More than 60 percent of Washington students who took the new state algebra test in June passed it, and an even greater percentage – more than 70 percent – passed the geometry test.
The new end-of-course exams replace the comprehensive high school math test usually given in the spring. The new tests are primarily for 10th graders, though some younger students take it as well.
State School Superintendent Randy Dorn released the results this morning, saying his promised overhaul of the state testing system was “close to completion.” He said the end-of-course approach is better in math because it tests what older students recently learned in class, rather than what they were taught a year or more earlier.
“We still have a long ways to go, but the numbers are encouraging,” he said during a news conference in Olympia.
Tacoma Public Schools students taking the end-of-course math exams didn’t fare nearly as well. On the algebra test, 41 percent passed; on the geometry test, 58 percent did.
Dorn also released the results of the annual state assessment given in grades three to eight, known as the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP), and the state tests in reading, writing and science for 10th graders, known as the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE).
The results were mixed, with some dips in reading but gains in math. Math passage rates were up or flat in every grade but eighth grade; grades five and six made the biggest jumps.
“Almost every grade is improving and moving in the right direction,” Dorn said.
Reading passage rates were down in grades five and seven, and writing results generally were flat.
Dorn also released the number of schools that failed to make “adequate yearly progressˇ under the federal No Child Left Behind law. A total of 1,388 schools are on the failure list, or 64 percent of all schools statewide. That’s 200 more schools than in 2010. More than 220 districts also failed to meet AYP.
The law requires that an increasing number of students pass the state tests in reading and math; the schools and districts that miss targets two years in a row are deemed to be in need of improvement and face consequences.
Dorn said today that Congress needs to fix the flawed law. He said he will consider asking for a waiver – an option for states that the Obama administration announced earlier this month – but needs more details on how that process will work.
“We’ll take a look at waivers but aren’t committing,” Dorn said.
STATEWIDE RESULTS
| Grade Level | Reading | Math | Writing | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Grade | 73.10% | 61.50% | ||
| 4th Grade | 67.30% | 59.30% | 61.40% | |
| 5th Grade | 67.60% | 61.20% | 55.60% | |
| 6th Grade | 70.60% | 58.80% | ||
| 7th Grade | 56.40% | 56.90% | 71.00% | |
| 8th Grade | 68.60% | 50.30% | 61.50% | |
| 10th Grade | 82.30% | 86.00% | 49.70% |
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