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Scores on the state reading, writing, math and science tests given last spring were mixed across Washington and in the Mid-Columbia, with some gains and some dips.
School leaders in the Tri-Cities said there were bright spots in their results and areas where improvement is needed. They cautioned against putting too much stock in year-to-year comparisons because the exams were new.
The state math standards also changed, and the exams in grades 3-8 tested those new standards for the first time, creating a new math baseline, state officials said. (The high school math test was based on the old standards).
"I think it's difficult to compare (scores) at this point," said Dennis Maguire, associate superintendent of the Pasco School District.
Scores from the state exams were released Tuesday. The tests, given in grades 3-8 and high school, debuted in the spring, replacing the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.
State results
Statewide, there didn't seem to be a clear trend for results.
For example, reading scores were up in third, seventh and eighth grades over 2009, but down in grades 4-6 and 10, the state reported.
Math, writing and science scores similarly were inconsistent.
State Superintendent Randy Dorn said state funding cuts may have played a role in the mixed results. K-12 education lost $800 million in 2009 and shared in $755 million in cuts this year as lawmakers struggled to plug gaps in the 2009-11 biennial budget.
The state assessment system also has been overhauled. Dorn campaigned on replacing the WASL, and made good on the promise when he took office last year.
The new tests -- Measurements of Student Progress in grades 3-8 and the High School Proficiency Exam in 10th grade -- are shorter, with the reading, math and science exams now taken in one session. Dorn said the reading tests will be shortened even further.
The state also plans to expand online testing in the spring. Last spring, about a quarter of middle schoolers, including many in the Tri-Cities, took the reading and math exams via computer, the state said.
Mid-Columbia scores
Like the state results, Tri-City scores also were a mixed bag. Richland School District had the best scores, beating the state results in several subjects and grade levels.
Richland had the single highest district-level score in the Tri-Cities, with 90 percent of 10th-graders passing the writing exam.
But overall, the district's scores were down over last year.
"There are things to celebrate, and some things to hopefully learn from" in the results, said Mike Hansen, executive director of K-5 education and assessment.
Kennewick also beat the state numbers in several categories, including reading in grades 3-5, and 10th-grade reading, writing and math. The district's scores also were down overall over last year.
Bev Henderson, assessment and staff development coordinator, said the district has for years used another test to assess its students in addition to the state exam. Results from that exam, called Measures of Academic Progress, show steadier results, without the peaks and valleys of the state test the past few years, she said.
Pasco School District results lagged behind the statewide results, and those in Kennewick and Richland. However, the district did make gains in several areas in 2010, including eighth-grade reading, math and science.
The district has unique demographics in the Tri-Cities, with nearly 72 percent of students living in poverty and 34 percent still learning English -- both acknowledged by experts to be barriers to success in school.
Changes coming
More assessment changes are coming.
Starting this spring, end-of-course exams will be offered in algebra and geometry, the state said. Passing the math tests will be a graduation requirement starting with the Class of 2013, this year's sophomores.
Those students also have to pass the state science test.
Passing the reading and writing exams already is required to get a diploma.
Dorn has asked for the timeline to be pushed back, and he said Tuesday that he will keep advocating for changes.
He also had praise for educators, saying that despite shrinking resources, "I think we're doing more with less."
-- Sara Schilling: 582-1402; sschilling@tricityherald.com
10th-grade scores 2010
State: 78.8 percent reading, 41.6 percent math
Columbia-Burbank: 81.9 percent reading, 41.4 percent math
Finley: 71.3 percent reading, 21.5 percent math
Kennewick: 81.2 percent reading, 42.8 percent math
Kiona-Benton City: 82.6 percent reading, 42.4 percent math
North Franklin: 73.6 percent reading, 30.9 percent math
Pasco: 61.2 percent reading, 19 percent math
Richland: 78.2 percent reading, 42.4 percent math
Fourth-grade scores 2010:
State: 67.1 percent reading, 53.6 percent math
Columbia-Burbank: 70.2 percent reading, 31.9 percent math
Finley: 51.4 percent reading, 23 percent math
Kennewick: 69.5 percent reading, 48.4 percent math
Kiona-Benton City: 40.3 percent reading, 31.1 percent math
North Franklin: 60.8 percent reading, 49.3 percent math
Pasco: 49.7 percent reading, 37.3 percent math
Richland: 71.2 percent reading, 56.2 percent math
-Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
