WASL test scores edge up slightly, state education chief reports

Nearly 93 percent of Washington's high school seniors passed state reading and writing exams they needed to graduate, according to preliminary test results released Thursday.

That was up 1 percent from a year ago.

The number only tells part of the story, however, said Randy Dorn, the state's superintendent of public instruction.

Roughly one in four students across the state dropped out along the way and many of those still in school lack the credits to graduate on time.

Washington's on-time graduation rate has averaged about 72 percent between 2004 and 2008, with an extended graduation rate of about 77 percent for students who took more than four years to complete high school.

"The reasons why students aren't graduating is not that they didn't score high enough on the WASL," Dorn said. "It's that they didn't have enough credits."

Dorn's office on Thursday released preliminary results on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning for high school students who were sophomores, juniors and seniors this spring. More comprehensive results, including for students in grades three through eight, are expected at the end of August.

"I applaud the hard work of the students who stayed in school and passed the state reading and writing tests," Dorn said. "But we have to increase our focus on those students who don't make it that far."

Most local school districts are still examining their WASL scores and do not yet have a breakdown of their results. The state sends districts lists of test scores for each student, so it takes a while to sort through the data and make sense of the numbers, local assessment directors said.

Results looked promising for those districts that had been able to crunch their numbers.

The Edmonds School District had WASL passing rates that exceeded state averages in all three grades and in reading, writing and math. Science WASL results statewide were not available.

The Edmonds district had 98 percent of its seniors pass both the reading and writing WASL.

"It's very encouraging," said Nancy Katims, the district's director of assessment, research and evaluation.

As of late May, 23 of 1,353 seniors in the Edmonds district fell short on either the reading or writing exam or had not taken the WASL. The total includes students who were on track to graduate and those who were behind on credits and who wouldn't graduate on time.

Broken down, nine were immigrants taking English Language Learner courses, five were in special education and five moved to Washington during their senior year and didn't have test results from their previous state. Three students hadn't taken the WASL.

The Everett district had 97 percent of its seniors pass both the reading and writing WASL. Eighty-nine percent of incoming seniors and 78 percent of incoming juniors have passed the reading and writing assessments.

Everett's passing rate for seniors in math, a WASL exam they didn't need to graduate, was 84 percent compared to 73 percent statewide.

"At 12th grade, you keep pounding at it and they will get there," said Terry Edwards, Everett's chief academic officer.

In Mukilteo, 88 percent of next year's incoming high school seniors already have passed the reading, writing and math WASL, said Andy Muntz, a school district spokesman.

Dorn said the WASL pass rates show that the public education system is doing "a pretty good job" with students who stay in school.

It's the students who quit school before then he worries about most.

"That's a huge burden to society," he said. "We have to do a better job of identifying them earlier."

Next spring, students in elementary, middle and high schools will take a different set of exams that will be shorter and less time consuming than the WASL.

Grades three through eight will have the Measurements of Student Progress while older students will take the High School Proficiency Exam.

Results will allow "an apple to apple" comparison to the WASL, Dorn said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.