Achieve Hartford has released two new reporters on its SmarterHartford.org site. The Proficiency Testing Report provides results of standardized tests taken by Hartford Public Schools (HPS) students in the spring of 2019 while drawing comparisons to other districts. This report includes SAT results as well, given that this is the only test used to gauge academic progress at the high school level. The results are sobering, and worth a look for the nuances that exist between magnet and neighborhood schools.

The Chronic Absenteeism Report answers questions related to student attendance at HPS. The rates of chronic absenteeism at the six neighborhood high schools are not just high; they are the highest rates in a district which has among the highest rates in the state. More than half of their students were chronically absent during the 2018-19 school year. Many of our other schools are doing poorly, but these six high schools are the driving force of our exceptionally high rate of chronic absenteeism. It is on those schools that resources must be focused to solve this problem. Thankfully, the District is reporting a drop in chronic absenteeism this first quarter of the 2019-20 school year, compared to the same time period last year.