Reading scores soared, while math continues to puzzle both students and teachers, results from the 2005 Washington Assessment of Student Learning exams show.
“We’ve focused on teaching children how to read, and our efforts have been paying off. Without losing that momentum, we must figure out a way to teach math more effectively,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson said last week.
“Math is a part of everyday life, yet students don’t seem to make the connections between what is taught and the real world.”
Results of the WASL tests taken last spring by fourth-, fifth-, seventh-, eighth- and 10th-graders were released Aug. 31.
Edmonds School District students posted average scores slightly above the state average in reading, writing and math at all grade levels.
Broken down by school, however, the success isn’t quite as balanced. Of the 10th-graders at Edmonds-Woodway High School, for example, 65.8 percent passed the math exam. At Lynnwood High School, 38.9 percent passed, below the state average of 47.1 percent.
A number of factors contribute to the variations in scores, said Nancy Katims, the district’s director of assessment, research and evaluation.
The implementation of a new program, socioeconomic status of the students and class sizes all can influence a school’s test results.
For example, all students learning English as a second language in the school district attend either Lynnwood or Mountlake Terrace high schools, which can affect those school’s scores, Katims said.
Around Snohomish County, about 43 percent of 10th-graders last year passed the WASL reading, writing and math tests. Passing the WASL tests will be a graduation requirement for this year’s sophomores.
Retaking the tests in the future will be the key to lifting more students over the bar.
In all, 61 percent of Snohomish County elementary schools posted passing rates greater than 80 percent in reading – considered a major milestone.
Tenth-graders posted the best progress in that subject, with one in three county high schools now seeing 80 percent or more of teens meeting the reading standard.
Math scores have long lagged behind reading, particularly in high school. More students passed the math test this year, but at half the pace.
“The math is still our big Achilles’ heel,” Bergeson said.
Improvements in reading support the increased effort and focus school districts have given to reading programs in recent years.
Bergeson said the same level of support is on its way for math. But she added some schools and teachers – particularly in high schools – must be willing to change the way they teach.
Still, gaps remain, and it is often the poorest and most diverse schools that fall to the bottom.
At Cedar Valley Community School in Lynnwood, for example – where seventh-graders lag well below the state standard – more than one-third of students are still learning English, while nearly 70 percent receive free or reduced-price lunches.
Educators predict the motivating factor of a diploma will spur more students to take the 10th-grade WASL tests seriously.
More than 5,000 teenagers statewide did not take the 10th-grade tests last spring, including at least 1,200 who refused. And of those who took the test, just 47 percent passed all three subjects.
“I can’t understate how concerned we are,” said Ric Williams, assessment director for the Everett School District. “This is a major focus for us this year.”
Retakes will be a lifeline for many students. High school juniors last year were the first to be able to retake the WASL tests to boost their scores, which will be posted on their transcripts when they graduate.
Results from those retakes show promise for students who fall short the first time. State educators found, for example, that 58 percent of students who failed the reading test the first time passed it on the retake.
Melissa Slager and Eric Stevick write for The Herald in Everett.
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