Connecticut's State Plan: Reimagining Schools to Transform Students' Lives
Summary
Connecticut's State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, titled Reimagining Schools to Transform Students' Lives, from the Connecticut State Department of Education and dated June 7, 2021. The grantee page gives ARP ESSER PR Award Number S425U210030 and carries the printed name of Charlene M. Russell-Tucker as the authorized representative with a date of 6/7/2021. The contents list begins with an introduction and sections on the State's current status and needs, including progress and promising practices and overall priorities.
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Cite this document
“Connecticut's State Plan: Reimagining Schools to Transform Students' Lives.”
Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-3e8f30e813/
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Connecticut’s State Plan
American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER)
Reimagining Schools to
Transform Students’ Lives
Connecticut State Department of Education
June 7, 2021
Grantee and Contact Information
ARP ESSER PR Award Number: S425U210030
SEA Contact: Kathleen Demsey, Chief Financial Officer
Telephone: 860-929-6093
Email address: Kathy.Demsey@ct.gov
By signing this document, I agree to each of the assurances listed in Appendix C and
further assure that:
To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data included in this plan
are true and correct.
Chief State School Officer or Authorized Representative (Printed Name)
Charlene M. Russell-Tucker
Signature of Authorized SEA Representative Date:
6/7/2021
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 1
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3
A. Describing the State’s Current Status and Needs ............................................................ 4
A.1. Progress and Promising Practices .................................................................................. 4
A.2. Overall Priorities ............................................................................................................ 6
A.3. Identifying Needs of Underserved Students .................................................................. 7
A.4. Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic .............................................. 10
A.5. School Operating Status ............................................................................................... 13
B. Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining Their Safe Operations ................................ 17
B.1. Support for LEAs ......................................................................................................... 17
B.2. Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plans ...................... 24
C. Planning for the Use and Coordination of ARP ESSER Funds ................................... 26
C.1. SEA Consultation ......................................................................................................... 26
C.2. Coordinating Funds ...................................................................................................... 27
D. Maximizing State-Level Funds to Support Students ..................................................... 31
D.1. Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time .............................................................. 32
D.2. Evidence-Based Summer Learning and Enrichment Programs ................................... 36
D.3. Evidence-Based Comprehensive Afterschool Programs ............................................. 37
D.4. Emergency Needs ........................................................................................................ 39
D.5. Additional Funding Priorities ...................................................................................... 39
E. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting Students’ Needs ................................. 43
E.1. LEA Plans for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds ............................................................. 43
E.2. LEA Consultation ......................................................................................................... 45
E.3. Supporting and Monitoring LEAs’ Use of ARP ESSER Funds .................................. 46
E.4. Supporting LEAs while taking educational equity into account .................................. 49
F. Supporting the Educator Workforce ............................................................................... 51
F.1. Supporting and Stabilizing the Educator Workforce .................................................... 51
F.2. Staffing to Support Student Needs ............................................................................... 56
G. Monitoring and Measuring Progress .............................................................................. 58
G.1. Overview of Capacity and Experience with Data Collection, Reporting, and
Monitoring/Measuring Progress .......................................................................................... 58
G.2. Monitoring and Internal Controls ................................................................................ 61
Appendix A: SERC Public Forum Report .......................................................................... 62
Appendix B: CSDE Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement Summary.............................. 66
Appendix C: Connecticut State Department of Education Risk Assessment and
Subrecipient Monitoring ....................................................................................................... 69
Appendix D: ARP ESSER Application ................................................................................ 75
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 2
Introduction
Our Connecticut school communities—with students at the center—continue to be bold and
innovative as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with districts,
stakeholders, students, and families, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE)
is planning a transformative and equitable recovery starting with summer initiatives for
learning and fun every day, everywhere, and continuing forward into the next school year.
The CSDE and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), in collaboration with the
Office of the Governor, the Office of Early Childhood (OEC), and Office of Policy and
Management, are promoting an educational response focused on renewal, reducing
opportunity gaps, accelerating learning and advancing equity by providing access to supports,
resources, and enhanced enrichment opportunities.
The United States Department of Education (USED) has recognized the importance of these
efforts, particularly with the infusion of resources to support education in Connecticut. The
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief
Fund (ARP ESSER) has granted Connecticut an additional $1,105,919,874, providing the
opportunity to develop bold, high-impact plans to address the substantial disruptions to
student learning, interpersonal interactions, and social-emotional well-being. This represents
a total of $1,709,414,391 in federal COVID-19 relief funding specifically directed to
education in Connecticut since the start of the pandemic.
ESSER I created the opportunity to survive, ESSER II created the opportunity to thrive, and
ARP ESSER is Connecticut’s opportunity to transform. Utilizing the template provided by
the USED, the CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan provides a comprehensive narrative of how
the education community has survived with the help of ESSER I, thrived with ESSER II and
the vision for how the CSDE, alongside local education agencies (LEAs), will use ARP
ESSER to ensure that collectively we achieve our goal of reimagining schools to transform
students’ lives.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 3
A. Describing the State’s Current Status and Needs
A.1. Progress and Promising Practices
Despite being an unprecedented year that challenged our society, economy, and schools,
Connecticut has been recognized as a national leader for its approach to reopening schools
and its utilization of data to drive decision-making. Below, we highlight just a sample of the
collective progress in Connecticut school communities and the promising practices
developed to support our students and LEAs in our state and to reimagine education.
First, an important promising practice that has driven Connecticut’s response to the pandemic
is tapping into the expertise we have within the state and forging cross-sector partnerships
statewide. These partnerships were then leveraged to support school communities across the
state. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CSDE has prioritized providing support,
guidance, and resources pertaining to COVID-19 to school leaders, families, students, and
educators. An example of the resources provided was presented in 6 Ways the CSDE is
Working to Keep Schools Open Safely. This document drew attention to some of the
promising practices, such as maintaining a strong connection between the CSDE and the
Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) that facilitated just-in-time and expert
guidance to the broader school community and one-of-a-kind connection and collaboration
across state agencies.
These connections and collaborations were intentional, as seen in the creation of the K-12
Reopening Subcommittee of the Reopen Rules Committee, which brought together subject
matter experts from the Yale School of Public Health, Connecticut Children's Medical
Center, and representatives from the school superintendent organization, the school medical
advisors, the local health directors, and the school nurse supervisors, and infectious disease
and environmental health experts. This cross-agency collaboration deepened with the
establishment of “Health and Safety Tuesdays,” where CSDE leaders and DPH’s state and
deputy state epidemiologists, among others, host a virtual weekly meeting to provide updates
and answer questions from over 600 participants, including superintendents, school nurses,
school medical advisors, school board members, union representatives, policymakers,
representatives of private and independent schools, and local public health officials.
Routinely bringing these stakeholders together strengthened communitywide and statewide
partnerships between LEAs and public health providers, in addition to creating and bolstering
new ones. In addition, CSDE expanded its data collecting efforts to track the impacts of the
pandemic and has since been nationally recognized for these efforts by Attendance Works.
Second, progress during the pandemic was linked to technology, which made access to
devices and the Internet a necessity. While there is no replacement for in-person learning,
Connecticut addressed the digital divide so that access to devices and connectivity would not
present a barrier to learning. This included providing students with more than 142,000
laptops, 12,000 Kajeet hotspots, and 40,000 cable broadband vouchers to provide at-home
Internet access. The CSDE also recognizes the continued need for—and is committed to
providing—support for students, educators, and families to access and use technology and the
internet. The CSDE has shared information about the Federal Communications
Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program with superintendents and educational
stakeholders. In addition, CSDE has provided free access to digital resources to support
online and offline learning and to technology to aid in the facilitation of virtual, remote, and
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 4
hybrid learning. Looking forward toward the reimagined use of technology, the CSDE, in
partnership with the University of Connecticut, researchers from the state’s universities,
regional educational service center (RESC) representatives, and district and school educators,
launched the first-of-its-kind collaborative to conceptualize and coordinate COVID-related
research in education in the state.
Third, the Connecticut COVID-19 Education Research Collaborative (CCERC) will
coordinate the development and enactment of research on COVID-related educational issues,
ensuring strong connections between the research and Connecticut’s districts and
schools. Launched at the end of May, the CCERC will be a resource to consider studies that
document: how school districts implemented remote learning, examine variations by school
district characteristics, and assess relationships with student outcomes such as attendance,
behavior, and performance, and examine educators’ experiences teaching during COVID.
These types of studies will illuminate successes and help CSDE target resources toward the
most meaningful next steps.
Fourth, planning for our future progress and promising practices requires input from our
stakeholders, so in March 2021, CSDE launched the AccelerateCT Taskforce to create a
framework to assist districts in promoting renewal, reducing opportunity gaps, accelerating
learning, and advancing equity post-pandemic. The AccelerateCT Taskforce is a cross-
section of stakeholders representing various sectors who were charged to identify best
practices and offer guidance on how to implement bold, high-leverage strategies, programs,
and practices culminating in the development of the AccelerateCT Framework for
Accelerating Educational Opportunity and Access document. The document, published in
May 2021, includes specific special education guidance and a process for Planning and
Placement Teams.
Finally, the CSDE also recognizes, and is continuing its commitment to addressing, the
social-emotional needs of students that existed prior to—and were exacerbated by—COVID-
19. In March, the CSDE published 7 Ways CSDE is Leading Social-Emotional Learning
(SEL) to highlight some of its SEL initiatives, including procuring the Devereux Student
Strengths Assessment (DESSA) system, providing flexibilities for educator evaluations, and
hosting webinars specifically designed to support student and family social-emotional well-
being. This webinar series consisted of four parts: Family Tips: Providing Social and
Emotional Support to Children for COVID-19; The Three Rs of Learning from Home: Tips
for Stressed-out Families; Student Voices: Distance Learning During COVID-19 Virtual
Connecticut Forum; and Mi Experiencia Educativa en el tiempo de COVID-19, the last of
which was delivered in Spanish. Families were also provided with additional social-
emotional support resources. The social-emotional well-being of Connecticut’s students and
school staff remains a top priority of the CSDE.
This is just a snapshot of the many promising practices coming out of Connecticut in
response to the pandemic. To best capture the lessons learned and best practices across the
state as requested by our stakeholders, the CSDE will conduct a webinar inviting school
districts to submit to the U.S. Department of Education’s (USED) Safer Schools and
Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse, in addition to connecting with schools that have
shared particularly innovative ideas in their ESSER II applications. The CSDE also plans to
submit a collection of promising practices in the weeks to come.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 5
As a state, we have made great progress and identified numerous promising practices, but we
know there is still work to be done. The ARP ESSER provides an ongoing opportunity to use
our established state-level priorities, described in detail below, and create initiatives for all
students—especially those disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
A.2. Overall Priorities
Since the moment Connecticut began responding to the pandemic in March 2020, the CSDE
has been working to ensure that the education community had the resources and support to
survive the rapid transition to remote learning. Pairing ESSER I and state coronavirus relief
funds, we purchased needed devices and connectivity, supported districts’ purchase of
personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning services, subsidized additional and
substitute staffing, and carried out other measures needed to support social distancing efforts.
When the ESSER II funds were awarded, the CSDE put great effort into ensuring that the
districts and the state as a whole were able to shift out of the mindset of surviving and into
one of thriving. With this in mind, the CSDE developed state-level priorities under ESSER II,
including a comprehensive application and guidance. Now, as Connecticut considers the
historic ARP ESSER award, it can build upon the solid foundation of ESSER II and move
towards the mindset of transformation.
The CSDE revisited the ESSER II state-level priorities and identified areas that directly
connect to the issues currently facing students and schools across our state as a result of or in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation of the Connecticut ARP ESSER plan is
built upon the following CSDE state-level priorities, as outlined in the CSDE ARP ESSER
guidance document. These priorities are supported by data collected across various student
groups and informed by stakeholders’ voices. Students need support across the board—from
learning acceleration to social, emotional, and mental health. School staff also need extra
supports to provide academic renewal, as well as support to address their own social,
emotional, and mental health. And while the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are felt
across the education community in Connecticut, data also show us that our underserved
students were disproportionately affected, and therefore require a dedicated focus in the
CSDE priorities (data and details can be found in table A1).
With that in mind, the CSDE has established a commitment to equity that is carried through
all five of the state-level priorities.
CSDE Commitment to Equity
It is our collective responsibility to fulfill the outlined priorities through an equity-focused
lens. Access must be focused on our preK-12 populations most disproportionately affected by
COVID-19, including students of color, students with disabilities, English learners, students
experiencing homelessness, disengaged youth, youth in foster care, students from low-
income families, students involved in the justice system, and/or students who experienced
barriers to remote learning or whose progress was disrupted.
CSDE State-Level Priorities
Learning Acceleration, Academic Renewal, and Student Enrichment: Advancing equity
and access in education for students in Connecticut remain top priorities. The CSDE
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 6
continues to focus on academic supports to accelerate learning for our students, particularly
those disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Family and Community Connections: The complex issues brought about by the pandemic
have made it clear that the success of schools, families, and communities are interdependent
and all have a stake in students’ well-being. The CSDE believes investing in mutually
beneficial school-family-community partnerships will not only support students to achieve
their full potential, but it will also strengthen families and stabilize communities.
Social, Emotional, and Mental Health of Students and of Our School Staff: The school
community experience during the pandemic has been one of collective challenge and trauma.
The CSDE is taking a coordinated approach to providing social-emotional supports to
students and staff that will allow the agency to build upon existing efforts already underway
in districts across the state.
Strategic Use of Technology, Staff Development, and the Digital Divide: Applying what
we have learned during the pandemic requires careful consideration of the importance of
student access to in-person learning and enrichment balanced with the strategic use of
technology to engage and expand learning opportunities.
Building Safe and Healthy Schools: Ensuring our school buildings are safe and healthy
environments that enable all our students to excel remains an important aspect of recovering
from COVID-19. The CSDE is committed to supporting districts in their efforts to invest in
changes that support the physical health and safety of our students and staff.
In support of the collective call to think boldly and create transformative programs for the
students of Connecticut, the CSDE provided the above priorities to local education agencies
to guide their planning for ARP ESSER spending. While crafting the ARP ESSER plans,
LEAs must consider how they can address the most critical and/or most widespread issues
facing their schools and students through the lens of these five priorities.
A.3. Identifying Needs of Underserved Students
A priority of the CSDE throughout the pandemic has been to deploy data-informed policies,
which includes understanding the depth and breadth of challenges that underserved students
are facing. To determine the state’s highest priority academic, social, emotional, and/or
mental health needs for the 2021-22 school year, the CSDE followed suit by:
(1) Examining existing state-level datasets: The CSDE examined the robust data collected in
EdSight, the CSDE’s education data warehouse. EdSight reports data on learning model and
monthly attendance, including chronic absenteeism. The attendance data are disaggregated by
traditional student groups such as race/ethnicity, free/reduced price meal eligibility, students
with disabilities, and English learners, as well as by other groups such as by grade, homeless
status, and student learning model. The CSDE has been reporting these data publicly at
Supporting Student Participation since October 2020. More details about how the data were
collected and used can be seen in A.5.
(2) Launching supporting data collection: The CSDE recognizes that both quantitative and
qualitative data on students’ social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health is critical to
understand how COVID-19 affects their needs. The CSDE conducted a statewide landscape
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 7
survey of Connecticut public schools, along with follow-up focus groups, during the fall of
2020. The purpose of the scan and follow-up focus groups was to provide the CSDE with a
snapshot of the work already taking place regarding current trends, emerging issues, and
programmatic initiatives related to social-emotional learning in K-12 public schools across
the state. CSDE encouraged all public-school districts to take part in the survey. Of
Connecticut’s 200 districts, 124 (62%) responded and completed the survey. Twenty-five of
the 33 high-need districts (referred to in Connecticut as the Alliance Districts) completed the
survey. Results are being finalized, and the final report will be complete before the end of the
current school year.
(3) Offering district-level tools for identifying student needs: To assist districts on the ground
with identifying and supporting individual students’ needs, the CSDE has procured the
Devereux Student Strength Assessment (DESSA) system, which provides a consistent tool
for districts to quickly screen students for SEL attributes. The DESSA is available to all
districts at no cost. The SEL universal and supplemental assessments are strength-based and
align to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
competencies. In addition, based on districts’ feedback, the CSDE is developing the
Components of Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Habits for grades 4 through 12 (a
continuation of the kindergarten through grade 3 document).
CSDE will continue to support districts’ work at the school level through this practice of
reviewing and supplementing existing datasets, while collecting and sharing best practices
and successes.
Table A1: Needs of underserved students
Student group Highest priority needs
Students from low-income The CSDE collects data on students who qualify for free/reduced
families lunch and will therefore consider those students to fall in the
category of students from low-income families. Representing
some of the lowest percentages for attendance and in-person
learning, students from low-income families’ learning has been
significantly affected by the pandemic. Nearly twice as many
students who receive free/reduced lunch are considered
chronically absent this year compared to 2019-20. At times, the
challenges students from low-income families face are
compounded by other high-need factors, making the need for the
CSDE to intervene even more urgent.
Students from each racial or The CSDE disaggregates attendance data based on racial and
ethnic background used by the ethnic background. Attendance data reveal that Black/African
state for reporting purposes American and Hispanic/Latino students have substantially lower
(e.g., identifying disparities and attendance rates year-to-date (YTD) 2020-21 compared to the
focusing on underserved previous school year (94% dropping to 89%). When attendance
student groups by rate is 90% or less, it can be interpreted to mean that, on average,
race/ethnicity) that group of students is chronically absent, which also shows
significant lost instructional time.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 8
Student group Highest priority needs
Students by gender (e.g., The CSDE disaggregates data by gender. The 2020-21 YTD
identifying disparities and attendance data reveal that the attendance rate for males (92.4%)
focusing on underserved and females (93.4%) is slightly lower than in 2019-20 (94.8%
student groups by gender) for both genders), and the decline is slightly greater among
males. Other indicators of high needs (e.g., low socioeconomic
status, English learner status, special education) seem to have a
greater impact on student attendance in 2020-21 than gender
alone.
English learners The highest priority for English learners, based on the data
available, is to increase the number of students learning in-
person. This is influenced by data that reveal COVID-19 had a
disproportionate impact on English learners’ attendance and
instruction modality. In the 2020-21 school year, the chronic
absenteeism rate for these students nearly doubled from the
previous year (17.2% in 2019-20 to 34.1% in 2020-21). A
potential contributing factor is that English learners were more
likely to be learning fully remote (14.9%) compared to many of
their peers. Attendance rates were lower for remote days
(86.9%) as compared to if English learners were in person
(92.7%). Another crucial factor to consider when trying to solve
for the significantly lower attendance rates is that English
learners, at times, have additional high-need factors. For
example, students that are English learners and come from a
low-income family and/or have a disability reflect some of the
lowest attendance rates YTD 2020-21.
