assessment in grade 5, aligned to the Connecticut Core Science Standards (NGSS).

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

NGSS Science Assessment (Grade 8)

Computer-based science assessment in grade 8, aligned to the Connecticut Core Science Standards (NGSS).

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
State Summative

NGSS Science Assessment (Grade 11)

Computer-based science assessment in grade 11, aligned to the Connecticut Core Science Standards (NGSS).

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
National College Readiness

SAT School Day

Connecticut administers the SAT School Day to all 11th-grade students free of charge as part of the state's accountability system.

When given:
spring
Frequency:
annual
Official source
National Monitoring

NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)

Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.

When given:
biennial in winter
Frequency:
every two years
Official source
Browse by grade and subject
Pick a cell to see exactly what students learn that year.
Subjects covered
4
Grade levels
13
Standards on file
1,026
Assessments tracked
7
Most recent adoption
2015
Common questions
  • Does this state use Common Core?

    Yes. The reading, writing, and math standards are the Common Core standards adopted in 2010, sometimes called the Connecticut Core Standards. Science follows the Next Generation Science Standards adopted in 2015, and social studies has its own state framework from the same year.

  • What's the spring test, and who takes it?

    Students in grades 3 through 8 take the Smarter Balanced test in reading, writing, and math each spring. Science is tested in grades 5, 8, and 11. Juniors also sit for the SAT School Day during the regular school day, free of charge.

  • Is the SAT really required for every 11th grader?

    Yes. The state pays for the SAT School Day and uses it as the high school accountability test, so every junior in a public school takes it during a normal school day. There is no separate state test for 11th-grade reading and math.

  • How often do the standards change?

    Not often. The math and reading standards have been in place since 2010, and the science and social studies frameworks since 2015. The state reviews them periodically, but big rewrites are rare, so what students are expected to learn this year looks a lot like last year.

  • Where can I see what students are expected to learn in a specific grade?

    Pick a subject and grade on this page. Each grade page lists the standards in plain language, with the original code next to each one so it lines up with what teachers use in lesson plans and report cards.

Sources
Every page link goes back to the state's own document.

Frameworks

Assessments