August 26, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students continue to perform well on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), according to the preliminary 2008 test score results announced today by the Office for the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Scores were significantly higher than state averages in every grade and subject tested.

The district continues to shine in writing and science. All three grades tested in science showed gains. All three grades tested were higher than last year’s writing scores. Math scores were mixed and reading scores were mixed.

“I’m proud of the work our staff and students have done, particularly in the areas of writing and science,” noted Superintendent Chip Kimball. “We have significant numbers of students who are at or above the WASL standard in all subject areas. Our teachers and principals will now carefully examine the results for every child to make sure they provide the right help for any student who has not been able to achieve that level.”

WASL scores rise in science, writing
Science scores reflected increases in each of the three grades in which the test was administered. The largest increase occurred in fifth grade scores, with 71.5 percent of Lake Washington students meeting the standard in science, up from 60.0 percent in 2007. The state average in fifth grade is 42.9 percent.

“We’re now seeing the results of adopting new science curricula and working hard to improve our instruction in this area,” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent. “Science is important to our community and we plan to continue that work.”

The percent of students meeting standard in writing increased in all three grades tested, though only slightly in grades four and ten. The seventh grade scores showed a larger gain as 87.1 percent of seventh graders met the standard, up 1.6 percent last year. Statewide, 69.7 percent of seventh graders met the standard.

“Writing is a strength in our district,” noted Superintendent Kimball. “We continue to see gains each year.”

Math scores gained more than the state scores in the two grades (fifth and eighth) where the state scores rose. Math scores also gained slightly in third grade, rising from 83.1 percent of students at standard to 83.7 percent, compared to 68.3 percent statewide, which fell 1.3 percent from last year. In sixth, seventh and tenth grades, math scores in this district fell at rates similar to statewide averages. The anomaly was fourth grade, where scores dropped from 79.9 percent at standard to only 70.1 percent. Still, the statewide average for fourth grade was 53.4 percent, a drop of 4.7 percent.

“Generally, our math scores fell in the grades where they fell statewide and rose even more than the rest of the state in the two grades where they increased statewide,” noted Superintendent Chip Kimball. “The real anomaly for us was fourth grade, where we saw a larger drop than the statewide scores. While our scores remain higher than the rest of the state, we will take a close look at fourth grade math to determine what may have happened.”

Reading scores were another mixed area. Scores fell both in Lake Washington and statewide in fourth and seventh grades. Scores rose both in Lake Washington and statewide in fifth and sixth grades. In third grade, Lake Washington scores rose 2.7 percent while they fell half a percent statewide. Conversely, eighth grade and tenth grade scores fell a small amount in Lake Washington while they gained slightly statewide.

“Reading was mixed for us this year,” said Dr. Chip Kimball. “We are still doing well in the lower grades and our tenth grade scores remain high. Our junior high reading scores, while still relatively high, will be reviewed carefully.”

Most seniors meeting WASL graduation requirement
The class of 2009 is well on its way to meeting the WASL graduation requirement. Just over 90 percent (90.3) have passed both the reading and writing portions of the WASL. Those students need only continue to pass a math course and take a math assessment (WASL, SAT, ACT) in order to graduate. Close to 80 percent (79.2 percent) have already passed the math WASL. All high schools in the district have identified which individual students still have one or more sections of the WASL to complete and are providing them support to meet the requirements through the WASL or an alternative.

The class of 2010, just beginning their junior year, is also on track. Close to 90 percent have passed the reading and writing tests (88.1 percent for reading and 89.5 percent for writing) while close to 70 percent have passed the math test (69.6 percent). These students will have several more opportunities to pass whichever sections of the WASL they have not yet passed.

“Our experience has been that students who take and pass the appropriate course load to graduate also are able to pass the WASL,” noted Dr. Kimball. “I expect that the motivated members of the class of 2010 will graduate. Our schools are prepared to provide the support they may need.”

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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 23,000 students in 50 schools.