Children with disabilities The highest priority for children with disabilities, based on the
data available, is to discover what factors are contributing to
poor attendance. Data show that while children with disabilities,
much like English learners, have experienced a rise in chronic
absenteeism (20.8% in 2019-20 to 32.4% in 2020-21). They
have a small proportion of students accessing fully remote
instruction (10.1%). The 2020-21 data show students with
disabilities who were also dually identified as an English learner
or came from a low-income family had lower rates of
attendance. The CSDE aims to find what is needed to help
children with disabilities feel safe and comfortable attending
school again.
Students experiencing Connecticut’s students experiencing homelessness were hardest
homelessness hit from the pandemic. Data show that students experiencing
homelessness are more than twice as likely to be fully remote as
compared to the state average (22.6% compared to 10.2%),
which consequently leads to a significantly lower attendance rate
than if they were in-person (78.5% versus 87.0%). These two
factors contribute to a rate of chronic absenteeism that requires
urgent attention; more than half of students experiencing
homelessness have been chronically absent this year so far
(57.1%).
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 9
Student group Highest priority needs
Children and youth in foster Attendance data have not been disaggregated for youth in foster
care care, but prior assessment data show that these students
substantially lag their peers. For instance, in the most recent year
of data available, the achievement of students who were NOT in
foster care was two-to-three times greater than those in foster
care. Similarly, on-time high school graduation rates for students
NOT in foster care (88.9%) was substantially higher than for
those in foster care (50%).
Migratory students Connecticut does not have a reportable number of migrant
students to perform an analysis.
Other groups of students CSDE has also noticed a greater decline in attendance among the
identified by the state (e.g., upper grades—grade 6 and up. For the 2021-22 school year, the
youth involved in the criminal agency aims to target attendance initiatives on the various
justice system, students who underserved student groups mentioned above, as well as grades
have missed the most in-person 9, 10, and 11 first, and then also on grade 8. Each group presents
instruction during the 2019-20 a particular need that CSDE aims to address:
and 2020-21 school years,
students who did not • Grade 9: Students will just be entering high school after
consistently participate in a disrupted grade 8.
remote instruction when offered • Grade 10: Students had a very disrupted and atypical
during school building closures, freshman year of high school and are likely to need
LGBTQ+ students) further adjustment and support for the remaining three
years.
• Grade 11: These students are entering their second-to-
last year of high school and have yet to have a
traditional year. With a freshman year cut short (2019-
20) and a sophomore year filled with sporadic learning
modes, these students will need extra support as they
heal from the challenges of the pandemic and are thrust
into making decisions concerning their futures.
• Grade 8: While the nature of serving this group is not as
urgent as the high school aged students, this group could
use extra support as they prepare to make the transition
to high school in 2022-23 after a very untraditional
middle school experience.
Source: State education agency (SEA) administrative data, YTD March 2021.
A.4. Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning and student well-being is
difficult to quantify, and unique to each student and school district. To support LEAs in their
process of thoughtfully understanding areas of need, the CSDE has established a series of
academic and student well-being related support systems.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 10
Academic
During the first phase of ensuring continuity of learning, the CSDE used state, federal, and
philanthropic resources to partner with other state agencies to bring a wide array of supports
to local school districts, families, and students. These include devices; connectivity;
instructional materials for at-home learning; nutrition efforts like pandemic-EBT, which have
served over 12 million Child Nutrition Program meals; the most up-to-date health/safety
guidance; and guidance and flexibilities so LEAs could reimagine classrooms, teaching, and
learning.
The second phase of academic supports was to provide a four-volume series of resource
guides to support student learning during the closure (the series can be found at the following
links: volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4). These include content resources aligned to
grade and core academic content, a remote learning guide of effective educational technology
resources, a distance learning guide to support data privacy, grading and assessment
practices, and how to provide instruction for a three-tiered model of scientifically research-
based interventions. The CSDE published two resources to recommend lead strategies for the
design and development of virtual learning plans and blended learning environments to
support the varied learning models in place. The Plan for Reimagining CT Classrooms for
Continuous Learning provided the design principles for continuous learning required when
in-person and remote.
The third phase to support LEAs and all learners was the development of the CT Learning
Hub, a centralized online space to access resources anytime, anywhere to accelerate learning
and advance equity. The CT Learning Hub includes eight sub-hubs to meet the needs of
Connecticut educators, students, families and communities. The evidence-based resources
provided at no cost to LEAs include access to digital curricula, social-emotional learning
resources, external education partners, and on-demand professional learning. Going forward,
the CSDE is committed to expanding the resources being provided in the CT Learning Hub
by adding resources to respond to the needs of educators, students, families, and
communities.
The ultimate goal of these efforts was to ensure that districts offer safe, in-person instruction
to as many students as possible during the 2020-21 school year and use this as an opportunity
to redesign learning with the student at the center.
These efforts in combination with ongoing collaborative public health support and guidance
meant that, as of the week of May 24-28, 2021, no district in the state of Connecticut was
fully remote, and 86.3% of all school districts statewide were offering predominantly fully
in-person instruction. This progress made by LEAs to provide in-person instruction enabled
the CSDE to expect that districts administer the state assessments, which are vital to
understanding the academic impact of the pandemic, in person to as many students as
possible. While CSDE has offered a remote administration option, it is hoped that most will
test in person to minimize any comparability concerns. We are pleased that over 90% of
Connecticut’s English learners took part in the English language proficiency (ELP)
assessment; though lower than in prior years, this is commendable. Districts already have the
ELP assessment results and will receive their academic assessment results as usual by mid-
June. They will be able to use them, as in any pre-pandemic year, to inform local planning for
the summer and upcoming school year.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 11
The CSDE will be conducting a wide array of analyses at the student, group, state, and
regional levels to understand the impact of the pandemic on student learning and inform
practice going forward. These analyses will likely involve some type of sampling to account
for the slightly lower participation expected in 2020-21. Here are some questions being
explored:
• How did students grow academically through the pandemic?
• How does the academic achievement of third- and fourth-graders compare to those in
prior years?
• What is the relationship of student learning/growth to the learning model used by the
student in 2020-21 (e.g., in-person, hybrid, remote)?
• For all the above questions, what is the interaction of the common student
characteristics (e.g., low socioeconomic status, English learner status, special
education, race/ethnicity, gender, children in foster care)?
The CSDE is collaborating closely with local leaders to help inform which data will provide
the most meaningful context for developing programming moving forward. Our collaboration
with district leadership will extend to releasing the results in a way that provides meaningful
and actionable information to stakeholders and, most importantly, families.
Student Well-Being
Understanding the impacts of the pandemic on student well-being is more nebulous;
therefore, the CSDE has established three projects that will support LEAs in thoughtfully
identifying these important needs:
(1) Amplification of the efforts established to support districts in identifying needs of
underserved students: As mentioned in A.3, this includes the launch of additional data
collection initiatives, such as the landscape survey of Connecticut public schools and the
procurement of the DESSA system. The CSDE will receive student-level data on the DESSA
for the participating districts. The CSDE plans to integrate these data into its EdSight Secure
data warehouse and conduct studies to find the relationship of the DESSA’s strengths-based
SEL attributes to future student engagement and outcome measures. All information received
through DESSA and any study results will be treated like all other confidential student data
and subject to FERPA.
(2) Additional data provided through the Connecticut COVID-19 Education Research
Collaborative (CCERC): The CCERC aims to conduct studies that serve as a diagnostic of
how the pandemic has affected all Connecticut students and then provide the data to LEAs.
(3) Engaging with the Child Well-being Taskforce: The CSDE developed the Child Well-
being Taskforce that gathers members of the Department of Children and Families, the
Department of Social Services, and a collection of local providers, including the five largest
behavioral health providers in the state, to assess the needs of the student populations and
identify the supports for schools, staff, and students. These findings will be shared with LEAs
to aid their efforts in identifying the impact of the pandemic on student well-being.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 12
A.5. School Operating Status
A.5.i. State Data Collection
For the 2020-21 school year, the State Board of Education (SBE) expected districts to
provide rigorous learning and engagement opportunities regardless of the learning model
being implemented. The SBE also charged the CSDE with collecting pertinent data and
making that information transparent. Therefore, at the start of the 2020-21 school year,
Connecticut established two new data collections to support student attendance and
engagement in schooling:
1. The learning model data (referred to as instruction mode by USED) collection collects
data weekly on the learning model offered by each district for each grade.
2. The monthly attendance data collection collects student-level membership and
attendance data; this is reported separately for in-person and remote days.
The CSDE has been reporting these data publicly at Supporting Student Participation since
October 2020. Two interactive state maps are provided on this web page: one for the learning
model for the most recent week for all districts (below right), and another on year-to-date
attendance rates for high needs students (below left).
Also included are many graphs on attendance, as well as one that shows the percentage of
districts operating predominantly in-person since early September 2020 (see below).
In addition to the visuals, several datasets are available for download and can be used for the
USED’s future review of the data described in A.5.i.c.
• The Learning Model Dataset for All Weeks (.csv)
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 13
• Attendance by Student Group and District, YTD 2020-21 (.csv)
• Attendance by School, YTD 2020-21 (.csv)
• District Attendance Rates by High Needs Category and by Grade (.xlsx)
• District Attendance Rates for English Learners and Students with Disabilities by
Grade Band (.xlsx)
• Chronic Absence by District (.xlsx)
The learning model data are discussed weekly among senior CSDE leadership and with the
Governor Lamont’s office. These data have been instrumental in gaining support to reopen
schools for in-person instruction. Prior to collecting the attendance data, the CSDE issued
new guidance for Tracking Attendance on Remote Days for State Reporting. The attendance
data are aggregated and updated every month. This includes attendance rates and chronic
absenteeism data. As discussed previously, CSDE staff have used these attendance data to
provide technical assistance and supports to districts to increase student participation this
year.
A.5.ii School Operating Data
Table 5.1 (Data for week of May 10-14)
Number of Districts All Districts Offered to Offered Not offered
all students to some
students
Remote or online only 0 n/a n/a n/a
Districts open with both 30 30 n/a n/a
remote/online and in-person
instruction (hybrid)
Districts open with full-time 167 167 n/a n/a
in-person instruction
Table 5.2 (Data YTD as of March 2021)
Number of Total Remote or Both remote/online Full-time in-
students enrollment online only* and in-person person
instruction instruction***
(hybrid)**
Students from low- 212,928 97,117 84,493 31,318
income families
White, not 254,591 58,046 123,990 72,555
Hispanic
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 14
Number of Total Remote or Both remote/online Full-time in-
students enrollment online only* and in-person person
instruction instruction***
(hybrid)**
Black or African 65,582 33,296 24,066 8,220
American, not
Hispanic
Hispanic, of any 144,896 66,566 56,223 22,107
race
Asian, not Hispanic 26,489 12,726 9,007 4,756
American Indian or 1,283 598 549 136
Alaskan Native, not
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian or 513 201 222 90
Pacific Islander,
not Hispanic
Two or more races, 20,695 6,683 9,052 4,960
not Hispanic
Race/ethnicity n/a n/a n/a n/a
information not
available
English learners 42,460 18,818 17,123 6,519
Children with 78,531 24,887 35,016 18,628
disabilities
Students 1,834 979 704 151
experiencing
homelessness
Children and youth n/a n/a n/a n/a
in foster care
Migratory students n/a n/a n/a n/a
* Remote or Online Only: This represents those who are fully or mostly remote where less than 25% of
school days are in person.
**Both remote/online and in-person instruction (hybrid): Between 25% and 75%, inclusive, of days are
in person.
***Full-time in-person instruction: more than 75% of days are in person.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 15
A.5.iii. Guidance for Operational Status for Summer 2021 and School Year 2021-22
The Office of the Governor, CSDE, DPH, and national experts have reinforced throughout
the pandemic that access to in-person learning opportunities is a priority, particularly due to
the significance of the social-emotional environment provided through student and adult
interactions during the school day. Consistent with our priorities of advancing equity and
access, we expect the operational status for LEAs in both the Summer of 2021 and the
2021-22 school year will be in person. This planned operational status and mode of
instruction is, of course, contingent on the continued success in managing the COVID-19
pandemic and the related public health conditions. The CSDE has already provided clear
guidance to LEAs in April 2021 that there will not be a mandate for continued remote
learning. We will be issuing additional guidance to provide guardrails for any potential
judicious use of virtual and remote learning, in concert with in-classroom education. This
future guidance will be further defined by the outcomes of the Connecticut legislative session
and by CSDE standards being developed at present with the input of stakeholders.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 16
B. Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining Their Safe
Operations
B.1. Support for LEAs
The CSDE has maintained consistently throughout the pandemic that in-person learning is the
preferred learning modality for students, and that schools should work to safely provide this
opportunity for the 2020-21 school year and moving forward. To support LEAs in safely
returning to in-person instruction and sustaining the safe operations of schools, the
CSDE, in consultation with experts and epidemiologists at Connecticut DPH, and with
consideration of guidance established by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), has provided
extensive support and guidance to districts. As mentioned in A.5, due to these expansive
efforts, no district in the state of Connecticut was fully remote as of the week of May 24-
28, 2021, and 86.3% of all school districts statewide were offering predominantly fully in-
person instruction.
Connecticut is proud to be a leading state when it comes to safely reopening school buildings
and plans to continue to ensure student access to in-person learning in the 2021-22 school
year. Below, we describe the efforts that we plan to continue in the coming year as well as
additional supports that will enable LEAs to ensure they are addressing the educational
inequities that have been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
B.1.i. Supporting LEAs implementation of prevention and mitigation strategies
After experiencing success in the 2020-21 school year, the CSDE is actively engaged with
DPH in figuring out what the required public health mitigation strategies may be for our next
school year. This includes a review and plan to update its school reopening guidance, Adapt,
Advance, Achieve that was originally released in June 2020. The original guidance document
also includes 14 addenda related to health and safety measures, attendance and engagement,
remote instruction, and more. Links to the guidance document and its addenda, which are
updated as needed, can be found on this web page. Interim guidance has also been provided
for the summer planning.
All strategies listed below have been, and will continue to be, revised as the approach to the
mitigation strategies evolve due to updated guidance from the CDC or DPH. LEAs have been
notified that, as we continue to see shifting public health data or evolving understanding of
COVID-19 disease, including new information on vaccination and transmission, they will
similarly need to be prepared to update their efforts toward following the guidance. These
tools and guidance are also shared with all schools on a weekly live webinar and question and
answer session with expert epidemiologists, and through prior webinars such as: COVID19
and Schools: Mitigation Strategies, Community Spread, and Decision-Making.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 17
Table B: Safe Return to In-Person Instruction Strategy
Mitigation strategy SEA response
Universal and correct wearing All schools in Connecticut are required to have policies
of masks requiring the universal use of face coverings (cloth masks or
disposable procedure-style masks that completely cover the nose
and mouth) for all students and staff when they are inside any
school building with certain exceptions (medical/disability
related exemptions). CSDE further directed school districts to be
prepared to provide a face covering to any student or staff
member who does not bring one with them to the school on any
given day or be prepared to deny entry to individuals who arrive
at school without a face covering. Students, teachers, coaches,
and other staff may also be required to wear a face covering in
certain limited situations outside of the school building as well,
as addressed in updated guidance from the CSDE.
Additional guidance has been provided to:
• teach and reinforce use of cloth face coverings for
students and staff;
• frequently remind individuals not to touch the face
covering and to wash their hands frequently;
• provide staff, students, and students’ families
information on proper use, removal, and washing of
cloth face coverings; and
• set clear guidelines regarding limited exceptions to use
of face coverings when other mitigating practices are in
place.
LEAs have been asked to provide consistent communication
with their staff, students, and community on use of face
coverings, including but not limited to:
• develop a consistent policy to address mask breaks
throughout the day;
• assess when face shields may be appropriate; however,
face shields alone are not a sufficient alternative to the
wearing of face masks for source control, but rather both
should be worn for additional protection; and
• in cases where an exception is requested based upon a
disability, hold a planning and placement team (PPT) or
Section 504 meeting as appropriate to consider possible
programming revisions or appropriate accommodations.
Further guidance from CSDE and DPH was published in
Addendum 11: Interim Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings
in Schools during COVID-19
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 18
Mitigation strategy SEA response
Physical distancing (e.g., Schools must maintain the recommended social distancing
including use of (based upon the operative guidance or mandates from CSDE,
cohorts/podding) DPH, and/or the CDC at that time) to the maximum extent
possible. They are also expected to prepare, in advance, for
times when social distancing may be particularly difficult,
including but not limited to:
• accommodating students with special health care needs
or disabilities whose learning (e.g., direct instruction) or
other needs (e.g., assisting with toileting or ambulation)
may require closer proximity and/or direct contact; and
• conducting health assessments or screenings when there
is a suspicion that symptoms exist or there was exposure
(e.g., the school nurse listening to lung sounds).
Handwashing and respiratory The CSDE directed all schools to ensure that students are
etiquette educated and engaged in the expectations related to all public
health policies and protocols. This included asking districts to
assess the best approach to communicating the information for
each age group and to plan to set aside time at the beginning of
the school year, as well as throughout, to review and remind
students of the policies and protocols.
Guidance also included asking districts to:
• provide adequate supplies, including soap, hand sanitizer
with at least 60% ethyl alcohol or 70% isopropyl alcohol
(for staff and older students who can safely use hand
sanitizer), paper towels, tissues, disinfectant wipes, cloth
face coverings (as feasible), and no-touch/foot-pedal
trash cans;
• educate and train the school community in the standard
public health practices, to help them make appropriate
decisions and comply with school health policies and
practices; and
• provide frequent reminders to students and staff of the
importance of these precautions. Consider weekly
refreshers on the key public health strategies.
Cleaning and maintaining The CSDE in partnership with DPH provided all schools with
healthy facilities, including tools and guidance, including live and subsequently recorded
improving ventilation webinars with expert epidemiologists on the following topics:
• Optimizing Ventilation for School Reopening;
• Cleaning and Disinfection Strategies for School
Reopening; and
• Preparing the School Water System for Fall Reopening.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 19
Mitigation strategy SEA response
Contact tracing in combination The CSDE, in partnership with DPH, local health departments
with isolation and quarantine, and districts, and the Yale School of Public Health, provided all
in collaboration with the State, schools with tools and guidance for contact tracing scenarios in
local, territorial, or Tribal schools, including a live webinar with expert epidemiologists:
health departments
• COVID-19 Contact Tracing: Recommendations for K-
12
• Addendum 9: COVID-19 Contact Tracing:
Recommendations for K-12
Also, the CSDE partnered with the Connecticut Association of
Schools (CAS) to match districts with contracted support staff to
increase capacity to help with contact tracing efforts.
