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CTECS officials tell appropriators students lag state benchmarks as special‑education and facilities costs rise
Summary
Interim CTECS executive director Dr. Alice Pritchard told the Appropriations subcommittee that career‑technical schools lag statewide benchmarks in science and SAT measures, cited rising special‑education costs and contracted services, and requested more time and data to develop plans for adult programs and facility upgrades.
Dr. Alice Pritchard, interim executive director of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS), told the Appropriations subcommittee that CTECS students underperformed statewide averages on several traditional academic metrics and that budget pressure is mounting from special‑education costs, contracted services and deferred facilities work.
Pritchard said district‑level results for 2023–24 on the Next Generation Science Standards show about 36% of CTECS students “met or exceeded expectations,” compared with 47% for the state. She also cited a 2024 benchmark in which 67% of CTECS students did not meet SAT benchmarks, compared with 43% statewide.
Committee members and CTECS staff emphasized that the technical schools operate differently from district high schools — students spend roughly 90 days per year in trade instruction — and that the system measures success in credentials and trade certifications in addition to…
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