PLANNING SECTION BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Part I: District Contextual Characteristics

Bridgeport Public Schools
Community Data
County: Fairfield Town
Population in 2000: 139,529
1990-2000 Population Growth: -1.5%
Number of Public Schools: 31
Per Capita Income in 2000: $16,306
Percent of Adults without a High School Diploma in 2000*: 35.0%
Percent of Adults Who Were Not Fluent in English in 2000*: 11.7%
District Enrollment as % of Estimated. Student Population: 88.6%

Part II: School Contextual Characteristics

Bridgeport School District
Indicators of Educational Need The significant difference in percentages indicate the
district of Bridgeport has a larger population with additional educational needs.

School District Diversity The district, including staff, is of mostly a diverse background
with about 40% of students speaking a different language than English at home.

Student Performance: CMT Less than half of the students (sometimes less than a quarter)
met the requirement for passing the reading, writing, and mathematics test.

Student Performance: CAPT A significantly low percent of students passed the CAPT.

Student Performance: Physical Fitness A little less than half the students passed the
physical fitness and health standard test.

Student Performance: SAT I The number of students who passed the SAT I is slightly
lower than that of the state.

Student Performance: Graduation and Dropout Rates Only 66% of students graduated
while the dropout rate is more than tripled that of the state rate.

Bridgeport School District continued

PLANNING SECTION BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Student Performance: Activities of Graduates Three quarters of students pursue higher

education after graduation, while one quarter becomes employed.

Resources and Expenditures: District Staff The district uses a variety of staff to support its
students and community.

Resources and Expenditures: Teachers and Instructors Teacher have years of teaching
experience behind them which are also supported by masters degrees.

Resources and Expenditures: Average Class Size Average class sizes are slightly over the
state average, except in high school.

Resources and Expenditures: Hours of Instruction Per Year The district has more hours of
instruction per year than the state.

Resources and Expenditures: Students Per Academic Computer The district number is
similar to the state number.

District Expenditures and Revenues: Expenditures The district accrues many costs in
order to support the education of the students.

District Expenditures and Revenues: Special Education Expenditures It costs quite a bit of
money for all special education services.

District Expenditures and Revenues: District Expenditures A majority of the districts

funding is from state revenue.

Special Education: K-12 District Financial Responsibility The district is financially

responsible for over 2,500 students with disabilities.

Special Education: Graduation and Dropout Rates Nearly half of the special education
population graduated while about 6% drop out.

Special Education: State Assessment The percentage of students with disabilities who pass
the CMT and CAPT tests is significantly lower than the state percentage.

Special Education: Participation in State Assessments A majority of students with

disabilities need accommodations to take the CMT and CAPT.

Special Education: Placed in Educational Settings than Districts Schools A small

percentage (less than ten) of students with disabilities are placed in other educational settings.
Bridgeport School District continued
PLANNING SECTION BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Special Education: Time Spent with Non-Disabled Peers Students with disabilities spend a
variable amount of time with their non-disabled peers.

Columbus School (Pre-K 8)

Indicators of Educational Need Almost all students are eligible for free / reduced meals.

Program and Instruction: Instructional Time The school exceeds the number of days and
hours per year.

Program and Instruction: Average Class Size Average class size is slightly larger than the
state average.

Program and Instruction: Enrollment in Selected High School Level Courses None of the
students are enrolled in higher level courses, whereas the state has over 30%.

Program and Instruction: Required Hours of Instruction per Year The school has zero (0)
instruction hours for computer education, health, and technology education. Physical
education (PE) has more instructional hours than the state.

Program and Instruction: Special Programs About 24% of students are in bilingual
education programs, three times that of the state.

Program and Instruction: Instructional Computers and Library Materials There are
approximately five (5) students per one (1) computer.

School Staff: Full Time A variety of staff supports the students and learning process.

School Staff: Teachers and Instructors The average years of experience is 15, with nearly
90% having a masters degree or above.

School Diversity Over 95% of the school is of a diverse background.