Diagnostic and screening The Connecticut DPH has received $107 million in federal
testing funding to support immediate programs for school-based
COVID-19 screening tests, planning during the summer, and
large-scale COVID-19 screening testing in Connecticut schools
for the start and throughout the 2021-22 school year.
The CSDE is a critical partner in an implementation working
group with the DPH, the Office of the Governor, school
superintendents, epidemiologists, and other experts. The
planning uses best practices identified from Connecticut school
districts that have conducted testing throughout the current
school year, identifies testing partners and testing modalities,
and implements testing immediately in the current school year in
select districts according to readiness and demographics.
Efforts to provide vaccinations Connecticut school staff, including teachers, administrators, and
to educators, other staff, and all staff working in school buildings, became eligible to receive
students, if eligible COVID vaccines effective March 1, 2021. The CSDE worked
directly with the Connecticut DPH and the Office of the
Governor to connect school districts and independent/private
schools with vaccine providers and schedule school-specific
clinics. Providers included local health departments and districts,
hospitals, and health care systems. Over 240 first-dose clinics
were scheduled, followed by subsequent second-dose clinics
when applicable.
Student clinics began in Connecticut’s highest need districts in
similar fashion on April 19, 2021, to address equity of vaccine
availability. Due to this success, Connecticut opened eligibility
to all schools beginning in late April. To date (June 2, 2021),
59.1% of 16- and 17-year-olds and 34.6% of 12-15-year-olds
have received their first vaccine.
Appropriate accommodations The CSDE has established, and consistently communicated, that
for children with disabilities a priority for school districts must be providing appropriate
with respect to the health and accommodations for students with disabilities, and that school
safety policies implementation of health and safety policies must take students
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 20
Mitigation strategy SEA response
with disabilities’ needs into account. This will continue to be the
message from the CSDE to all LEAs.
This focus on equitable and safe access for students with
disabilities was made clear from the start, when the anchor
document Adapt, Advance, Achieve guidance was published and
included, in relevant part, as requirements that LEAs prepare
with the understanding that there has been no waiver of
requirements under the IDEA for provision of a free and
appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive
environment (LRE). LEAs also must treat students eligible for
special education and other special populations as general
education students first. Guidance and policies related to school
reopening plans apply to all students, including students with
special needs who qualify for individual education programs
under the IDEA and accommodation plans for eligible students
under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
The CSDE also issued a guidance document that prioritized the
design and development of a reopening/continuity of services
plan that service students who present with high needs and those
that typically have an individualized education program (IEP).
The CSDE recommended that districts prioritize in-school
opportunities for students with disabilities. A guidance document
was developed to assist schools in assessing special
considerations when providing in-person services for students
with high needs: Addendum 3: Fall Reopening Resource
Document for Students with High Needs
In Addendum 6: Reopening Guidance for Educating Students
with Disabilities provides guidance related to the education of
students receiving special education and related services within
the school reopening framework. The CSDE directed all schools
to prioritize communication with families and engage in
meaningful consultation to discuss how a student’s IEP services
would be delivered while adhering to current health and safety
requirements. The CSDE developed the Learning Model IEP
Implementation Plan and required districts to use this form to
document the delivery of special education and related services
that may be affected by the school district’s response to the
pandemic.
In April 2021, in response to the need for collaboration to
address the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on
students with disabilities, CSDE initiated a monthly Special
Populations Roundtable with special education and special
population advocates from throughout Connecticut. The purpose
of this convening is to share best practices seen in the field, as
well as emerging issues, to help inform CSDE’s policy,
accountability, and support. The CSDE Commissioner
participates in these meetings and depending on the focus of the
agenda, the chief academic officer, chief performance officer,
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 21
Mitigation strategy SEA response
legal director, and/or Bureau of Special Education division
director take part.
The Bureau of Special Education also published a landing page
specifically for Special Education Guidance and Resources for
COVID-19. This web page includes separate links for resources
for LEAs, educators, and families. In addition, it chronological
prek-12 special education guidance issued by CSDE and general
information on COVID-19.
Appropriate prioritization for The CSDE directed all schools to establish mitigation practices
continued school Music to ensure students can engage in general music, choral, and
Programming instrumental instruction in a safe and healthy manner. A focus
group of arts directors from schools and organizations meet
regularly to check implementation of the mitigation strategies.
Further detail is provided in Addendum 7: COVID-19
Reopening Considerations for Connecticut K-12 Music
Programs. This guidance is regularly discussed and updated to
align with DPH and CDC guidance to ensure students have
access to music programs in a safe and healthy manner.
B.1.ii Statewide plans
Since Connecticut made great progress in transitioning back to in-person learning in the
2020-21 school year, the CSDE is not establishing a timeline for safe return to in-person
learning for the upcoming year—we have already returned to our school buildings here in
Connecticut. Instead, the CSDE is focusing on sustaining the safe operations of schools and
ensuring that all students can learn safely in the 2021-22 school year. The CSDE will
continue collecting, on a weekly basis, the learning model (in-person, hybrid, or remote)
offered by every district, as mentioned in A.5, to strategize and ensure that districts receive
the support necessary to sustain their safe operations.
Data on EdSight and Supporting Student Participation are the primary mechanisms used by
the state to track, monitor, and support the reopening of schools and provide public
accountability and transparency. Further details on tracking and monitoring can be found in
Section G: Monitoring and Measuring Progress.
B.1.iii. Consulting Federal, State, and local health officials
The CSDE consulted with federal health officials, specifically the CDC, early in the COVID-
19 pandemic. During this time, the CDC released official guidance and the COVID-19
handbook that guided the CSDE’s early efforts.
Building off the federal guidance, the CSDE has routinely engaged statewide partners to
ensure their input was considered each step of the way and to maximize consistency in
programming and communication. Below is a list of virtual meetings and webinars that have
implemented to engage and plan with stakeholders throughout the pandemic. Due to the
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 22
evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CSDE will continually evaluate which of the
following efforts should be continued and further amplified in the coming year:
• The CSDE is a member of the Governor’s Unified Command and uses the cross-
agency and cross-sector meeting to consult experts and share best practices.
• In August 2020, CSDE hosted a Virtual House Call for Parents and Families, which
gave families the opportunity to directly ask pediatricians and medical experts
questions related to COVID-19 and the safe return to school.
• Weekly meetings that include leadership from the Connecticut Education Association,
the American Federation of Teachers, the Connecticut Association of Boards of
Education, and the Connecticut Association of Schools.
• Weekly standing meetings have been in place with Connecticut DPH, Connecticut
Office of Early Childhood, Yale School of Public Health, Connecticut Association of
Public School Superintendents, Connecticut Council of Administrators of Special
Education, Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and
representation from local health departments, school medical advisors and school
nurses, and other experts in the field to develop resources, guidance, and protocols for
monitoring health, safety, continuity of learning, attendance, and weekly learning
models implemented by district (in-person, hybrid, and remote).
• Weekly planning meetings with state DPH.
• Weekly webinars with state DPH officials (Local Health Administration,
Epidemiology, Public Health Preparedness, Emergency Management Systems,
Immunizations, Practitioner and Facilities Licensing and Environmental Health), and
all local health directors.
• Weekly interactive health and safety webinars with state DPH and an average of 600
people, consisting of school superintendents, local health directors, school medical
advisors, and school nurses.
• Multiple webinars and addenda as indicated in table B.
• As mentioned in A.1 as a promising practice, the CSDE published 6 Ways CSDE is
Working to Keep Schools Open Safely, updating it as needed, to inform families,
districts, and communities of the efforts in place to support the safe reopening of
Connecticut schools.
B.1.iv Guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance opportunities for LEAs
Besides the above guidance and support, the CSDE will continue to support LEAs and
members of the education community through a suite of resources.
First, the CSDE will continue to use the web page dedicated to COVID-19 Resources for
Families and Educators. Our staff update this page routinely to provide just-in-time resources
and guidance to provide services in a safe and healthy manner. As mentioned above, the
CSDE Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut’s Plan to Learn and Grow Together plan for
reopening has been a constant guide for the agency and LEAs for responsive planning and a
source of leadership for providing continuity of learning and services. From this lead
document, the agency, in partnership with DPH and other state organizations, developed
addenda to provide focused guidance with recommendations on how best to plan, design, and
implement strategies for the statewide priorities. There are currently 14 addenda documents,
which are updated as needed, and three volumes of frequently asked questions. The CSDE is
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 23
reviewing all the mentioned documents and will make edits and additions as needed for the
coming school year.
Second, the CSDE also recognizes that technical documents do not reach all audiences and
therefore will continue to use the Professional Support Webinar Series for Districts that was
created in the 2020-21 school year to provide districts and families just-in-time guidance and
resources to support the safe reopening and continuity of learning and services.
Finally, as the CSDE strives to use ARP ESSER to reimagine schools to transform students’
lives, each office within the agency has been instructed to be responsive in providing
professional development delivered virtually and on-demand to district leaders, teachers, and
parents. The topics will be chosen through surveys, stakeholder meetings, and requests from
the field. Professional development specific to ARP ESSER (described further in E.1) will
include but is not limited to the state-level priorities outlined in this plan and key elements
from the stakeholder consultation. The CSDE will use live, recorded, and on-demand
delivery models to provide district leaders, teachers, families, and students with multiple
opportunities to access just-in-time learning and resources.
B.2. Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plans
To ensure that the ARP ESSER funds are properly used and that LEAs create a Safe Return
to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan, as required under section 2001(i) of
the ARP Act, the CSDE plans to build off the work that enabled the state to have no schools
fully remote before the end of the 2020-21 school year while adding necessary additional
supports.
During the summer of 2020, the CSDE published the Plan for Reimagining CT Classrooms
for Continuous Learning and Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut's Plan to Learn and
Grow Together and provided a planning template, rubric, and technical assistance to LEAs.
All plans were sent to the CSDE for review by the Reopening Plan Review Team, a cross-
agency collection of staff that were nominated and trained to support reopening efforts. Any
plan that did not meet the expected criteria outlined in the reopening plan rubric was notified
and expected to attend a technical assistance meeting with a CSDE cross-divisional team.
These plans have been published on each district website, with links on the CSDE page for
easy public access.
Building off those efforts, and in response to input from LEAs, the CSDE has created a Safe
Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan template that provides
guidance as districts revisit their reopening plan. Since all Connecticut schools have returned
to in-person instruction to some degree, we know districts will not have to start the required
plan from scratch, but rather will be expected to evaluate their progress and ensure that it
meets statutory requirements. The template outlines all the requirements in section 2001(i) of
the ARP Act and the requirements relating to the ARP ESSER funds published in the Federal
Register. This template also presents an opportunity for LEAs to share their Safe Return to
In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan with the public to garner the required
input. To ensure districts were prepared to develop these plans, the CSDE provided a webinar
that focused on the requirements and how to best gather public comment.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 24
Following the model used last summer, the CSDE will have the Reopening Plan Review
Team analyze all plans using an updated rubric. As this is an update to existing plans, the
CSDE does not anticipate there to be incomplete or insufficient plans, but in the case that
there are places where additional technical advice may be helpful, we will continue to
provide technical assistance meetings for district leadership teams to review the local plan in
a solution-oriented conversation. The lead facilitator of the meeting follows up with a
summary and action plan with a timeline and deliverables. General technical assistance will
continue to be provided throughout the implementation of the fall 2021 Safe Return to In-
Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan. These technical assistance teams are
comprised of cross-divisional members to engage in solution-oriented conversations on
providing continuity of learning and services, including the implementation and monitoring
of the mitigation strategies to ensure safe and healthy schools.
The CSDE has established reporting measures to monitor LEAs’ fidelity in upholding the
federal requirements associated with the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity
of Services Plan. The first measure is found in the ARP ESSER application through the
state’s electronic grant management system (eGMS), which requires that the LEAs confirm
their commitment to all of the requirements and assurances connected with the federal
requirements and access to funding (see appendix D for detailed view of the ARP ESSER
application). In particular, LEAs must confirm that public comment was considered as stated
in the template and in the LEA ARP ESSER Assurances. They also must provide the URL to
the website where the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan is
publicly posted.
Every six months, the CSDE will use email and webinars to remind LEAs it is time to revisit
the plan. LEAs will be required to complete a Reporting Supplement in eGMS every six
months confirming that public comment was taken into account into both whether revisions
are necessary and what revisions are being made, sharing the URL where it is publicly
posted, and providing a brief summary of any changes made to the plan.
By expanding the efforts of the 2020-21 school year and implementing new accountability
and monitoring measures, the CSDE is confident that Connecticut will continue to lead in the
nation’s efforts to safely return to in-person instruction.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 25
C. Planning for the Use and Coordination of ARP ESSER
Funds
C.1. SEA Consultation
The CSDE knows bringing diverse perspectives to the table is essential to implementing a
plan that advances equity and access, and is responsive to the needs of students, families, and
educators. With that in mind, we created a three-pronged approach to engaging in
meaningful consultation with stakeholders: (1) written comment, (2) public forums, and
(3) a special meeting with the SBE.
The CSDE created a Public and Stakeholder Input Form, using the template for the state plan
as provided by the USED, to collect written comment from residents and members of the
education community. This form outlined what the state plan template was asking of the
CSDE, what CSDE’s approach has been so far, and provided a question to guide their
thinking when providing input. The form could then be submitted to the CSDE’s dedicated
email address: SDE.ARPESSER@ct.gov. Stakeholders had the option to submit comments in
free form as well.
The CSDE, in partnership with the State Education Resource Center (SERC) also hosted two
public forums via zoom. These two-hour sessions hosted on May 20, 2021, from 5:30-7:30
p.m. and May 21, 2021, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. used the same format as the Public and
Stakeholder Input Form. By hosting at different times of day, the CSDE was able to engage a
variety of stakeholders and collect invaluable input. To ensure all input was accounted for
and considered, the public forums were recorded, detailed notes were taken by CSDE staff,
and the chat, which was heavily used, was saved. Further detail about the public forums and
the input collected can be found in SERC’s report, which is in appendix A. The recordings of
the public forums are also publicly available online in the hopes of providing more guidance
to LEAs.
Finally, ensuring that the ARP ESSER State Plan aligns with the SBE plan for the year ahead,
the CSDE called a special meeting on May 19, 2021, with the SBE to gather their input.
During a one-hour meeting, the CSDE gathered input on how the state should respond to the
education community’s needs, support LEAs and the educator workforce, and safely reopen
schools and sustain their operations in the 2021-22 school year. This public meeting was
livestreamed and is available on YouTube.
To ensure the input of as many stakeholders as possible was gathered, the CSDE launched a
thorough communication strategy to amplify the call for input. On May 14, 2021, the CSDE
published a press release calling for public comment and stakeholder input. This call for
stakeholder input was renewed in a second press release on May 19. The CSDE also
encouraged Connecticut residents and preK-12 stakeholders to make their voices heard
through a series of tweets on Twitter on May 14, 17, and 19. This message was further
amplified on May 18 when Governor Lamont retweeted the invite to share input. At the
closing of this preliminary stakeholder consultation period, the CSDE heard from 140
stakeholders representing families, students, administrators, community leaders, members of
legislature, administrators, business leaders, and members of the philanthropy community.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 26
In total, the quantity of input received in the preliminary round of stakeholder engagement
was 50 written comments submitted, 140 attendees at one of the two public forums, and a
majority of board members attended the special meeting.
Listening to the voices of those who have significant insight into the impact of COVID-19 on
teaching, learning, and student and staff well-being was essential to informing the
investments and decisions CSDE is making on our road to educational renewal. The input
collected up to this point is only step one in the CSDE’s efforts as the department aims to
continue engaging in two-way dialogue. Based on what has been received to date, the CSDE
has already integrated the following into this state plan:
• Exploring remote-learning option: as mentioned in B.1.ii.
• Sharing best practices across districts and the state: as mentioned in A.1 and E.1.
• Social, emotional, mental, and behavioral health supports for students and educators:
as mentioned in E.1 and F.
• Engaging families and communities: As mentioned in E.1, E.2, and E.3.
• Supporting districts in planning for and building safer schools: as mentioned in B.2
and E.1.
• Professional development and social, emotional, mental supports for teachers: as
mentioned in E.1 and F.
More detailed summaries of the stakeholder input can be found in Appendix A: SERC Public
Forum Report and Appendix B: CSDE’s Summary of Stakeholder Input.
C.2. Coordinating Funds
C.2.i. CSDE and LEA use of Federal COVID-19 funding
Table C1.
Funding Prior/current SEA and LEA uses (including Planned SEA and LEA uses (including
source funding amounts, if applicable) funding amounts, if applicable)
ESSER I ESSER I funding was used to support the
(CARES Act) following activities at the state level:
• Approximately $5 million matched
with GEER I funding was dedicated to
purchasing hot spots and broadband
vouchers for families without internet
access.
• The CSDE used $2 million to purchase
licenses for LEAs to have access to the
DESSA.
• An additional $2 million procured
licenses for every LEA for online
supplemental learning tools that also
provide credit recovery opportunities
for high school students.
• The balance of the state-level funds
went to support a variety of initiatives
including contact tracing at the district
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 27
Funding Prior/current SEA and LEA uses (including Planned SEA and LEA uses (including
source funding amounts, if applicable) funding amounts, if applicable)
level; disseminating information to
schools, districts, and families on
remote instruction, safe return to in-
person instruction; and technical
assistance to LEAs developing re-
opening plans.
Our LEAs used the funds to support strategies
for a safe return to in-person learning such as:
• purchasing personal protective
equipment;
• hiring additional staff to reduce class
sizes to accommodate social
distancing;
• staffing and equipment to support
sanitizing needs;
• special packaging for meal
distribution; and
• upgrading or improving building
HVAC systems.
Many LEAs also bought devices and online
software to support remote learning.
GEER I Approximately $15 million of Connecticut’s Approximately $5.7 million was provided
(CARES Act) GEER I funding was dedicated to elementary from GEER I to boost student
and secondary schools. Of this amount, engagement and attendance in 15 high-
approximately $9.3 million went to bridging need districts statewide. CSDE contracted
the digital divide for our students and school with RESCs who in turn will work with
districts. After schools closed in March 2020, the districts and community partners to
the CSDE conducted a statewide survey of help reconnect students with various
districts to better understand the gaps that educational opportunities. The per-
existed in access to devices and connectivity. district grants were determined using a
Along with ESSER I state-level set-aside formula considering enrollment
funds, philanthropic funds, and state attendance rates, free and reduced-price
coronavirus relief funds, over 141,000 devices lunch eligibility, English learner student
were purchased, and 12,000 hot spots and population, and the number of weeks a
broadband vouchers were purchased to ensure district was open for in-person or hybrid
remote access to learning for all of our learning.
students.
