New WASL Report: Mixed Reviews

Release of the latest round of WASL scores provides some good news and some, well, needs improvement marks. As Debby Abe writes in The News Tribune, "It's not all gold stars for  WASL test results." She has a good discussion of the test - and the inevitable political implications - in a story worth reading in its entirety. Here are the bullets.

�� This fall?s incoming 12th-graders are setting a slightly faster pace at meeting new graduation testing requirements than last year?s seniors did.

�� Scores in science, the most recent addition to the WASL, rose 3 to 6 percentage points in the three tested grades. At least 40 percent of fifth-, eighth- and 10th-graders passed that section.

�� Reading and math scores appear to have?stalled out�� in most grades.

Linda Shaw's Seattle Times story also provides good context for understanding the latest results. She also get the Partnership for Learning reaction.

... the Partnership for Learning, a business-backed group that's long been a WASL supporter, said that even though most scores remained flat this year, improvements are in the works that will change that, especially the plans to significantly shorten the test in all grades but grade 10 next spring.

As Shaw notes, Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson also celebrated Washington's top ranking on SATs. Here's Education Week's story on the SAT results - mostly flat with some questions.

The SPI web site has more on both here.