Student Performance and Behavior: Physical Fitness Test Only up to 40% of students pass
the state physical fitness and health test.

Student Performance and Behavior: CMT Test Overall, less than 40% of each grade
passed the CMT test.

Columbus School continued

PLANNING SECTION BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Student Performance and Behavior: Student Attendance About 5% of students were absent
on October 1st.

Student Performance and Behavior: Number of Disciplinary Incidents Nearly 150

behavior incidents, primarily personally threatening behavior, physical/verbal confrontation,
fighting/battery, and school policy violations.

Harding High School

Indicators of Educational Need Nearly all students are eligible for free/reduced meals and
nearly 20% are not fluent in English.

Program and Instruction: Instructional Time The school exceeds the number of days and
hours per year.

Program and Instruction: Average Class Size The average class size is significantly lower
than that of the state.

Program and Instruction: Enrollment in College Level Courses About 6% of students are
enrolled in college level course, about one third that of the state.

Program and Instruction: Required Credits for Graduate The school requires fewer credits
to graduate than the state.

Program and Instruction: Higher Level Courses The school has some percentages higher
and lower than that of the state.

Program and Instruction: Special Programs Nearly 20% of students are in a bilingual
education program.

Program and Instruction: Instructional Computers and Library Materials There are about
three (3) students per one (1) computer.

School Staff: Full Time A variety of staff supports the students and learning process.

School Staff: Teachers and Instructors The average years of experience is 13, with nearly
85% having a masters degree or above.

School Diversity Over 96% of the students are of a diverse background.

Harding High School continued

PLANNING SECTION BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Student Performance and Behavior: Physical Fitness Test Almost 60% of students passed
the state physical fitness and health test, more than the state.

Student Performance and Behavior: AP Courses Only 21% of students who took the AP
test passed.

Student Performance and Behavior: CAPT The percent of students who passed is
significantly lower than the state percentages.

Student Performance and Behavior: SAT 1 Average scores were lower than the states.

Student Performance and Behavior: Graduation and Dropout Rates Only 66% of students
graduated while the dropout rate is more than tripled that of the state rate.

Student Performance and behavior: Activities of Graduates Three quarters of students

pursue higher education after graduation, while one quarter becomes employed.

Student Performance and Behavior: Attendance About 5% of students were absent on

October 1st.

Student Performance and Behavior: Number of Disciplinary Incidents The school had
over 3,400 disciplinary incidents. That is more than nine times that of the state.

Part III: Impact Statements

Impact Statement # 1
The diversity of the schools indicates that there are cultural differences among students and
between students and teachers. The language could possibly be a barrier that impacts student
learning and thus must be carefully considered within the school community. If used
properly, this language barrier could be used positively. It can be used to enhance
relationships, develop a deeper sense of school community, and connect students to their
learning experiences.
Impact Statement # 2
With the high occurrences of disciplinary incidents, student learning can be often interrupted.
Keeping a safe and social-emotional conscious classroom may be difficult to obtain, but is so
evidently needed. A school wide behavior plan keeps behaviors consistent among all teachers
and openly displays expectations directly to students.
Impact Statement # 3
The low number of students passing the state physical fitness and health indicates a majority
of students have a low level of health fitness. Perhaps this could be qualified by the
additional education needs students have meals and language services and the absence of
health early on in their education. With the need to increase the physical health and wellness
PLANNING SECTION BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

of students, a fitness focused approach throughout the curriculum may have a significant
influence on students lifestyles and habits.
Impact Statement # 4
Students also score low on other academic testing. This could indicate that the school may
focus more of its resources to address that issue, taking away possible resources from the
physical education and health department. This can also be an opportunity for physical
education to aid in the process of raising those test scores.
Impact Statement # 5
Nearly all students in the two schools are eligible for free and reduced meals breakfast
and lunch. Malnutrition has an unforgiving effect on the development of a whole child,
through all learning domains. The absence of the necessary nutrients can lead to many
adverse effects in the learning process. It is critical to meet Maslows Hierarch of Needs
sequentially in order to positively impact the learning environment.