ESSER II The Department has awarded $19.3 million of We have planned for the following
(CRRSA Act) the state-level set-aside to our LEAs to support activities with the balance of our state-
our priority areas of learning acceleration, level set-aside:
family and community engagement, social and
emotional learning supports for students, and • Development of a statewide model
safe in-person instruction along with support curriculum for grades K-8.
for remote learning when needed. Using $2 • Professional development necessary
million of our set-aside funds, Connecticut will for the statewide implementation of
be extending our statewide licenses for online
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 28
Funding Prior/current SEA and LEA uses (including Planned SEA and LEA uses (including
source funding amounts, if applicable) funding amounts, if applicable)
supplemental learning tools and credit recovery our Black and Latino Studies
for another year. Over $13 million in funding curriculum.
has been reserved for all LEAs to support • Professional development
educational recovery for our students with opportunities supporting current
learning disabilities. educators and new and expanded
strategies for attracting diverse
Prior to applying for their ESSER II candidates in identified shortage
allocations, our LEAs were asked to conduct a areas.
needs assessment to identify areas of need that
• Support research into the impacts of
could be addressed with their ESSER II
COVID on our students’ educational
funding. Based on this assessment, and tied to
outcomes.
their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
milestone metrics, LEAs are using the funds • Provide supports to our high school
for a wide variety of activities including: juniors and seniors ensuring
graduation, and career or
postsecondary planning.
• providing continued support for in-
person instruction; • Continued professional development
in the use of technology to support
• extended schoolyear and summer
and enhance academic offerings.
programming opportunities that offer
both academic and enrichment • Support LEA SEL systems
components; development and integration with
other district- and school-level
• family and community engagement
initiatives.
activities;
• Assist Adult Education learners in
• targeted strategies for re-engaging
college and career readiness,
students who were chronically absent;
preparation for the GED and English
• targeted academic acceleration
language literacy.
strategies for high need students;
• expanded social/emotional supports for • Expand support service delivery to
students; new locations for early childhood and
school age children by Connecticut’s
• curriculum enhancements; and
58 Family Resource Centers (FRCs).
• improvements to HVAC systems.
GEER II Approximately $5 Million will be
(CRRSA Act) provided from GEER II to support the
attendance program described in the
GEER I box above.
C.2.ii. Awarding and Obligating Federal COVID-19 Funds
Upholding the urgent need of LEAs for support from ESSER I, the funds have all been
awarded to LEAs. As of May 2021, all $99.9 million of LEA’s ESSER I funds have been
obligated and all $11.1 million of CSDE’s ESSER I state-level set-aside funds are obligated.
ESSER II shifted the focus to thriving and required a more robust and evidence-based
approach to obligating funds. LEAs conducted a needs assessment followed by a
comprehensive application that was due on April 26, 2021. To date, funds have been awarded
to 145 LEAs, and the balance of the applications are in various stages of review with formal
approval expected shortly.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 29
C.2.iii. Additional Federal Funding Sources
The CSDE supported and encouraged the strategic braiding of federal funds to provide
maximum and sustainable support to our students. As a result, the following occurred:
• Connecticut LEAs with currently approved FY21 McKinney-Vento grant awards
were increased by 10% to assist with offsetting costs identified to support the needs of
students experiencing homelessness with regard to COVID-19 pandemic. Expedited
budget approval supported the additional funding to address other extraordinary or
emergency assistance needed to enable children and youth experiencing homelessness
to attend school and participate fully in school activities.
• The CSDE Child Nutrition Programs unit has provided extensive supports to LEAs to
authorize programs to transition traditional school meal programs to emergency meal
programs through the implementation of federal waivers approved by the United
States Department of Agriculture. The implementation resulted in the provision of
over 50 million meals at no cost to all students, regardless of family economics.
• State-level Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds were used to
develop and implement training materials, webinars, and technical assistance calls.
These activities were prioritized within our already existing partnerships with
Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC), SERC, and the RESC Alliance. An
expansion of existing partnerships with LRP and NEAT Marketplace at Oak Hill
provided LEAs with additional legal/special education resources and assistive
technology (training, evaluations, access to technology). State-level IDEA funds
($2.34 million) were also used to develop a COVID-19 Special Education Recovery
stipend to support LEAs with their efforts to provide special education and related
services that may have been interrupted, delayed, or inaccessible during the pandemic.
• The USED approved Connecticut’s request to offer its Title IV, Part A (T4PA)
grantee additional flexibilities for the 2021 T4PA grant. This allowed LEAs to focus
on more urgent needs, such as the academic, social, emotional, metal, and physical
health needs of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant percentage of
Connecticut LEAs are already back to full-time in person because they were able to
use these funds to supplement the purchase of PPEs and other items necessary for the
safe return to school.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 30
D. Maximizing State-Level Funds to Support Students
The CSDE knows that the ARP ESSER state-level funding gives Connecticut the
unprecedented opportunity to reimagine schools to transform students’ lives with an equity-
focused lens. Given the incredibly tight timeline associated with the ARP ESSER State Plan,
and the need to thoughtfully plan in order to support students in the immediate future
but also for years to come, the CSDE developed the Connecticut ARP ESSER state set-
aside funds plan to allow evolution over time, updated as we gain additional knowledge about
the longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and what use of resources are most
impactful for underserved students.
The CSDE aims to make two types of investments when it comes to the state set-aside of
$110 million:
• One-time investments that are self-sustaining such as “train the trainer” programs,
and programs that have high start-up costs but have a lower or sustainable cost for
long-term maintenance.
• Investments that are heavily focused on measurement and considered impact so
there is demonstrable proof that the programs merit long-term investment through
private philanthropies, and state and local funds, even where federal funding may not
provide permanent support.
By focusing on these types of investments, the CSDE will maximize both the short term and
the lasting impact of the federal funding by creating a parachute that will help the education
community land safely following the COVID-19 pandemic and also collecting the evidence
to support continued funding for strategies that work.
Next Steps
The CSDE has committed to funding five evidence-based initiatives from a portion of the
$110 million state set-aside under ARP ESSER: statewide model curricula, the extension of
its contract with Apex Learning, the extension of its contract with Defined Learning, the
Summer Expansion Grant program, and the Summer Innovation Grant program. The
initiatives will be described in detail below.
Another initiative that will receive part of the state set-aside but does not fit within the preset
categories is funding for districts and endowed academies not eligible for formula ARP
ESSER funding. This investment creates an important reserved pool of funds to help support
those districts with pandemic-related costs. Six of our public school districts and our three
endowed academies will be eligible to apply and receive a part of a $4.8 million set-aside
from the ARP ESSER funds.
For the remaining funds in the ARP ESSER state set-aside, the CSDE is upholding its
commitment to thoughtfully plan for the use of state-level funds and has therefore launched
an exploration project to determine what remaining programs, initiatives, and interventions
to support with the ARP ESSER funds.
The first step has been to understand what the data suggest are key investment opportunities.
The data currently being collected are broad and helpful (as seen in A.3. table A1), and the
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 31
CSDE anticipates additional data will provide important direction for next steps. In the
coming weeks, CSDE and LEAs will have access to state-level assessment data, which will
be analyzed to determine the academic impact of lost instructional time at the close of the
2019-20 school year and in the 2020-2021 school year. In partnership with the newly
established CCERC (as mentioned in A.1), the CSDE is conducting studies to guide potential
investments of the ARP ESSER funds. These studies include but are not limited to analyzing
state level testing (further detail found in the following section) and SEL data from DESSA
(as mentioned in A.3.).
The second element of the exploration process is understanding what LEAs are doing in
communities across the state. The CSDE believes that state-level ARP ESSER funds will be
used most effectively when they are targeted in coordination, not competition, with local
spending. In addition to speaking directly with district leaders, the CSDE is currently
reviewing the ESSER II applications to see what initiatives have been funded to date.
Building off the best-in-class structure of the ESSER II application, the ARP ESSER
application will also give the CSDE insight into what is happening at the district-level
(expansive detail about the application can be found in section E and in appendix D).
The final and a critically important step of the exploration process is to explore the breadth of
authorized uses under ARP ESSER and ensure that the CSDE invests resources to maximize
support for our students most disproportionately affected by the pandemic. This includes but
is not limited to students who receive benefits and protection under the Adult Education and
Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Carl
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins), and the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Education Assistance Act.
Once the CSDE has completed the exploration process, we will begin making decisions on
which additional evidence-based strategies will be funded by ARP ESSER.
D.1. Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time
Inherent to advancing equity and supporting students who are disproportionately affected by
the pandemic is providing tools and opportunities that equalize access to high quality
education and supports. That is why the CSDE is investing in big picture resources for school
districts such as: (1) statewide model curricula and (2) extension of contracts with
online/digital platforms.
In addition to these determined investments, the CSDE is considering a wide range of
initiatives that address the academic impact of lost instructional time for specific groups of
students as described in further detail in D.1-3.
D.1.i. and ii. Evidence-Based Program Description and addressing the disproportionate
impact of COVID-19
(1) Statewide model curricula
While a small state, Connecticut has 169 LEAs, plus 21 charter schools and six RESCs that
educate an ethnically, socially, and economically diverse population of students. The access
to key resources related to successful educational outcomes varies depending on the school’s
funding model and the resources of the community. This variation in access
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 32
disproportionately affects vulnerable populations—students of color, students from low
income families, and English learners to name a few—and the pandemic worsened this
negative impact.
The CSDE is committed to leveling a key part of the educational playing field by using ARP-
ESSER funds to create a statewide K-8 model curricula. With these curricula, the CSDE can
ensure that every student—especially those historically underserved and disproportionately
affected by the pandemic— and educator have access to high-quality curricula. With high-
quality curricula, students can grow, be challenged, and see themselves in their coursework,
no matter where they live.
The statewide model curricula has been a goal of the CSDE for years and we have already
started using funding through ESSER II. Our students most affected by the pandemic,
including gifted and talented students, will have multiple and varied opportunities to engage,
discover, and connect to challenging content designed by their teachers using highly aligned
instructional materials.
This approach to addressing the academic impact of lost instructional time aligns with the
research to accelerate student learning by integrating prerequisite skills and concepts with on-
grade-level standards as a means of jumpstarting learning, regardless of a student’s starting
point. Furthermore, we provide all Connecticut educators with the tools needed to
successfully engage and accelerate student learning with the intention of closing our
achievement gap. The design principles of the CSDE statewide model curricula are:
• Focused: Builds upon and connects to prior knowledge by providing aligned
intentional learning targets focused on the educational standards and describing what
all students should know/understand/do to achieve future success in college, career,
and civic life.
• Relevant: Engages students in reality-based experiences, explorations, inquiry, and
models with multiple and varied opportunities to apply learning.
• Flexible: Offers inherent flexibility allowing for anytime/anywhere personalized,
student-centered learning that incorporates opportunities for voice and choice. Makes
strategic use of both in person and virtual learning, utilizing a blended approach to
teaching and learning.
• Rigorous: Communicates high expectations and supports learning for historically
underserved students and provides high-quality, high-impact learning opportunities in
all learning models (e.g., synchronous, asynchronous, face-to-face, hybrid or remote).
• Coherent: Connects and links learner goals, learner framework, and vision or portrait
of a learner/graduate. Answers the questions of how this unit builds upon and connect
to prior knowledge and how does it prepare the student for future learning.
• Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive: Includes opportunities to value and relate content to
students’ cultures to celebrate the diversity of topics, students, cultures, and groups so
that students can take perspective and develop a depth of understanding of the events
presented. Teachers embrace difficult conversations, provide equal access, and ensure
learning is culturally relevant and inclusive.
The CSDE Statewide Model Curricula design principles were chosen to meet the diverse and
unique needs of learners in any district. When learner-centered, the curriculum has the ability
and agility to meet students where they are socially, emotionally, and physically. This
approach increases engagement and reduces anxiety caused by the acute trauma of the
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 33
pandemic, so that learners can return to learning that is engaging and addresses just-in-time
need while matching the diversity of any classroom.
The CSDE Statewide Model Curricula will be made universally accessible on the CSDE
website. Drawing upon the research of John Hattie and his meta-analysis for examining the
impact of high-quality teaching through highly aligned curricula, these curricula will provide
teachers with the evidence-based instructional strategies for them to be responsive to the
students learning.
The funding will support (1) the CSDE’s efforts to develop a statewide K-12 curriculum, (2)
engagement with external stakeholders, and (3) the procurement of high-quality instructional
materials through a request for proposals (RFP), (4) the creation of stakeholder feedback and
focus groups, and (5) the opportunity to create a teacher curriculum leadership academy to
support the intentional implementation of the model curricula in each district.
(2) Extension of contracts with online/digital platforms
The CSDE successfully procured two digital platforms to deploy statewide at no cost to
districts through state-level ESSER II set-aside funds. ARP ESSER will be used to extend the
contracts to provide districts with an additional year of use and implementation locally. To
ensure these resources are used to their fullest potential, the CSDE has crafted a plan that not
only communicates the details of the platforms with all districts, but also provides additional
trainings for superintendents and school district leadership to ensure they are engaged in the
process and prepared to implement it in their schools.
Apex Learning: An online course management system where any student in grades 6-12 can
be enrolled by the LEA to access standards aligned courses in core academic content areas, as
well as Advanced Placement and world languages. The availability of Apex Learning
advances equity of access and acceleration of learning for students that may not have had the
opportunity to engage previously. Access to online courses managed by the district through
this digital platform closes the opportunity gap that persists for students that may have missed
the most in-person instruction during 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. Combined with in-
person learning for 2021-22, students can accelerate their learning pathway by enrolling in
online courses to retrieve credits while accumulating credit during in person learning.
Apex Learning will also provide credit recovery services through the summer for all LEAs
and enrolled students in grades 9-12. The prioritized learner groups will be enrolled in four-,
five-, and six-week courses to accelerate their pathway to accumulating credits toward
graduation.
Defined Learning: A platform that provides online opportunities for students in grades K-12
to engage in project-based learning pathways with a career focus. By extending the contract
with Defined Learning, LEAs can continue to engage learners who may have missed the most
in-person instruction during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. This resource provides
high quality supplemental resources to support the LEA implementation of local curricula.
Additionally, Defined Learning will create a summer enrichment project-based learning
(PBL) pathway that will be accessible anytime, anywhere for families to engage. Each grade-
specific pathway will be designed with a career focus, and the evidence-based instructional
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 34
strategy of PBL will address the academic, social-emotional, and mental health needs of
learners.
Defined Learning and Apex Learning provide an opportunity to serve students who were
disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in that they provide year-round access to this
online learning experience, regardless of location, to meet learners where they are and
accelerate their learning. The success of retrieving a credit toward graduation reduces anxiety
and provides a sense of accomplishment for any student affected by COVID-19. Both digital
tools would continue to provide accessibility features for students with special needs,
including visual, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical.
D.1.iii. Identifying and engaging students who are disengaged or missing from the classroom
Identifying and engaging students who are missing from the classroom is a challenging task
in a normal year, and this has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. For over a decade,
the CSDE has prioritized efforts to improve attendance and specifically address chronic
absenteeism. As a result of this strong foundation and expansive data system, the CSDE has
launched the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) to address this challenge.
This $10.7 million program is designed to support students who struggled with chronic
absenteeism and disengagement from remote learning during the 2020-21 school year.
Funding is currently being deployed across priority districts to contract support personnel
who will go directly to homes, to engage with families and students, help return them to a
more regular form of school attendance, and assist with placement in upcoming summer
camps and learning programs.
LEAP specifically targets the 15 school districts with highest need for these services; “need”
here is measured as a function of attendance rates, prevalence of remote learning, proportion
of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, proportion of English language
learners, and total student enrollment.
In addition to the efforts of LEAP, the CSDE has launched a series of webinars, events, and
resources to ensure all students are re-engaged. Lack of attendance and engagement are
indicators of students who are not thriving and often lead to lack of credit accumulation and
eventually may lead to not graduating from high school. The state has been working on this
issue for many years and has raised the age for dropping out to 17 and has made both chronic
absenteeism and graduation rates part of the district accountability index. Depending on the
audience, CSDE staff members have run roundtables to support stakeholders with improving
student attendance and engagement both for those attending school in person and virtually.
The various roundtables are:
• weekly Talk Tuesday roundtables to support districts;
• monthly Friday Café roundtables to support family liaisons in school districts; and
• monthly Thursday Afterhours roundtables to support educators.
To further engage these students who have missed the most instruction time, the CSDE will
use the two digital platforms described above: Apex Learning and Defined Learning.
Deployed statewide at no cost to districts, these platforms create unique and personalized
experiences for students who need it most. The data reported by each platform will be used to
inform future decision-making on teaching, learning, and engaging learners to improve
academic, social, and emotional outcomes. LEAs will meet with the CSDE Academic Office
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 35
to review monthly data dashboard reports to analyze usage, time on task, frequency of
courses and pathways accessed, school-to-home activity, and achievement/acceleration (e.g.,
retrieval of credits to support on time graduation).
D.2. Evidence-Based Summer Learning and Enrichment Programs
The CSDE has already allocated most of the reserved funding for evidence-based summer
learning and enrichment programs with the goal of serving students in summer 2021. This
was informed by stakeholder feedback received through the AccelerateCT Education
Taskforce in which 90% of respondents agreed the funding should prioritize fun, engaging,
hands-on learning experiences. The CSDE launched two competitive grant programs to
support summer enrichment programs that address the academic, social, emotional, and
mental health needs of students: (1) the Expansion Grant Program and (2) the Innovation
Grant Program. These grant programs will be funded using the funds reserved under section
2001(f)(2) of the ARP Act.
D.2.i. Evidence-Based Program Description
(1) The Expansion Grant Program
The Expansion Grant program provides up to $25,000 to summer enrichment programs that
are able to expand capacity for summer 2021 by offering additional slots for students and/or
subsidizing enrollment fees. Over 250 organizations sent applications for review, and a team
of over 100 reviewers evaluated each application using a detailed scoring rubric. Among
other criteria, the rubric assisted reviewers in selecting programs that serve students’ SEL
needs and are evidence-based with a track record of prior success.
Among the awards are programs such as a day camp, which will serve 1,100 children ages 5-
13 at an innovative week-long program featuring enrichment activities like ceramics, arts and
crafts, dance and music, gardening, ropes courses, and more. Another grantee is a community
center, which will offer a day camp featuring both academic and social-emotional enrichment
opportunities for 450 students. These and other grantees will offer their innovative summer
enrichment programs at zero cost (or extremely low cost) to children across the state.
