By Leslie Moriarty
Herald Writer
SULTAN — It was a holiday "WASLing" party of sorts.
But this time, there weren’t any holiday punch bowls or toasts to good health. Instead, there were rounds of applause and cheers for good students, dedicated teachers and supportive parents.
"This one’s for you," Sultan High School Principal Dave Harrington said.
Students were congratulated Friday with the school’s first-ever WASL assembly, acknowledging improvement in the school’s WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) test scores.
Each year, sophomores in high schools throughout the state are required to take the tests that measure ability in several academic areas. In Sultan, students who took the test last year and are now juniors raised their scores in reading, mathematics, writing and listening.
"It’s taken a lot of work on the part of our students, staff and our parents," Harrington said. "But you have accomplished that."
In reading, scores went from 31.0 to 55.1. In math, scores went from 18.2 to 34.0. Writing scores were raised from 16.8 to 55.8 and listening skills scored rose from 63.0 to 80.8.
The scores don’t indicate the percentage correct on a test. Rather, they refer to how the districts’ students fared in a national comparison with other students. A score of 50 is the national average.
Sultan Superintendent Al Robinson told the students that when he looked at Sultan’s progress as compared with the seven other school districts in the state that are the same size, the number of Sultan students meeting the standards was among the top.
"Does that mean this year’s juniors are smarter than everybody else?" he asked.
Students responded cheering "Yes."
"We’ll have to see on that one," Robinson said. "But it does mean that everybody is working hard to make good things happen."
Former Sultan Superintendent George Carberry said he was impressed that students had raised their scores while still maintaining excellence in other endeavors.
"We have great test scores and great athletics here," he said. "You can’t do a good job in one without doing a good job in the other."
He also thanked the parents "who make sure that we have the great facilities that we have."
Tom Green, former school board member, said the improved scores make his job easier.
"I’m a Realtor," he said. "And when people are buying homes, they always ask about the schools. Your test scores prove how good our schools are here in Sultan."
And state Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, told students that while test scores may not seem important now, they will be in the future.
"It’s money in your pocket," Dunshee said. "People are going to know about these good test scores, and they’ll say: ‘I want to hire those kids from Sultan. They’re OK.’ "
You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436
or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
