Snohomish County students improve writing scores in latest WASL results

Passing rates for the writing portion of the 10th-grade WASL improved at most Snohomish County high schools and reading and math passing rates were mixed, according to results released today.

The Washington Assessment of Student Learning is given annually to students in grades three through eight and in the 10th grade. Passing the 10th-grade reading and writing WASL is a graduation requirement for the class of 2008, this year’s seniors.

Of the incoming seniors in the class of 2008, 87.5 percent have met the state’s reading requirement and 87.5 percent have met the writing requirement; 83.5 percent have met both the reading and the writing requirements. That doesn’t include results from students who retook the exam over the summer.

Statewide, third-graders showed marked improvement in reading and math over those tested in 2006, as well as gains in math scores in grades five and seven and writing scores in seventh grade.

Reading scores slipped in grades four, five and eight.

Individual school results are available on the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Web site at http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/.