Additionally, the CSDE is requiring all programs with staff that supervise children to
participate in a minimum of two hours of training on supporting student social-emotional
learning at some point between August 15, 2020, the start of their summer work. In
partnership with Connecticut’s After School Network, we can offer this free online training
opportunity to help programs meet the grant requirement.
(2) The Innovation Grant Program
The Innovation Grant program provides up to $250,000 to summer enrichment programs that
offer bold and innovative enrichment opportunities to Connecticut students, at scale. Over 40
organizations sent applications for review, and the CSDE evaluated each application using a
detailed scoring rubric. Awardees are evidence-based programs that address a wide variety of
student needs with high-quality, innovative enrichment opportunities.
Among the awards are programs such as an innovative summer camp experience to 250
Hartford-area youth, with each camp day split between academic enrichment at the local
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 36
High School and screen-free enrichment activities at a nearby museum. Another grantee
established a unique partnership between a summer camp and a community college in order
to serve 158 area students, all of whom qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. The program
will engage students in sports, academic enrichment activities, leadership development
programming, and more.
D.2.ii. Addressing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19
All summer enrichment program providers that receive funding from the CSDE (through the
funds reserved under section 2001(f)(2) of the ARP Act) will have identified how their
summer programs specifically address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain
groups of students. The response to this question was important in the determination as to
which programs received awards.
Review teams evaluated grant applications based on the need of each project, which is
defined in in the scoring rubric as follows: “Provides a description of the children/youth to be
served and makes a strong case for the specific needs of this community, focused on the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on student subgroups (each major racial and ethnic
group, children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners,
gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in
foster care).” Highest points were awarded—and thus, funding granted—to programs that
serve the subgroups most impacted by COVID-19 with programming that is specific to their
needs.
D.2.iii. Identifying and engaging students who are disengaged or missing from the classroom
When applying for the Expansion and Innovation Grant Programs, summer enrichment
applicants had to identify how their program serves students who were disproportionately
impacted as mentioned above as well describe how they plan to identify and recruit these
students. Using the same review teams as described above, highest points were awarded—
and thus, funding granted—to programs that had developed thorough and realistic
recruitment plans. Many of these plans include partnering with other entities to ensure that
the students who are disengaged are identified and subsequentially enrolled in the various
summer enrichment programs.
To supplement the efforts of the individual programs, the CSDE has partnered with a
marketing agency to engage and inform all members of the school community of the summer
opportunities. These efforts include digital and social, television, streaming radio, and
Spanish language networks. The CSDE has also already launched SummerCT.org where
families and members of the community can search for information about the hundreds of
summer programs that are supported by ARP ESSER. To ensure all of Connecticut’s youth
are aware of the access they have to summer school, camp, and other opportunities for
learning and fun every day and everywhere, the CSDE will continue to highlight these
opportunities in the press and among community partners and school districts.
D.3. Evidence-Based Comprehensive Afterschool Programs
Though the CSDE has a long history of implementing evidence-based after-school
programming through the federal 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant program
and the state funded after-school grant program, we will take the unique opportunity
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 37
presented by ARP ESSER to think outside of the box and fund truly innovative, engaging and
enriching afterschool programs.
Depending on the outcome of the exploration process, the CSDE will determine which
evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs will provide the maximum return on our
investment for student populations identified as most in need of these supports.
D.3. i.-ii Evidence-Based Program Description addressing the disproportionate impact of
COVID-19
To ensure program implementation includes consulting with stakeholders and the public, the
CSDE is prioritizing collecting that input before finishing selection of specific evidence-
based afterschool programs. Building off the focus groups conducted as a part of the
development of this plan, the CSDE plans to host a series of roundtables to discuss what
innovative programs could look like with members of the afterschool community as well as
families, students, industry experts, and members of the larger community. The goal is to use
ARP ESSER funds to create enriching, comprehensive and engaging afterschool programs
that serve all of Connecticut’s students—gifted and talented, English learners, students from
low income families, students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, students
involved in the justice system, and any other group of students.
In addition to focusing on serving students disproportionately affected by the COVID-19
pandemic, these evidence-based afterschool programs will also be outcome driven to validate
the utilization of ARP ESSER funds and provide evidence for future federal and state
investments as well as funding from philanthropy.
D.3.ii. Addressing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19
In accordance with the recent work of Reimers and Schleicher (2020), by focusing on
building engaging and innovative afterschool programs, the CSDE can address the different
needs of students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, ensure the
pandemic does not further hinder the inclusion of these students in education systems, and
respond to stakeholder input for fun and meaningful programming.
The target population includes:
• students who did not have academic success during the pandemic;
• disadvantaged/food insecure students;
• students with social/emotional/behavioral needs;
• students with special needs; and
• students who have limited command of the language of instruction.
Additionally, state-level data show that students who fall within the targeted populations
mentioned above have been the most disengaged and disconnected due to the pandemic. By
providing fun, innovative, and comprehensive afterschool programs, the CSDE will be able
to provide enrichment, learning acceleration and academic renewal to the students
disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 38
D.3.iii. Identifying and engaging students who are disengaged or missing from the classroom
The CSDE has collected student-level data from LEAs compared to the number of days each
student was engaged in remote learning. Additionally, these data have been cross-referenced
with students in high-need districts as determined by eligibility for free and reduced-price
school meals. The CSDE also has school-level data on which schools operated remotely for
portions of the school year. These data will be used to prioritize funding for programs in
which higher percentages of students were not engaged in in-person learning and those with
higher populations of disproportionately affected student populations including students
experiencing homelessness and students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
D.4. Emergency Needs
With ARP ESSER funds being available until September 30, 2024, the CSDE plans to
reserve funds under section 2001(f)(4) of the ARP Act to address unforeseen needs as they
might arise in the next three years. These reserved funds are estimated to be $7 million.
D.5. Additional Funding Priorities
In addition to the determined investments above, the CSDE has prioritized the following
areas for more funding consideration. Depending on the outcome of the exploration process
and potential opportunities to braid other state and federal funding, the CSDE will decide
which other evidence-based strategies to invest in. The funding amounts dedicated to each
initiative may vary as actual costs associated with implementing each priority area are
confirmed. In addition, funds may be moved between categories depending on need.
(1) Social, emotional, mental health supports
The CSDE has set the vision that each school in the state would have the mental health
supports needed for their students and staff. In collaboration and communication with
members of the Child Well-Being Taskforce and other local providers, these funds will
further connect schools to the community and ensure that students and educators have the
support they need. These funds also can support and build off existing programs, including
the Department of Children and Families (DCF) care coordination efforts.
The challenges of transitioning back to the classroom can be mitigated by having just-in-time
support right inside the school building and by having specialists who can help students and
educators in a way that does not disrupt instruction.
The initiatives might include supporting existing providers, working with or creating more
school-based health centers, and/or hiring or deploying more behavioral health staff.
(2) High-dosage tutoring
Rigorous research on high-dosage, small-group tutoring has found large effects on student
learning. The CSDE is exploring how it can support the efforts across the state, in alignment
with district initiatives, to ensure the students disproportionately affected by the pandemic
have access to tutoring. This will also support the goal noted in section 3 below to provide
targeted resources for students with disabilities.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 39
(3) Students with disabilities
The CSDE is currently providing stipends to support local districts with addressing IEP
supports and services that may have been delayed, suspended, interrupted, or inaccessible
during the pandemic. Guidance Regarding Special Education Recovery for Students with
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) due to the COVID-19 Pandemic will support
LEAs in determining special education recovery needs for students, and these funds will
support their efforts. These funds will match $13 million in ESSER II state set-aside
funds. Uses for these funds include:
• conducting/completing evaluations;
• delivering specialized instruction/related services;
• administering early childhood assessment or instruction;
• extended school year services;
• providing transition services for eligible students;
• increasing the capacity of qualified individuals to deliver specialized
instruction/related services via professional development;
• staff/parent training (IEP-related);
• assistive technology activities; and
• contracting services for the purpose of providing IEP services.
(4) English learners
Connecticut has a growing student population of English learners and, conversely, a declining
number of bilingual educators. The CSDE is exploring how to build pathways to bilingual
certification to grow the number of support language specialists and bilingual educators.
Other supports being considered are:
• teacher home programs that integrate local organizations to serve multilingual
families;
• building effective and high-quality dual-language programs; and
• using culturally sustaining and relevant pedagogy.
(5) Students already facing limited educational opportunities and disengagement*
In addition to the funding allocated directly to students experiencing homelessness (Section
2001(b)(1) in ARP Act), the CSDE is seeking opportunities to directly serve disengaged and
underserved students. The needs of these communities, beyond those connected to
disengagement and learning loss, are being explored to ensure the supports are wanted,
needed, and sustainable. Examples of potential initiatives include:
• providing funding for devices and enhanced connectivity for students involved in the
justice system to assist in the provision of remote learning, particularly those in short
term detention that remain enrolled in their home school district;
• working with DCF, Department of Social Services (DSS), and state behavioral health
care providers to develop a third-party payer system that funds in school supports for
students’ mental and behavioral health needs through Medicaid and/or private
providers; and
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 40
• developing and implement supports and trainings that reduce the use of exclusionary
student discipline practices in school districts, especially those with high incidences of
such practices, especially in students of color.
*Including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners,
children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care,
migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other underserved students.
(6) Just-in-time efforts to boost high-school engagement
The CSDE has noticed a greater decline in attendance amongst high school aged students and
therefore higher levels of disengagement. These funds will target initiatives that re-engage
high schoolers by meeting them were they are and creating opportunities to express
themselves and boost their education. Engagement programs will be developed and deployed
in partnership with local philanthropy and community organizations.
(7) Utilizing education research to reimagine schools
In partnership with the University of Connecticut, researchers from the state’s universities,
RESC representatives, and district and school educators, Connecticut COVID-19 Education
Research Collaborative is a first-of-its-kind collaborative to conceptualize and coordinate
COVID-related research in education in the state. CCERC will coordinate the development
and enactment of research on COVID-related educational issues, ensuring strong connections
between the research and Connecticut’s districts and schools.
(8) Amplify family and community partnerships
Funding will be used to augment the CSDE’s efforts and support the districts as they strive to
develop and nurture family and community partnerships. Stakeholders have expressed their
desire for these partnerships to be realized in all communities, therefore at the state agency
level the CSDE aims to support the built-in structures to ensure local engagement has a
broader reach.
(9) Grassroots marketing campaign for ARP ESSER
To ensure that every ARP ESSER dollar spent has the greatest impact possible, the CSDE is
planning to launch a grassroots marketing campaign. Based on stakeholder engagement, it
has become clear that many members of the community are unaware of the resources at their
disposal. By investing in grassroots marketing efforts—focused on the bottom up
communication and meeting residents where they are—the CSDE hopes to amplify the
efficacy of all programs funded by ARP ESSER.
These efforts will be supported and guided by the Commissioners’ Roundtable for Family
and Community Engagement in Education, the State Student Advisory Council in Education,
and marketing agencies identified through a request for proposals.
(10) Educator support, recruitment, and retention
The CSDE will provide funding to expand our phenomenally successful TeachCT program
along with similar efforts to diversify our educator workforce while addressing shortage
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 41
areas. Funds will also be dedicated to professional development opportunities, including but
not limited to:
• assisting educators in utilizing technology in the classroom;
• examining cultural sensitivity and racial bias; and
• providing emotional and mental health supports to students.
(11) Postsecondary access, adult education, and credit recovery
Acknowledging the long-term implications if needs are not addressed, the CSDE aims to
provide targeted resources to increase access to credit recovery, particularly for those
students in the 2021 and 2022 classes, encourage completion of and support for FAFSA, and
mitigate barriers to adult education.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 42
E. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting
Students’ Needs
Like the state-level funds, the CSDE believes that the ARP ESSER funds allocated to LEAs
give many districts the unprecedented opportunity to reimagine schools to transform
students’ lives and to do so with an equity-focused lens. Recognizing the complexity of
making sustainable investments, the CSDE has created a process to provide both support
and inspiration to LEAs to aid them in planning for and meeting students’ needs using
ARP ESSER funds.
E.1. LEA Plans for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds
As mentioned in A.2, the CSDE’s approach to supporting LEA’s use of ARP ESSER funds is
a continuation of the thoughtful and innovative approach used for ESSER II. Building on the
successful tools employed for ESSER II, the CSDE has taken a four-pronged approach to
supporting LEAs in creating their Plans for the use of ARP ESSER funds (1) A Safe Return to
In-Person Instruction Plan template, (2) comprehensive application, (3) Spark Innovation
webinars, and (4) technical assistance and support.
(1) A Safe Return to In-Person Instruction Plan template: As LEAs are required to create and
publicly post their Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan, the
CSDE has created a template to guide their planning and spending. As mentioned previously,
due to the expansive efforts of the CSDE and the educational community, as of the week of
May 3, 2021 no district in the state of Connecticut was fully remote. This was achieved
through extensive planning by each LEA. Therefore, this template was created as a means to
support LEAs’ efforts to date and can be used to expand upon or revisit previous re-opening
school plans. In addition, the CSDE held a webinar on May 28, 2021, to brief LEAs on the
requirements related to ARP ESSER, during which LEAs could receive more support and
have their questions answered. The CSDE believes sustaining safe operations within the
state’s school districts requires long-term investment and thoughtful preparation, which is
evident in the state-level priority, Building Safe and Healthy Schools.
(2) Comprehensive application: The CSDE designed the ARP ESSER application to build off
the best-in-class design of the ESSER II application. The ESSER II application set out to
guide districts’ planning following the state-level priorities. After conducting a needs
assessment and tying it to their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) milestone metrics, LEAs
used evidence-based SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based) goals to
craft plans that aligned with federal requirements while promoting the CSDE’s priorities. The
ARP ESSER application (see appendix D) is a continuation of those efforts in order to ensure
LEAs are creating plans that account for the needs of their students, uphold the revisited
state-level priorities as discussed in A.2, and abide by federal regulation. A copy of the
application can be found in appendix D.
One way that the application ensures LEAs are properly spending the required reserved funds
is by building a minimum set-aside amount in the electronic grant management system
(eGMS) based upon the total allocation of funds. For example, when LEAs begin working on
the application, the system requires them to use 20% of their total ARP ESSER funds to
address academic impact of lost instructional time. LEAs will also be required to specify the
use of ARP ESSER funds in developing, implementing, monitoring, and/or evaluating
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 43
achievement and attendance outcomes of needs-based strategies addressing academic
recovery. As noted throughout this plan, the CSDE considers ARP ESSER to be the
opportunity to expand existing efforts both in depth and breadth and, therefore, encourages
LEAs to align their new ARP ESSER strategies to those CSDE-approved ESSER II
evidenced-based interventions. This preferred course of action will be encouraged by
allowing districts to check a box in the ARP ESSER eGMS application to signal new
strategies as a means of flagging what great work is currently being done.
(3) Spark Innovation webinars: Through the CSDE’s ARP ESSER Guidance document and
AccelerateCT, the CSDE aims to spark innovation as a means of sharing best practices and
helping districts explore creative ways to transform students’ lives. Throughout the ARP
ESSER application period (May 24-August 19), the CSDE will develop and deploy webinars
that highlight best practices across the state and nation to spark innovation for districts as
they determine how to best meet their students’ needs and complete their ARP ESSER
application.
The Spark Innovation webinars provide an opportunity to remind districts about authorized
uses of ARP ESSER funds and to encourage them to consider areas that might not be top of
mind. For example, the CSDE will remind districts that ARP ESSER can fund any activity
authorized under the major federal grant categories including the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESSA), the IDEA, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA),
the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins), or the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Education Assistance Act. These webinars will also serve as an opportunity for
CSDE to share stakeholder input that was received through the state’s consultation efforts.
Specifically, we plan to emphasize the importance of building safer schools (including
HVAC improvements); social, emotional, and mental health supports; engaging families and
communities; and providing support and professional development for educators.
In addition, the Spark Innovation webinars provide an opportunity to support districts’
financial planning. ARP ESSER is providing millions of dollars in funding to many of our
districts to support their transformation efforts post COVID. The CSDE is exploring ways to
provide technical assistance to district leaders specific to the financial planning that is needed
to deploy these resources to ensure successful implementation of districts’ identified
strategies.
(4) Technical assistance and support: The CSDE Academic Office and Turnaround Office
will continue to provide a tiered approach to support local analysis and decision-making to 33
identified low-performing districts (also known as Alliance Districts). CSDE staff are
assigned a cohort of districts to provide consultation and focused monitoring of expenditures
and program implementation. Specific to relief funding, staff will continue to provide
technical assistance to support decision-making and effective use of funding to address
academics, school climate and culture, and chronic absenteeism.
For the remaining districts, the CSDE has organized internal ESSER technical assistance
teams available to meet with LEAs in specific response to locally identified needs. The
CSDE has organized an internal cross-sectional team for each statewide priority with a
dedicated lead facilitating the meetings and discussions to ensure sessions are solution
oriented. These technical assistance teams are cross-divisional and will customize the level
and type of support based on district needs. Multiple measures and evidence are submitted
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 44
prior to the meetings to ensure the CSDE team can provide questions to find a root cause,
decisions, and solutions.
CSDE has also partnered with the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents
(CAPSS) to provide direct support to specific districts and more widespread support to all
districts. CAPSS has engaged a group of retired administrators to serve as a technical
assistance team (ESSER advisors) for districts as they complete their ARP ESSER
applications and begin implementation of the strategies named in their ESSER II planning.
This team approach has provided a mechanism for more easily sharing best practices across
district lines.
E.2. LEA Consultation
As described in C.1, the CSDE knows bringing diverse perspectives to the table is essential
and has created a three-step process to ensure districts are engaging in meaningful
consultation with stakeholders:
(1) Assurances and ARP ESSER application: In addition to fiscal and budgetary assurances,
districts must confirm that they upheld the assurance of engaging with stakeholders as a part
of their application. As listed in eGMS, stakeholders include but are not limited to students,
families, teachers, principals, boards of education, civil rights organizations, and stakeholders
representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing
homelessness, youth in foster care, children who are incarcerated, and other underserved
students. LEAs must describe how the stakeholder input was incorporated and have the
choice to upload summary documents or letters of support as well. (See appendix D for a
detailed view of the ARP ESSER application).
(2) Webinars and support materials: The CSDE aims to make the process of engaging
stakeholders as efficient as possible for districts while also ensuring the input received and
the collaboration is authentic and meaningful. Therefore, CSDE plans to develop and deploy
webinars and other support materials that guide LEAs through the process. The CSDE has
already encouraged LEAs to consult Connecticut’s Framework for Family Engagement, their
local RESC, SERC, and the Counsel of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO’s) handbook for
inspiration. The webinars and subsequent materials will build off those recommendations.
