Most gains in writing, science, and among 4th graders

August 30, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students continue to improve their performance on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), according to the preliminary 2007 test score results announced today by the Office for the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Scores were higher in nearly every grade and subject tested. They were significantly higher than state averages in every grade and subject tested.

All three grades tested in science showed gains. Six of seven grades tested showed gains in mathematics, with the other grade equaling last year’s scores. All three grades tested were higher than last year’s writing scores. Reading was the only subject that showed mixed results. Scores were higher in three grades and were down slightly in four grades.

WASL scores rise in science, math
Science scores reflected increases in each of the three grades in which the test was administered. In fifth grade, 60.0 percent of students met the standard in science, up from 58.8 percent in 2007. The state average in fifth grade is 36.4 percent. Eighth grade science scores showed a larger gain of 2.5 percent over 2006, as 69.9 percent of students met standard, well above the state average of 44.4 percent. In tenth grade, 61.2 percent made the standard, up 2.5 percent from the previous year. That compares to an average of 36.3 percent statewide.

“Our science teachers in elementary and junior high grades have been working hard with our science curriculum,” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent. “I’m glad to see continued, sustained growth in this area. Science achievement continues to be a priority for our district and will receive substantial attention at all levels.”

Math scores were the same as last year in third grade, at exactly 83 percent, while every other grade tested rose. Sixth grade scores were up slightly, rising from 71.6 percent to 71.8 percent, while the statewide score made no progress at 49.5 percent. District fourth graders had their best showing ever, with 79.7 percent meeting standard, up from 75.1 percent last year. That compares to 57.9 percent at the state level. Fifth graders gained just under two percent, up to 77.5 percent at standard, compared to 59.3 percent statewide. Seventh graders made another large leap, with 76.1 percent at standard, up from 69.8 percent in 2006, while the number statewide was 54.4 percent. In 2007, 71 percent of eighth graders met standard, up from 70.4 percent and higher than the statewide level of only 49.5 percent. Finally, the percent of tenth graders meeting the standard this year was 75.4, up from 71.4 percent in 2006, and compared to 50.2 percent in the state in 2007.

“Math was an emphasis for us last year,” noted Superintendent Chip Kimball. “It will be a focus again this year and I expect to see continued progress in math.”

The percent of students meeting standard in writing increased in all three grades tested. The greatest gain came in fourth grade scores, where 81.8 percent of students met standard, up from 77.4 percent in 2006. That compares to 60.1 percent in the fourth grade statewide. This year, 85.3 percent of seventh graders met the standard, up over two percent. Statewide, 68.1 percent of seventh graders met the standard. Tenth graders scored higher than last year, rising from 91.6 percent to 93.3 percent of students at standard. Statewide, 83.6 percent of 10th graders met the standard.

“I’m so pleased that our students are consistently doing well in writing, and in fact are getting better in the higher grades,” noted Superintendent Kimball.

Reading scores were the only mixed area. Scores rose slightly in grades three and 10, from 82.4 to 82.9 in three and 91.7 to 91.9 in tenth grade. Those scores compare to 70.7 statewide in grade three and 80.6 in grade ten. Scores rose significantly in seventh grade, rising from 78.0 to 84.6, which compares to 68.5 statewide, which also saw a jump from 61.5. Grades four and six remained essentially even, dropping from 88.4 to 88.2 in fourth and from 81.5 to 81.4 in sixth. The state score for fourth grade was 76.4 and for sixth grade, it was 67.8. Grade five dropped from 85.0 to 83.1 percent, which parallels a drop statewide from 76.3 percent to 71.7 percent. Eighth grade shows a similar pattern with district scores dropping from 82.6 percent to 80.0 percent, while the state fell farther, from 70.1 percent to 64.7 percent.

“It’s harder to make progress when your scores are already high,” noted Dr. Kimball. “We will continue to work on strategies to help every child meet the standard.”

Annual Yearly Progress status
With high average WASL scores, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) met the standard for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 55 of 59 areas under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In most of the 55 areas, which include subject areas and student groups such as race or income groups, students scored significantly above the requirements.

Under a new method of calculating AYP, the district did not meet the standard for special education students in reading and in math in both elementary school (grades three through five) and junior high (grades six through eight). Because No Child Left Behind requires the district to make AYP in every area where it has a minimum number of students, and because the calculation method increased the number of areas where the minimum was met, the district is listed this year as not making AYP for the first time. This result is very common this year: no school district in the state of Washington with over 10,000 students made AYP, including many high-performing districts on the Eastside.

“I’m very proud of the work our staff and students have done,” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, Superintendent. “Our WASL scores show that this district is high-performing across grades and subjects. We do have some work to do with our special education program, and we spent time last year developing a plan that we will implement this year. I expect the district to meet the standards for AYP next year.”

Lake Washington School District is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington. It has over 23,000 students in 49 schools located in Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington.

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