County 9th-graders have advantage

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, August 9, 2001

By Eric Stevick

Herald Writer

Ninth-graders across Snohomish County were more likely to have a computer, Internet access and hear English spoken at home than their counterparts across the state, according to a spring survey.

The county’s freshmen closely reflected their fellow ninth-graders statewide in their feelings about safety, academic goals and number of hours spent doing homework each week.

The surveys were given statewide to more than 74,000 ninth-graders who took the Iowa Test of Education Development, a nationally standardized exam covering reading, math and language arts.

Assessment experts often compare the results of surveys such as this one with the test results to monitor trends. Roughly 86 percent of the state’s ninth-graders completed the optional survey.

"I think the surveys have perhaps the greatest value at the (individual) school level," said Jean Teague, director of school improvement for the Marysville School District.

Among other things, the surveys give educators a glimpse of home life and student perceptions that can be helpful, Teague said.

If, for instance, students aren’t getting adult help with homework and post low scores, it could suggest to a school that there is a need for a before- or after-school study hall.

In most cases, survey results confirm what one might expect. Students spending more time doing homework and less time watching TV fared well on the tests, which compare student performance. The same correlation holds true with parental education with students of college-educated parents tending to score highest.

The drama of the findings is in the degree of difference in the scores.

For instance, those students who believe they will graduate from high school and immediately enter the job market averaged in the 25th percentile in reading on the exam, meaning they were 25 points below the national median of 50.

Those who plan to graduate from college averaged a 61 in reading, 11 points above the national median, and those planning to go to graduate school earned a 70.

Computer ownership is another predictor of test performance. Statewide, students with computers at home averaged a 57 on the reading exam; those who didn’t averaged a 26.

Where once education experts merely followed the trend of computer use at home, they are now monitoring Internet access as a potential indicator of performance, said Bob Silverman, an assessment specialist for the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

A computer-assisted breakdown of the survey results shows that roughly 80 percent of Snohomish County ninth-graders reported having a computer at home, compared with 77 percent statewide. Among the remaining students, just 6 percent of Snohomish County ninth-graders said they didn’t have a computer at home, while 14 percent did not answer the question. Statewide, 10 percent of students said they didn’t have a home computer, and 13 percent didn’t complete the survey question.

Among ninth-graders statewide, 70 percent reported having Internet access, 17 percent had no access and 13 percent did not answer the question. Those with Internet access scored in the 58 percentile in reading and language and 63 percentile in math; those without Internet access ranked 33 in reading, 37 in language arts and 42 in math.

In Snohomish County, 74 percent had Internet access, 12 percent didn’t and the rest didn’t answer the survey.

Sixty-six percent of Snohomish County ninth-graders said English is the only language spoken at home, compared with 63 percent statewide.

Twenty percent in Snohomish County and 22 percent statewide said another language is spoken some or most of the time at home. The remainder of students didn’t answer the question.

While the surveys provide useful information, they are only one source. In Everett, for instance, students are also given district-provided surveys that measure student attitudes, said Ric Williams, director of assessment and research for the Everett School District.

For Williams, who also serves as president of the Washington Educational Research Association, a professional group for assessment experts, it will be interesting in a few years to monitor survey answers to the students’ plans after high school.

In 2004, a new state graduation requirement called the high school plus education plan will go into effect for freshmen. It will require ninth-graders to begin creating a plan for what they will do during their first year after high school.

You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446

or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.