(3) Ground-up communication within communities: The final and most innovative means of
ensuring the LEAs are conducting meaningful stakeholder engagement is by facilitating
ground up communication within the communities. The CSDE is exploring what
communication to our communities should look like to ensure that families, students, and
community members are aware of what is required of LEAs and consequentially the shared
accountability in jointly shaping the required plan. Working alongside the Commissioners’
Roundtable for Family and Community Engagement in Education and the State Student
Advisory Council on Education, the CSDE will ensure that the LEAs are provided with
supports needed to conduct the required meaningful stakeholder consultation.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 45
E.3. Supporting and Monitoring LEAs’ Use of ARP ESSER Funds
E.3.i. Supporting and Monitoring LEAs’ interventions
The CSDE has a long history of supporting and monitoring LEAs in the use of evidence-
based interventions that respond to student needs. The CSDE requires that LEAs use
evidence-based interventions in many of our own grants, and we have developed a collection
of Evidence-Based Practice Guides for districts to use. The guides are intended to support
school and districts decision-making on academic and student support programming and to
optimize the use of federal, state, and local funds. The guides cover a wide variety of
categories including: climate and culture (includes attendance and discipline), early learning,
English language proficiency, equity driven leadership, mathematics, reading, science, on-
track graduation, and student/family/community engagement,
The CSDE will continue to support LEAs in the use of evidence-based practices throughout
the ARP ESSER application and approval process. In addition, CSDE is creating a process to
help LEAs develop structures that will allow them to collect evidence more easily on the
effectiveness of the interventions they use.
In addition to supporting LEAs’ planning, the ARP ESSER application in eGMS also serves
as a monitoring and accountability tool. It hosts the ARP ESSER funding assurances in each
LEA’s document library and is used to approve LEAs’ ARP ESSER budgets, monitor
drawdowns, and track and report expenditures.
The final way the CSDE will support and monitor LEA’s use of ARP ESSER funds is by
including a reporting supplement within eGMS. This reporting supplement requires LEAs to
provide information on progress made on benchmark assessments, student attendance, family
and community participation rates, suspensions and expulsions, and any LEA data related to
progress made toward Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) milestone metrics. In alignment
with the intent of ARP ESSER, the CSDE requires, as an element of the reporting
supplement, the disaggregation of data detailing progress made by students who have been
disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
E.3.ii. Support and Monitor how LEAs address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19
pandemic
Addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on certain groups of
students requires intentional and thoughtful solutions. In addition to the federal relief funding
that has been awarded, Connecticut LEAs that are eligible for the Title I grant are also
eligible for the federal Title IV, Part A grant. The goal of T4PA is to improve academic
outcomes by ensuring students have access to the necessary technology and health and
wellness supports. T4PA requires that funds are directed toward the students and schools with
the greatest need. Thus, many LEAs are familiar with this process, and the CSDE stands
ready to support LEAs when necessary.
In further addressing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on student populations,
CSDE will support and monitor LEAs by providing tiered levels of technical assistance to
LEAs across the state as a means of support:
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 46
• Turnaround Office: In addition to the burdens of the pandemic, various student
populations are also disproportionately affected by multiple variables. The CSDE
Turnaround Office works specifically with the 33 Alliance Districts, lowest
performing districts, which includes the Opportunity Districts, the 10 lowest
performing districts on our accountability index. Over 90% of the students that
qualify for Title I support are enrolled in these 33 districts. These are the districts with
most of the students that have been most disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
In addition to a differentiated system of support through a CSDE cross-divisional
team, the Turnaround Office has evolved their system of supports for the districts and
schools they work with to provide on-demand professional learning responsive to
district and school need, networking and sharing of best practices, and partnering with
various external partners to support the continuous improvement efforts. The
Turnaround Office staff in collaboration with the other office’s from CSDE will
support districts as it relates to their APR ESSER plans in addition to their usual
efforts of monitoring the implementation and impact of their Turnaround Plans.
• Performance Office: Acknowledging the importance of data in decision-making, the
CSDE has also provided LEAs with access to data related to COVID-19 and the
impact it has had on LEAs throughout the state. It is the CSDE’s belief that student
attendance or chronic absence during the pandemic is one of the indicators of the
disproportional impact of the pandemic on certain groups of students. Data have been
made publicly available on monthly student attendance during the pandemic, and
LEAs can disaggregate monthly attendance by student subgroups. This will allow
LEAs to target evidence-based interventions for the students whom the pandemic has
had the greatest impact on.
• Bureau of Special Education (BSE): Throughout the pandemic, the CSDE BSE has
maintained its General Monitoring and Supervision responsibilities. In collaboration
with the Performance Office, a Special Education Data Collection review was
completed, which involved the identification of LEA non-compliance related to
timely annual reviews/initial eligibility determinations, three-year re-evaluations,
IEPs in place by a student’s third birthday, developmental delay classifications, and
secondary transition. The BSE is providing support and assistance as well as
corrective action requirements to ensure compliance in these areas. The BSE also
engaged in a review of LEA Learning Model IEP Implementation Plans (LMIIP) that
were implemented across the state throughout the pandemic. The LMIIP was provided
by the CSDE to LEAs to document the mode and methodology of the delivery of
instruction during the pandemic. A sampling of 41 LEAs was included in the review.
• Talent Office: Recognizing the need for a strong and diverse workforce to further
support students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the CSDE Talent
Office has implemented various programs to support educators so they can better
serve students. These programs include, but are not limited to, flexibilities around
teacher evaluations, edTPA waivers, staffing flexibilities, and the creation and
implementation of the NextGen Educators. Details about these efforts can be found in
section F.
• Academic Office: Maintaining a high level of support for teaching and learning, the
CSDE Academic Office deployed the CT Learning Hub (as mentioned in A.4) to
address the unique challenges brought on by the pandemic. Additionally, the
Academic Office continued and enhanced its usual supports. For example, Academic
Office staff continue to partner with the district and state organizations regularly to
provide support, professional learning, technical assistance, and grants management
for LEAs receiving Title and Perkins funding. The Academic Office monitors and
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 47
supports the design and development of curricula, curricular programs that align to
SBE-approved educational standards, and pathways towards graduation. And finally,
members of the Academic Office continue to participate on cross-divisional teams
that monitor and support the lowest performing LEAs identified as Alliance,
Opportunity, and Priority School Districts in partnership with the Turnaround Office.
• Division of Health/Nutrition, Family Services, & Adult Education: Managing
many federal and state programs and grants, this division supports those student
populations disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include:
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; 21st Century Community Learning
Centers (Title IV, Part B – only LEAs with 40% free and reduced-price meal eligible
students qualify); Title IV, Part A; family and community engagement; attendance
and chronic absenteeism; school-based arrest diversion; school discipline,
disproportionality, and restorative practices; school health services and school
nursing; and, social, emotional, mental, and behavioral health. Through this work, the
CSDE has continued to provide comprehensive guidance, webinars, trainings, virtual
town hall forums, and networking events. CSDE has also developed videos to learn,
share successes and challenges, and provide guidance to LEAs. Additionally, the
Child Nutrition Programs unit has provided extensive supports to LEAs to transition
school meal programs through federal waivers to provide all students, regardless of
family economics, with over 50 million meals at no cost to families. Finally, the
CSDE has implemented, in partnership with the CT DSS, the federal Pandemic
Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (PEBT), providing over $190 million in benefits
to families. The CSDE will continue to seek future opportunities to continue these
programs and address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on students who
are homeless and in unstable housing situations; juvenile justice involved; food
insecure; impacted by physical, nutritional, and mental health issues and trauma; and
students of color.
E.3.iii. Support and Monitor how LEAs identify, reengage, and support students who have
lost instructional time
As discussed in D.2.iii, the CSDE has put forth significant effort and resources to identify,
reengage, and support students who have lost instructional time. These efforts have been
amplified to help LEAs in identifying and supporting students as well. For example,
throughout the course of the pandemic, CSDE staff members have run weekly Tuesday
morning attendance roundtables (“Talk Tuesdays”) to support districts with improving
student attendance and engagement both for those who are attending school in person and
virtually. Lack of attendance and engagement are indicators of students who are not thriving
and often lead to lack of credit accumulation and eventually may lead to not graduating from
high school. The state has been working on this issue for many years and has raised the age
for dropping out to 17 and has made both chronic absenteeism and graduation rates part of
the district accountability index. As a result, LEAs are carefully monitoring absenteeism data
and credit accumulation during the early high school years and providing interventions to get
students back on track for graduation. The CSDE will continue these efforts during the ARP
ESSER process.
CSDE has provided extensive guidance and support to districts related to both attendance and
student engagement for many years and the guidance was intensified at the start of the
pandemic. The COVID-19 Resources for Families and Educators web page includes
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 48
webinars, video guidance, newsletters, and other documents to support LEAs on a wide
variety of topics, including attendance and engagement.
E.4. Supporting LEAs while taking educational equity into account
The CSDE believes it is our collective responsibility to fulfill the established state-level
priorities through an equity-focused lens. We believe that to truly take advantage of the
opportunity ARP ESSER has afforded us to transform our communities, we must encourage
our LEAs to focus on the state’s preK-12 populations most disproportionately affected by
COVID-19. The CSDE ARP ESSER guidance provided to LEAs gives specific examples of
initiatives LEAs can adopt to accomplish our common goals of education renewal, learning
acceleration, and enrichment for every student. The CSDE, in collaboration with the CAPSS,
released a needs assessment in advance of the ESSER II application and has urged LEAs to
reflect upon local needs, especially needs associated with racial equity and poverty, and use
ARP ESSER funding to allocate funding based on student need. Furthermore, CSDE is
already requiring districts to incorporate this practice of supporting the students with the
greatest need and the schools with the greatest number of students that are eligible for Title I
through the Title IV, Part A grant process, and as a result, LEAs are already familiar with
how to support the schools with the greatest need.
Recognizing that educational equity requires more than just good intentions, the CSDE
strives to collect and provide LEAs with data to provide a deeper insight into the state of
equity across Connecticut and in each district. As mentioned in A.2, to support attendance
and engagement of students as they participate in varied school learning models, the CSDE
established a system to collect student-level attendance data on a monthly basis. These data
have revealed areas of opportunity and areas of success when it comes to educational equity.
Statewide attendance data reveal the need to focus on getting all students engaged in school
again by reducing opportunity gaps, closing the digital divide, and transitioning students back
to in-person learning. As of April 2021, YTD, attendance rates for all students is 92.9%,
while the statewide attendance for students with high needs (defined as a student with a
disability, an English learner, and/or a student eligible for free- or reduced-price meals) is
89.7%. On the other hand, the data have revealed areas that educational equity is being
achieved. The percentage of students attending some form of in-person learning is nearly the
same between all students (9.6%) and students with disabilities (9.8%). Much work remains
to promote educational equality, but CSDE is proud to see districts doing the work even
before ARP ESSER.
The overall disruption to in-person schooling and services, particularly for our most
vulnerable populations, requires targeted responses that include collaboration between CSDE,
families, school officials, and community-based advocates and organizations. As a result of
this, the CSDE has instituted, since April 2021, a monthly Special Populations Roundtable
with advocates from throughout the state of Connecticut. The purpose of this convening is to
share best practices seen in the field, as well as emerging issues, to help inform CSDE’s
policy, accountability, and support. The CSDE Commissioner participates in these meetings
and depending on the focus of the agenda, the CSDE chief academic officer, chief
performance officer, legal director, and/or Bureau of Special Education division director
participate.
The CSDE will continue its dialogue with school officials, families, students, advocates, and
other community stakeholders in order to inform its policies, ensure the public is informed,
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 49
and further support LEAs’ efforts toward educational equity. Engaging regularly with
stakeholders is crucial to ensuring that all populations have their voices heard and are a part
of the decision-making processes at the state and local levels. It also brings a natural
accountability to keep planning and use of resources as transparent as possible.
As Connecticut continues its leadership in supporting return to fully in-person teaching and
support LEAs’ complete return to in-person learning, the CSDE will remain focused on the
critically important practices that have been in place throughout Connecticut for many years,
such as addressing exclusionary discipline, reducing chronic absence, implementing SEL,
prioritizing school family community engagement, and providing professional learning to
mitigate implicit bias and promote equity.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 50
F. Supporting the Educator Workforce
F.1. Supporting and Stabilizing the Educator Workforce
To achieve the goals of learning acceleration, academic renewal, and student enrichment, the
CSDE recognizes the need for a qualified and well-trained educator workforce.
Especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to attract more diverse talent and
provide support to existing educators. Additionally, it is critical to our stakeholders that the
CSDE is considering the impact of the pandemic on our educators and exploring how to
support teachers so they can support students.
Table F1: State of Educator Workforce in CT
Area Data on shortages and needs Narrative description
Special educators Comprehensive Special Ed. The CSDE has worked in partnership
and related service with educator preparation programs
personnel and • # Newly Certified 2020-21: (EPPs) and TEACH CT to expand
paraprofessionals 478 exposure of the need for educators to
• Total # Employed 2020-21: pursue certification in special education.
6,323 The CSDE, in partnership with the RESC
Alliance and CCSSO Teacher Table
Integrated Early Childhood (112/113) initiative, focused on the persistent
shortage areas in special education and
• # Newly Certified 2020-21: identified several strategies to improve
155 resources and support for the retention of
• Total # Employed 2020-21: special education teachers. These
1,601 strategies included the development of
resources for the Teacher Education and
Mentoring Program (TEAM), an
induction program on best practices for
supporting and mentoring early career
special education teachers and utilizing
the Talent Office CEEDAR grant to
improve partnerships between EPPs and
LEAs specific to supporting special
education candidates.
Additionally, the SBE approved
pathways for experienced para-educators
to obtain temporary authorizations as
they pursue initial educator certification
in comprehensive special education.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 51
Area Data on shortages and needs Narrative description
Bilingual educators # Newly Certified 2020-21: 22 The shortage of bilingual educators has
long been recognized as a persistent
Total # Employed 2020-21: 250 challenge in Connecticut. As a result, the
CSDE, in partnership with the CCSSO
Teacher Table initiative, focused
specifically on addressing issues around
bilingual certification. As a result, the
SBE approved the CSDE legislative
proposal to change bilingual certification
regulations through statute, expanding
access to the endorsement and removing
barriers of entry. The raised legislation is
currently pending legislative approval.
English as a # Newly Certified 2020-21: 143 The CSDE continues to engage in
second language conversations with EPPs about
educators Total # Employed 2020-21:712 expanding pathways towards TESOL
certification including expanding access
to Alternate Route to Certification
Programs and cross-endorsements
programs.
STEM educators # Newly Certified:2020-21: 353 The CSDE has worked in partnership
with EPPs and TEACH CT to amplify
Total # Employed 2020-21: 6,990 the need for STEM educators. The
CSDE, through legislation, has created
pathways for certified educators to add
cross endorsements in STEM (4-12) and
career and technical education (CTE)
through testing alone.
Additionally, the CSDE has worked with
the RESC Alliance to provide test
preparation options specific to CTE and
mathematics.
CTE educators # Newly Certified 2020-21: 30 Much like the need for STEM educators,
CSDE, EPPs and TEACH CT have
Total # Employed 2020-21: 408 worked together to highlight the need for
CTE educators. As mentioned above, the
CSDE, through legislation, has created
pathways for certified educators to add
cross endorsements in STEM (4-12) and
career and technical education (CTE)
through testing alone.
Additionally, the CSDE has worked with
the RESC Alliance to provide test
preparation options specific to CTE and
mathematics.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 52
Area Data on shortages and needs Narrative description
Early childhood Integrated Early Childhood (112/113) The CSDE continues to engage in
educators conversations with EPPs about
• # Newly Certified 2020-21: expanding pathways toward Early
155 Childhood Endorsements (112/113)
• Total # Employed 2020-21: including expanding access to Alternate
1,601 Route to Certification Programs.
Elementary #305 (1-6) The CSDE continues to partner and
collaborate with the Office of Early
• # Newly Certified 2020-21: Childhood (OEC) including joint
911 statements, support of the Consortium for
• Total # Employed 2020-21: the Advancement of Early Childhood
1,805 Educators grant application, and pending
legislative proposal.
Elementary #013 (K-6)
• # Newly Certified 2020-21:
N/A
• Total # Employed 2020-21:
N/A
School counselors # Newly Certified 2020-21: 130 The CSDE acknowledges the increased
need for behavioral and mental health
Total # Employed 2020-21: 1,537 supports for students due to the trauma
and isolation experienced during the
COVID-19 pandemic. This combined
with the need for accelerated learning
and academic and career planning, the
CSDE recognizes the necessity of
increasing in student counselors and aims
to support LEAs in meeting those needs.
Social workers # Newly Certified 2020-21:223 Social workers are valuable members of
the school community and are needed to
Total # Employed 2020-21:1,303 reengage and reconnect students and
families to the school community and to
community-based supports. Increasing
the presence of social workers will
enhance the engagement between
schools, communities, families, and
students.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 53
Area Data on shortages and needs Narrative description
Nurses # Newly Certified 2020-21: N/A The CSDE recognizes that nurses are
vital members of the school community
Total # Employed 2020-21: 1,272 now more than ever. In addition to
providing day-to-day care for students,
nurses have the ability to provide
ongoing social, emotional, and physical
health supports as well as conduct care
coordination for students.
As the COVID-19 pandemic persists,
nurses are also required to coordinate the
emerging needs including assistance with
contact tracing, vaccinations for school-
aged children as well as school staff, and
COVID-19 testing.
School # Newly Certified 2020-21:90 The COVID-19 pandemic has increased
psychologists the number of students experiencing high
Total # Employed 2020-21:1090 levels of anxiety and depression and,
therefore, requires the needs for
additional school psychologists to
conduct further individualized
assessments.
F.1.ii. Assisting LEAs in identifying the most urgent needs
LEAs across the state of Connecticut have successfully identified their most significant
workforce needs throughout the years, and the process has not changed during the COVID-19
pandemic. The CSDE has focused our efforts and resources toward supporting LEAs as they
fill the gaps that they independently identified.
Despite presenting unprecedented challenges to school districts, the CSDE is not aware of
significant layoffs or layoffs mitigated by federal COVID-19 funding. Instead, talent officers
located throughout the districts continue to note a need to fill vacancies. This need is not a
result of the pandemic, but rather a supply and demand issue that the state of Connecticut has
been faced with for years. While hiring needs are unique to each district, the CSDE has
identified two significant needs that persist across the state: the need for a more diverse
educator workforce and the need for special educators. The CSDE works closely with
districts to ensure these needs are top-of-mind and that there are sufficient resources to aid
the efforts.
F.1.iii. Filling anticipated gaps in the workforce
To help LEAs efforts in keeping and supporting staff, CSDE has expanded the reach and
ability of the following resources that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic:
EdSight Active Endorsement Search Tool: CSDE Talent Office and Performance Office
have partnered to create the EdSight Active Endorsement Search Tool to support LEAs in the
recruitment of appropriately certified educators.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 54
TEACH CT: CSDE’s primary marketing and branding service; TEACH CT has been
successful in recruiting the next generation of teachers, especially in subject shortage areas,
and helping the CSDE to ensure that the teacher workforce matches the racial, ethnic, and
linguistic diversity of Connecticut students.
Teacher Education and Mentoring Program (TEAM): Connecticut’s Teacher Education
and Mentoring (TEAM) Program, established by Connecticut General Statutes Section10-
145o, supports all new teachers, leading to some of the highest retention figures in the nation
for early career teachers. It promotes excellence, equity, and high achievement for
Connecticut students by engaging teachers in purposeful exploration of professional practice
through guided support, mentorship, and personal reflection. In partnership with the RESC
Alliance, during the pandemic the CSDE has expanded mentor training, has expanded
reviewer training, and has redesigned mentor update training to include modules on SEL,
equity, and cultural competency.
Recognizing the critical impact of COVID-19 on the educator workforce at large and in many
of Connecticut’s districts, CSDE, alongside SBE, has implemented and will continue to
expand the following:
Temporary Emergency Endorsements: For the 2020-21 school year, the SBE approved three
Emergency Certification Endorsements to provide districts with the flexibility required to use
and retain their existing certified educators in a variety of proposed instructional models,
including hybrid and distance learning, to best support students during the 2020-21 school
year.
Support for Flexible Staffing: Connecticut Certification Regulations allow districts a variety
of flexible measures to ensure that appropriately certified, authorized, and/or permitted
educators are addressing the needs of students. These strategies include allowances for
daily/long-term substitutes, expansion of pathways for paraeducators, and expanded use of
education candidates to support instructional needs.
Educator Evaluation and Support Flexibilities: To support educators and administrators in
meeting the needs of students, the CSDE developed Flexibilities to the Guidelines for
Educator Evaluation and Support for the 2020-21 school year that allowed educators, leaders,
and districts to focus on the social and emotional learning needs of students and staff alike.
The CSDE is currently facilitating the Educator Evaluation and Support Council 2022 to
make recommendations to the SBE for flexibilities for the 2021-22 school year. These
flexibilities will afford a continued focus on the social and emotional learning needs of
students and staff.
The CSDE will continue to partner with LEAs and our EPPs to support districts and schools
in meeting the needs of all Connecticut students during the 2021-22 school year. As part of
these efforts, the CSDE will maintain and expand current offerings to support candidates,
districts, and students. Some strategies, as described previously, include support for flexible
staffing, EdSight Active Endorsement Search Tool, and TEACH CT. The CSDE has made
significant investments into expanding the educator pipeline and educator diversity
throughout the years and used the urgency of the pandemic to double down on those efforts.
The CSDE is proud of the work that has been driven by the SBE 2015 goal to achieve 10%
educators of color by 2021, and while that goal was recently met, much more work needs to
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 55
be done. The CSDE will continue to partner with the REL-NEI Comprehensive Center
(Wested) to support districts in the recruitment, hiring, selection, and retention of a racially,
ethnically, and linguistically diverse educators. Guiding this work is the CSDE Guidebook
for Hiring and Selection.
Examples of other steps CSDE will continue to take to ensure a healthy, diverse, and
qualified educator pipeline include but are not limited to:
NextGen Educators Program: To make a commitment to student success and student-
focused teaching and learning, the School of Education and Professional Studies at Central
Connecticut State University has partnered with CSDE to create the NextGen Educators
Program. The goal of the program is to enhance teaching innovation and teaching quality by
bringing together a cohort of outstanding Teaching Fellows to foster excellence and rigor in
the next generation of teachers while supporting K-12 student learning in Connecticut. The
program is gaining substantial traction in-state and is becoming nationally recognized as a
promising model for success.
Utilizing Tomorrow’s Hires Today: The CSDE, in partnership with Connecticut EPP
providers, continues to release guidance, resources, and best practices regarding the use of
education candidates to ensure that required fieldwork and practical experiences best support
the daily instructional needs of partnering districts, buildings, and students.
Educators Rising Program: A long-term strategy to help support Connecticut’s efforts to
diversify the educator workforce, the EdRising program is a national program developed by
teachers for teachers. The program includes curriculum, teacher training, and “Beginning to
Teach” microcredentials for students, and is the centerpiece of the CSDE grow-your-own
teacher recruitment strategy.
F.2. Staffing to Support Student Needs
Once the pandemic hit, the CSDE was able to rely upon strategies that were previously put in
place to increase student access to key support staff, such as the EdSight Active Endorsement
Search Tool, to help LEAs search for qualified staff. Besides the future initiatives to be
funded by the ARP ESSER state set-aside as described in E.4, the CSDE launched additional
strategies to guide LEA staffing efforts to increase students’ access to key support staff:
Special Education Evaluation Initiative: CSDE’s Bureau of Special Education has partnered
with our RESCs to develop Special Education Evaluation Teams to help LEAs with their
required special education evaluations (re-evaluations). The RESCs are providing LEAs an
opportunity to access special education (academic), school psychologists
(cognitive/social/emotional), speech and language (communication/language), occupational
therapy (fine motor), physical therapy (gross motor), and assistive technology evaluations.
This initiative will help LEAs in completing evaluations that may have been delayed by the
pandemic. Additionally, this initiative will free up LEA personnel to provide direct services
to students when they otherwise would be spending time assessing students.
ARP ESSER Guidance and Spark Innovation Webinars: The CSDE believes increasing
staffing of school social, emotional, and behavioral support personnel, including counselors,
social workers, psychologists, nurses, and others, is key to serving students
disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. To guide LEAs efforts, the CSDE encouraged
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 56
districts to invest ARP ESSER funds in “Enhancing access to professional student support
personnel” in the CSDE ARP ESSER Guidance document. This will be further emphasized in
a Spark Innovation webinar that was created to specifically provide inspiration on how LEAs
can use staffing to meet students’ needs.
Continued Support of a Diverse Workforce: Increasing students’ access to key support staff
requires a healthy—and diverse—pipeline of talent. To ensure there are sufficient candidates
to fill the various staffing needs, the CSDE will continue supporting the Educators Rising
Program and the NextGen Educators Program as described above.
Connecticut Comprehensive School Counseling Framework: In collaboration with the
Connecticut School Counselor Association, CSDE developed the Kindergarten to Grade 12
Connecticut Comprehensive School Counseling Framework, which:
• provides a blueprint for certified school counselors to ensure services and
programming in academic, social-emotional learning, postsecondary education, and
career readiness for all students;
• ensures that counseling is delivered to all students systemically and includes tiered
supports;
• provides components to evaluate effectiveness of the Framework’s implementation
based on student outcomes and guides the necessary adjustments to improve
programming;
• assists schools in implementing a developmentally appropriate school counseling
delivery system aligned with the new student K-12 competencies; and
• supports the use of data to drive informed decision-making to address equity and
access.
Position Statement on the Connecticut Comprehensive School Counseling Framework: To
solidify the SBE’s commitment to the importance of the implementation of comprehensive
school counseling programs in all Connecticut schools, the SBE has adopted the Position
Statement on the Connecticut Comprehensive School Counseling Framework.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 57
G. Monitoring and Measuring Progress
G.1. Overview of Capacity and Experience with Data Collection,
Reporting, and Monitoring/Measuring Progress
For many years, CSDE has streamlined critical functions relative to data collections, data
warehousing, reporting, assessment, and school/district accountability into its
Performance Office. Staff within the office are organized into small work units and dedicated
to the respective functions. Most data collected by the CSDE about students, staff, and
districts/schools are managed by the Performance Office, except for fiscal data. Data
collection specialists have years of experience working with information technology staff and
with local school districts and other providers to collect accurate data promptly. They work
closely with program specialists across the agency (e.g., special education, English learners,
gifted/talented, choice programs, homeless, vocational-agriculture, school discipline,
attendance, academics) to ensure validity of the data that are collected. The Performance
Office also oversees the implementation of all state assessments, including academic
assessments in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science; English language
proficiency assessments for English learners; kindergarten inventory; and physical fitness.
All data collected by the agency, including fiscal data and all assessment data, are loaded to
the CSDE’s data warehouse and reporting platform called EdSight. It offers a full suite of
reports on enrollment, student discipline, attendance, educator capacity and demographics,
assessments, and school/district accountability. The newest in this suite of interactive reports
on EdSight pertains to fiscal expenditures. Following ESSA requirements, the CSDE has
begun reporting comparable, per-pupil expenditure information at the state, district, and
school levels. EdSight Public also provides a comprehensive school/district report card for
every district and school in Connecticut.
For authorized users in districts/schools, EdSight Secure gives access to student-level data for
their own district/school, a Student Summary that provides longitudinal historical data for
current students, and an Early Indication Tool report that uses longitudinal student data from
a variety of domains (e.g., test scores, attendance, behavior, course performance, mobility) to
assign differentiated levels of support needed for students to meet academic milestones.
Through a partnership with the Office of Higher Education, EdSight Secure also provides
student-level information on FAFSA completion status to authorized users so they may
support students to complete their FAFSA applications. A public report was also launched to
support the Governor’s FAFSA Challenge.
Several members of the office have doctoral degrees and are skilled and knowledgeable in
conducting advanced analyses using statistics, psychometrics, machine learning, and
qualitative measures. A comprehensive research library contains a repository of the Office’s
research, analyses, and evaluation reports.
G.1.i. Student Assessments in 2020-21
To measure student learning and the impact of different learning modalities in 2020-21, the
CSDE has worked tirelessly over the past year to prepare itself and districts to administer the
state summative assessments to as many students as possible in a safe manner. At the same
time, the CSDE has also propagated Sensible Assessment Practices during the 2020-21
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 58
school year. This guidance and supporting resources are encouraging districts to replace
locally administered standardized benchmark measures with small-scale, fine-grain
assessments that can more directly inform instruction. Such shorter “block” assessments are
nonstandardized measures but contain high-quality test items. They can be embedded into the
curriculum. They can reduce unnecessary testing time during the year. Moreover, they are
provided at no cost to districts.
In its approval of Connecticut’s accountability waiver request for the 2020-21 year, USED
affirmed the following about the state summative assessments:
“The intent of these accountability waivers is to focus on assessments to
provide information to parents, educators, and the public about student
performance and to help target resources and supports. This is particularly
crucial this year, due to the COVID pandemic.”
CSDE wholeheartedly concurs with this sentiment and intends to use assessment results
primarily to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on student achievement and growth.
To prepare for a successful test administration and obtain comparable and representative
results in 2020-21, CSDE knew that the assessment platform must offer a way for students to
be tested remotely. While all students (including fully remote students) are encouraged to test
in person, that may not be feasible in all cases. Therefore, CSDE worked all year with its test
vendors and with several local school districts to pilot and successfully implement a new
remote test proctoring platform. In addition to the technology, CSDE has developed and
disseminated detailed guidance of test administration and communication tools for families.
Remote proctoring was offered for the English language proficiency assessment (LAS Links)
and is also being offered for the grades 3-8 ELA/math standard assessments (Smarter
Balanced) and with the grades 5, 8, and 11 science standard assessments (NGSS).
Although there is no formal school/district accountability in 2020-21, districts have been
informed that aggregate results of the “block” assessments will be reported publicly.
However, this year’s reporting of results must look different from those in prior years. At a
minimum, they must reference the contextual backdrop of the pandemic and the different
ways in which students accessed learning (e.g., in-person, hybrid, remote). Additionally, the
public will have to be clearly and explicitly cautioned about any limitations in the data that
might affect interpretation, such as uneven or low participation that make the data
unrepresentative. CSDE is seeking the input of superintendents and district leaders on this
year’s results release.
G.1.ii Collection and Reporting of Opportunity-to-Learn (OTL) Measures
The CSDE has a long history of collecting and reporting on Opportunity-to-Learn measures.
These data are routinely used by CSDE program specialists in the student supports area in
school/district improvement efforts.
• Connecticut has been collecting and reporting attendance data, including chronic
absenteeism, since 2012-13. Since 2014-15, chronic absenteeism has also been
included as part of the school/district accountability framework. Attendance data are
also a critical component of the Early Indication Tool modeling.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 59
• Great attention has been given over the years to all forms of exclusionary discipline,
including in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, and expulsion. Interactive
reports on EdSight provide data go back to 2009-10. Additionally, since June 2013,
the CSDE has been submitting a comprehensive report to the State Board of
Education annually that highlights discipline trends and disproportionalities in
discipline among student groups as well as strategies being employed to ‘turn the
curve.’ Most recently, districts were placed in tiers based on overall suspension rates
and disproportionality to inform the targeting of interventions and supports.
• Staff capacity data continue to be reported annually on EdSight. Data are
disaggregated into the different teaching assignment areas such as administration,
teachers, counselors/social workers, etc. Noncertified staff capacity in full-time-
equivalent (FTE) terms are also reported.
• Participation in advanced coursework and entrance into postsecondary education are
metrics within Connecticut’s school/district accountability system. Though the formal
accountability system has been paused for 2019-20 and 2020-21, Connecticut
continues to report those (see access to college readiness courses and postsecondary
entrance and persistence). The CSDE plans to continue reporting such metrics when
feasible and defendable.
• The CSDE has continued its practice of sending letters to students directly from the
Commissioner of Education to encourage students to participate in challenging
coursework. It is amending its identification method to use middle-school assessments
so more students, especially from high need districts, can be identified to receive
notification.
G.1.iii. Comparable Fiscal Data
The CSDE annually collects audited district and school-level expenditure data through its
Education Finance System. These data are disaggregated by expenditure function, object, and
source of funding. These data are publicly available on EdSight and provide the opportunity
to compare across LEAs and schools.
G.1.iv. Jobs created and retained
The CSDE reports staffing levels for each assignment category (e.g., administrators, general
education teachers, counselors/social workers) at the state, district, and school levels. The
Performance Office is therefore primed to track, monitor, and understand the implications of
the COVID-19 pandemic on the educator workforce. The chart below shows the baseline
staffing levels in schools compared to student population over the last five years, including
the 2020-21 school year which was affected by the pandemic. The data show little change,
and in some positions an increase, in the majority of staff positions across the state during the
pandemic. Library/media specialist and support staff, special education paraprofessional
instructional assistants, and counselors did see nominal declines this year, which will be
closely watched by the CSDE’s Performance Office and Talent Office. The CSDE will
continue to track and monitor these data each year to assess how jobs are retained following
the obligation of federal COVID-19 funds
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 60
G.1.v. Tracking Participation in Programs Funded by ARP ESSER
Participation in programs funded by ARP ESSER will be tracked at two levels, (1) reporting
supplement in eGMS and (2) evaluation studies conducted by CCERC.
(1) Reporting supplement in eGMS: In line with past federal COVID-19 funding reporting
requirements, the CSDE will provide LEAs a reporting supplement in eGMS, which requires
them to report program participation amongst other metrics.
(2) Evaluation studies conducted by CCERC: Particular initiatives, especially those that have
a critical mass of participation across school districts, will be evaluated by CCERC. The
research collaborative was set up to track and evaluate the efficacy of initiatives funded under
ARP ESSER and ESSER II, and participation is a key element of those studies.
G.2. Monitoring and Internal Controls
The CSDE’s subrecipient monitoring plan (found in appendix C) was updated in October
2020 to reflect the monitoring requirements of the CARES Act, which apply to the CRRSA
Act also. All calculations for the purpose of dispersing ESSER funding are reviewed and
approved by SBE’s Office of Internal Audit, an independent office that reports directly to the
SBE. Internally CSDE has set up a team of program managers assigned to each district to
manage the various grant applications, provide technical assistance to assigned districts, and
monitor the activities outlined in their applications. The online applications include budget
edits that restrict districts’ abilities to move funds without approval from their program
manager. The CSDE has also developed several reports designed to allow program managers
to monitor fiscal and program activities.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 61
Appendix A: SERC Public Forum Report
The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ARP
ESSER) Stakeholder Forums Summary Report
Forum Dates: Thursday, May 20, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm; Friday, May 21, from 8:30am to
10:30am
Purpose: To seek input from CSDE educational stakeholders to inform the development of
the Department’s plan for use of the $110 million state set-aside it received through the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief
(ARP ESSER) fund.
Audience: School Administrators, educators, parents, community members (See Included
Attendee Report)
Format: Presentation Overview followed by Breakout Sessions
Facilitators: 5/20, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Breakout Room 1:
Michelle LeBrun-Griffin
Michelle Weaver
Breakout Room 2:
LeTanya Lawrence
Sara Jones
Smita Worah
Breakout Room 3:
Missy Wrigley
Nitza Diaz
Nicole Vitale
5/21, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Breakout Room 1:
Christine Kuehlewind
Sade Jean-Jacques
Breakout Room 2:
Malik Champlain
Nikki Hendry
Breakout Room 3:
LeTanya Lawrence
Smita Worah
Breakout Room 4:
Dwight Sharpe
Paquita Jarman-Smith
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 62
SERC facilitators engaged participants to solicit meaningful input and feedback on the
five areas below. The key highlights and common themes from the 7 stakeholder
breakout rooms are included below.
1. Describing the State’s Current Status and Needs
Given the progress and promising practices coming from the CSDE in the last year,
are there any other unidentified needs you would like to mention? In particular,
what other needs should be accounted for when it comes to student populations most
impacted by the pandemic?
Social-emotional well-being is paramount for both students and teachers
o Teachers and staff need emotional support SEL supports too.
o SEL supports with professionals in and out of school to deal with trauma
of last year as well as issues that have existed in our education system for
so long.
o SEL staff support – counselors, social workers, mental health professionals
and better student to educator ratios
Supports for Students with Disabilities
o Enrichment opportunities for SWDs need to also focus on SEL not just
academic catch up. Social isolation and loss of social skills has been real,
especially for our youth as learning is social.
o supports for SWDs who were not able to make adequate progress toward
IEP goals
o How is CSDE responding to needs of SWDs who are also students of color
and/or English learners who we have seen experience most severe impacts
of COVID-19.
Support for Adult Education students
o Students who attend adult education programs have been impacted and need
to be part of the conversations that districts are having.
o Adult education is growing with 17 and 18 year olds with limited budgets.
Expecting to deal with huge needs in the Fall.
o Including Adult Ed. - which are parents of students in school districts
2. Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining their Safe Operations
How might CSDE best support school districts in sustaining their safe operations
and preparing for Fall 2021?
Consider Keeping Remote Learning Options
o Families upset/disappointed there is not a remote option in fall
o Leveraging efficiencies-for remote learning. State to roll out a remote
learning academy for fragile students.
o Giving learners the options of learning in person or virtually should be
investigated. Some learners really thrived in that remote environment.
However it is NOT sustainable to ask classroom teachers to teach
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 63
synchronously because the virtual vs. in-person pedagogy is VERY
DIFFERENT
o Remote learning options can work really well for students and should be
maintained.
o Remote and in-person simultaneously for teachers is challenging but there
needs to be a remote option
o Request support for a remote OPTION for medically fragile families
o Need to think about teacher: student ratio and having teachers trained and
dedicated for distance learning.
3. Maximizing State-Level Funds to Support Students
What ideas do you have to address “the academic impact of lost instructional time,
provide summer learning enrichment programs, and provide comprehensive after
school programs”? Think about what this support looks like, how it addresses
vulnerable students, and it serves students who may have been the most disengaged
this year.
Providing Engaging and Fun Enrichment Programs
o Enrichment programs such as STEM, Robotics, Vo-Ag, Agricultural as
compliments to curriculum and typically cost-prohibitive.
o Access to high quality after school programs – not just babysitting
o Create fun ways to embed STEM
o Summer programs should be fun not punitive – meet students where they
are – develop robotic programs
o Summer and afterschool designs need to be engaging and multifaceted so
that children what to attend and receive beneficial outcomes for learning
o Funding to school libraries to be able to offer fun events in the communities
such as both virtual and in person author visits where students can be part
of a book club and then have a chance to interact with the author
o
HVAC/Building Upgrades
o Schools should be air-conditioned, then we could do learning year-round.
Some systems may need to be put in place or repaired. Could tap into DAS
services and district funds to support HVAC upgrade
o Brick and mortar building structures need work and updating on physical
structures
o Where is the state on HVAC and Air quality?
4. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting Students’ Needs
How might you want CSDE to support districts in developing high quality plans for
their use of ARP ESSER funds?
Increase Family Engagement
o Providing guidance to interpret and implement, particularly ways to
support and engage families. Plans required should include authentic
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 64
family-community component if CSDE committed to dual capacity
framework.
o Need steps to engage families and stakeholders
Professional Development/Training
o Create a warehouse of best practices so that districts can learn from and
implement. Indexing by level and type of school/district and by topic
with results-based outcomes evidenced
o Meet the teachers where they are at in their learning and professional
development in multiple ways to recognize the unique communities,
they serve
o Establish a clearing house or Listserv which allows districts and teachers
to share ideas, successes and failure so each district can build on it.
5. Supporting the Educator Workforce
How might CSDE best support the educator workforce – both in supporting current
educators to address students’ academic, social, emotional and mental health needs
and in recruiting a diverse pool of new educators to fill vacancies causes by the
pandemic?
Diversifying the Educator Workforce
o Recognize the distinct and diverse talents our state’s teachers bring into
the learning community
o To me, recruiting a diverse pool of new educators is SO VITAL
o Movement for Diverse teaching staff-this could increase the state efforts
to hire more teachers of color and invest more funding towards this idea.
Mental Health Supports for Educators
o Supporting SEL and trauma for educators during the pandemic. Provide
more incentives for Mentor teachers to collaborate with new teachers
and support them.
o Teachers have discussed need for mental health supports. Having the
necessary time and resources, including breaks throughout day,
particularly for schools using block scheduling.
o Retaining educators: how to support social-emotional growth-
restorative- support the educators
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 65
Appendix B: CSDE Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement
Summary
CSDE Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement Summary
The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) knows bringing diverse perspectives
to the table is essential to implementing a plan that advances equity and access, and is
responsive to the needs of students, families, and educators. With that in mind, the CSDE
created a three-pronged approach to engaging in meaningful consultation with stakeholders
when crafting the ARP ESSER State Plan: (1) written comment, (2) public forums, and (3) a
special meeting with the State Board of Education (SBE) members.
The following is a summary of the feedback received from the 50 written comments
submitted, 140 attendees at the public forums and the majority of the SBE members at the
special meeting. Each form of feedback was considered with the same level of importance in
informing the CSDE’s state plan. The themes equally represent all forms of feedback and are
grouped by number of times mentioned.
Most common themes
• Equity: Participants wholeheartedly echoed the importance of equity.
• Sufficient and equitable social, emotional, and mental health supports for
students: Provide strong support for social-emotional learning and behavioral
supports. Add more school counselors, psychologists, and social workers. The mental
health system was not adequate pre-COVID and now we are about to see a “tsunami”
of demand.
• Social-emotional support for teachers: The educator has also been through a lot
over the past year. Provide educator tools for self-care for their own trauma. We
might see higher retirement rates appearing soon.
• More vulnerable student populations: Different populations experienced “learning
loss” differently over the past year. Train educators on trauma-informed teaching, and
provide extra support for specific populations that may have higher needs: e.g.,
“disengaged” students; those who are chronically absent; those who cannot learn
digitally; English learners; students who receive special education services.
• Focus on diversity in teacher recruitment: Desire to have teachers look like
students; increase diversity recruitment; explore incentive programs to encourage
more Black and Brown educators to apply and work in our schools.
• Health and safety guidance from CSDE: Want more, clearer, and more stable
guidance on when to close vs. open. The intermittent opening and closing this past
year was a big challenge. Parents would like more communication about health and
safety status inside the school (e.g., indoor air quality; updated HVAC).
• Remote learning option: Some parents would like a remote learning option, as they
have a student with medical needs or do not feel comfortable sending students back in
person. If the state does not allow a remote learning option, they should make the
COVID-19 vaccine mandatory to attend school.
• Tutoring for students: Provide access to high-quality tutoring for all students who
need it. This tutoring could be provided by outside education organizations to
supplement in-person learning.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 66
• Inclusive planning: Districts should include students, educators, and parents in their
planning processes; districts can be slow to release guidance to families that has come
down from CSDE. There is a strong desire for authentic engagement as well as
transparency on how funding is being spent.
• Additional staffing considerations: To better serve students, districts should
consider decreasing staff-to-student ratio, dedicating staff to student re-engagement,
and providing for enhanced paraprofessional presence in schools. Provide more
support staff (i.e., academic support staff, specialized staff like reading tutors, etc.).
Moderately common themes
• Enrichment through non-core subjects: Provide high-quality programming in the
areas of arts, music, robotics, and other enrichment opportunities, including
interdisciplinary learning experiences, especially for underserved students.
• Career/vocational readiness: There is a need for career/vocational exploration and
training.
• STEM: There should be more emphasis on STEM/computer science.
• On-site nurse: Sentiment that schools need to have an on-site nurse; a feeling that
this would make some parents more comfortable sending their students back.
• Teachers are stretched thin: Think of ways to make their lives easier (e.g., budget to
create “mindful classrooms;” seasoned teachers mentoring new teachers; more time to
incorporate new programs and technologies).
• Support for new teachers: New teachers need extra guidance; create a way for
seasoned teachers (or recently retired teachers) to mentor new teachers.
• Professional development for teachers: Provide more professional development
opportunities for teachers (e.g., how they can use Socratic dialogue or creative
problem solving to meet needs of students). This professional development could be
provided by an outside firm or by other teachers within the district.
• Sharing best practices while allowing flexibility: Want a way for districts and
schools to share best practices while also leaving room for individual approaches (not
one mandated approach).
• Increase support for libraries: Some funding should be allocated toward hiring
certified librarians and opening school libraries during the summer.
Noteworthy, less common points
About students:
• Create programs for students to mentor one another as peer mentors.
• Want to provide resources for students that have lost family members this past year
and/or have had to take care of siblings.
• Provide support for students in transition (e.g., elementary to middle school; middle to
high school).
• Create a definition of student engagement that spans beyond just attendance.
About teachers:
• Allow retired STEM teachers to be extra supports in rural communities.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 67
• Consider a TV campaign that promotes the educator field highlighting impact of
teaching on students.
• Create more pathways to recruit teachers currently attending Connecticut community
colleges (e.g., helping them transfer to state schools to pursue an education four year
degree; offering community college students trainings in TESOL/EL, gifted
education, 3e, and other programs; building apprenticeship programs with non-
traditional stakeholder groups).
• Provide more support for Kindergarten teachers who have more students than usual
who were not enrolled in prekindergarten.
About school offerings / programming:
• Make pedagogy more culturally relevant; want students to see themselves in learning.
• Would like a prekindergarten to kindergarten short-term summer program.
• Provide higher quality after school programs.
• We need to reimagine what education looks like, whether that is through summer
school, broadening our definition of what a “school day” is, and/or emphasizing
differentiated learning opportunities to benefit all students.
• This is a once in a lifetime funding opportunity -- we should use it to create
sustainable, long-term programs; create investments that are (1) realistic, (2)
evidence-based; and (3) target students' academic and social needs for the long-term.
• DEI education and consciousness needs to be further developed.
• Provide support for gifted and talented programs.
• Create safe landing programs to aid in the return to “normal” in the 2021-22 school
year.
General/other comments:
• We need a better toolkit for supporting parents/families (e.g., housing insecure
families, including resources to support voluntary family visits).
• School should be a fun, inviting place children want to attend.
• Adult education needs support just like the districts do.
• Collaboration across agencies, advocacy groups, and CSDE is a must.
• Fund Community School Coordinators to develop, establish and lead comprehensive
community school strategies that involve parents, educators, and the community in
developing solutions to a school’s biggest challenges, with a focus on addressing
social-emotional learning and student trauma.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 68
Appendix C: Connecticut State Department of Education
Risk Assessment and Subrecipient Monitoring
Revised: October 1, 2020
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 69
Division of Finance and Internal Operations
The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), Division of Finance and Internal
Operations’ Bureau of Fiscal Services (BFS) has developed this fiscal and subrecipient
monitoring plan as required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. The BFS staff, along with the grant
program managers, are responsible for fiscal monitoring of expenditures of federal grants
awarded to subrecipients, including local education agencies, nonprofit organizations, and
state departments.
Overview
The CSDE serves as a pass-through entity for federal awards and, as such, is required to
monitor the activities of subrecipients as needed, ensuring subawards are used for the
authorized purposes, in accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and terms and
conditions of the subaward. Monitoring includes an assessment of documentation and data
maintained by the subrecipient; information obtained in interviews; and information obtained
through observation. One of the most important aspects of the grant/subgrant process is to
keep subrecipients abreast of activities and changes to programs and policies relevant to a
particular award. CSDE uses interviews, email, and our electronic Grants Management
System (eGMS) to do this.
Subrecipient monitoring activities/methods that the CSDE can use include but are not limited
to the following: annual risk assessment, single audit review, limited-scope audits, site visits,
subrecipient report review, prior approval for certain activities, third-party evaluations, and
technical assistance and training.
Purpose and Authority
The CSDE adheres to the following federal regulatory provisions under which fiscal
accountability and compliance monitoring are conducted:
• 2 CFR §200.331 – Requirements for Pass-Through Entities;
• 2 CFR §200.3474 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements;
• 2 CFR §200 EDGAR – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and
Audit Requirements for Federal Awards;
• 34 CFR §74 – Administration of Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher
Education, Hospitals, and other Non-Profit Organizations;
• 34 CFR §80 – Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements; and
• OMB Circular A-133 – Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations.
Internal Controls
CSDE is responsible for ensuring its compliance with state and federal regulations in all
aspects of grants’ fiscal and programmatic management.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 70
CSDE Responsibilities/Activities
All subrecipient grant applications are processed through eGMS. Subawards undergo a three-
tiered CSDE review and approval process:
1. Program staff conduct review of subrecipient budgets and associated budget
narratives and documentation of proposed activities.
2. CSDE management perform a further review of the activities and associated budgets.
3. CSDE fiscal staff ensure funds are available and coding is right.
CSDE program staff review subrecipient activities to provide reasonable assurance that the
subrecipient administers federal awards in compliance with federal requirements by review of
programmatic reports and on-site monitoring visits. Other activities that CSDE fiscal and
program staff carry out include:
• conducting fiscal monitoring;
• processing fund requests in a timely manner;
• using eGMS to track grant programs and progress;
• developing policies for grant monitoring, single audits, and fund
request/reimbursement process;
• regularly communicating the most recent up-to-date guidance on processes;
• ensuring sufficient guidance on the use of the eGMS; and
• conducting workshops, webinars, and meetings
Risk Assessment
The risk assessment identifies the likelihood a subrecipient may fail to observe prescribed
rules. The risk level assigned to an organization does not indicate the organization has passed
or failed but merely establishes the organization’s compliance risk level. An organization’s
compliance and noncompliance can only be determined by an independent auditor or after a
review by CSDE monitoring staff.
CSDE’s Office of Internal Audit (OIA) conducts an annual risk assessment by reviewing all
audit reports submitted by subrecipient organizations and, as a result, risk levels can change
from year to year. OIA assigns a priority number to those subrecipients with audit findings,
i.e. a risk assessment. The risk assessment targets areas that help identify changes critical to
assessing the subrecipient's risk level, such as: financial problems that could lead to diversion
of program funds; loss of essential personnel; loss of accreditation to operate the program;
rapid growth; new activities or services; organizational restructuring; and complaints
regarding program and/or fiscal operations.
This annual review allows the CSDE to focus its resources on the following approaches to
mitigate the potential for risk while providing support to subrecipients at the same time:
• Communication – Regular communication with all subrecipients regarding
programmatic and fiscal updates. Specific, tailored communication with
subrecipients in areas identified as a potential risk.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 71
• Technical Assistance – Organizations with a medium or high-risk level may be
subject to special grant conditions and will be afforded focused technical training and
assistance by CSDE staff.
• Selected Subrecipient Monitoring – Annually, the CSDE may elect to choose
subrecipients for fiscal monitoring. The higher the risk level, the more likely a
subrecipient is to be selected for monitoring.
Monitoring
As a federal pass-through entity, CSDE has responsibility to monitor subrecipients to ensure
subawards are used for authorized purposes, and in accordance with federal and state statutes,
regulations, and the terms and conditions set forth in the subaward. The monitoring process
tests five different categories: time and effort, payroll cost, non-payroll cost, asset
management, grants management.
Fiscal Monitoring Process
Based on annual single audit review and risk assessment, CSDE develops and conducts the
annual subrecipient monitoring plan. The risk assessment tool is used to help in determining
the priority of subrecipients to be reviewed and the level of monitoring to be performed.
Also, the risk assessment is used in determining the frequency of the subrecipient monitoring.
The goal of any subrecipient monitoring is to ensure compliance with applicable federal
statutes and regulations and grant program directives and requirements. Subrecipient
monitoring is conducted either remotely or on site at the subrecipient locale.
Monitoring activities, at a minimum, encompass a review to determine:
• if costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary for the performance and
the administration of the program;
• if costs are applied consistently and conform to Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP);
• if costs are supported by adequate documentation, such as vendor invoices, time and
attendance records, purchase orders, etc;
• if reported charges represent actual costs, not budgeted or projected amounts;
• if matching requirement contributions were met;
• if matching requirement contributions were from allowable sources;
• if cash advances/drawdowns are only for amounts necessary to meet immediate cash
needs;
• if excess cash for the immediate needs of the program does not accumulate beyond
the immediate needs of the program; and
• if program funds were used to acquire equipment.
CSDE implemented the eGMS that incorporates the application and a payment request
process based on approved program budgets. The BFS requires subrecipients to, at a
minimum quarterly, report actual expenditures in eGMS. This feature will be expanded as the
organization transitions to a reimbursement process beginning in state fiscal year 2022,
requiring subrecipients to upload pertinent financial documentation in support of their
requests for reimbursement. eGMS allows for a centralized communication process where
notes can be added in support of actions taken by either the subrecipient or CSDE staff.
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 72
Corrective Actions Related to Federal Grants
Corrective actions can be imposed by CSDE when subrecipients of federal grants are found
to be noncompliant with the terms and conditions of federal grant programs. The purpose of
any such corrective action is to ensure the subrecipient makes the necessary corrections and
becomes compliant.
Corrective Action
When a subrecipient does not follow the terms and conditions of federal grant programs, the
CSDE can impose corrective action. The purpose of any corrective action is not to punish the
subrecipient but to bring them in line with federal requirements.
Noncompliance may be identified in: single audit or single audit review, federal monitoring
review, or concerns identified through other means.
Once noncompliance has been identified, the subrecipient will receive notification of the
necessary items to address the noncompliance. The notification will outline area(s) of
noncompliance, enforcement actions (if any), corrective action plan submittal timeframe,
corrective action completion timeframe.
It is the responsibility of the subrecipient to submit a corrective action plan that addresses
each monitoring finding and for submitting proper supporting documentation.
Enforcing Corrective Action
The CSDE may impose an enforcement action as part of a corrective action plan or for
noncompliance with an earlier corrective action. In 2 CFR §200.338 – Remedies for
Noncompliance, the CSDE is authorized to impose enforcement actions. The CSDE may:
• temporarily withhold cash payments pending corrective action;
• disallow all or part of the cost of the activity or action not in compliance;
• wholly or partly suspend or terminate the federal award;
• initiate suspension or debarment proceedings;
• withhold further federal awards for the grant;
• take other remedies that may be legally available; and
• deny a grant application for federal funding as an enforcement action.
Completing Corrective Action
The subrecipient must validate that it has corrected the activity/deficiency that resulted in the
noncompliance. Specific documentation is required, demonstrating the completion of the
corrective action by the date identified in the corrective action notification. Required
documentation should be sent to the CSDE email address identified in the corrective action
notification along with any questions or concerns. If the subrecipient needs more time to
provide such information, they must request an extension in writing addressed to:
Kathy Demsey
Chief Financial Officer
Connecticut State Department of Education
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 73
450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 401
Hartford, CT 06103
Applicable Refunds
If the corrective action results in a repayment of federal funds, send payment to:
Connecticut State Department of Education
Bureau of Fiscal Services
450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 404
Hartford, CT 06103
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 74
Appendix D: ARP ESSER Application
OVERVIEW OF ARP ESSER APPLICATION
PROGRAM INFORMATION
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 75
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
SAFE RETURN TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION AND CONTINUITY OF SERVICES PLAN
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 76
ARP ESSER USES OF FUNDS
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 77
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 78
PRIORITY GOALS
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 79
DETAILED VIEW OF PRIORITY GOAL (REPEATS FOR EACH PRIORITY)
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 80
OTHER ALLOWABLE USES
ARP ESSER FUNDS BUDGET
ARP ESSER FUNDS BUDGET OVERVIEW
CSDE ARP ESSER State Plan 81
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