Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students continue to perform well on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), according to the preliminary 2009 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. Scores were mixed in different grades and subject areas, with some seeing improvements over last year and others falling, in most cases in similar patterns to state scores. Highlights include:

• An improvement of 5.3 percent in sixth graders at standard in math, rising from 70.5 percent to 75.8 percent, as compared to only 50.9 percent of students statewide, an increase of 2.0 percent

• Improvement at eighth grade in reading, rising from 78.1 percent to 82.7 percent at standard, compared to 67.5 statewide, an increase of 1.2 percent.

• Improvement in fourth grade math, increasing 3.7 percent to 73.8 percent at standard, compared to 52.3 percent statewide, where the state dropped 1.3 percent.

Areas of concern include:

• A drop of 5.6 percent in seventh grade students at standard in writing to 81.6 percent, compared to 69.7 percent statewide, where the state dropped .3 percent.

• Fifth grade science scores down 2.5 percent to 69.2 percent at standard, compared to 44.9 percent at standard statewide, where the state increased 2.0 percent.

“While we continue to see positive results, I believe we can do better,” noted Superintendent Chip Kimball. “Our schools are focusing this year on challenging students at an appropriate level, and making sure that all students are working up to their potential.”

District not in improvement status – only one of 10 largest in state

With high average WASL scores, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) met the standard for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 50 of 59 areas under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), according to preliminary information released today by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. In most of the areas, which include subject areas (math and reading), three grade-spans (3-5, 6-8 and 10) and student subgroups such as race or income groups, students scored significantly above their targets.

Because AYP requires that all subgroups meet or exceed all of the targets, the district did not meet AYP again this year. However, the district has not entered “improvement” status. That would be the case if the district did not make AYP for two consecutive years in all three grade-spans in any subgroup for the same subject area. Of the ten largest school districts in the state, Lake Washington is the only one that has not entered “improvement status.” The areas of concern for the district include special education, Hispanic students, students with limited English and low-income students.

“While special education is still an issue, we’ve had success at several schools in bringing their special education students up to standard,” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent. “We will be looking closely at what worked in those schools to see if there are strategies that can be replicated elsewhere.”

School Improvement Status

Schools do not make AYP status if a group does not make the standard in one or more subject areas or misses the “other indicator.” (The other indicator is an unexcused absence rate for elementary and junior high schools and the graduation rate for high schools.) In addition, if under 95 percent of a specific subgroup does not take the test for a specific subject, that counts the same as not making standard in that subject. It takes only one subgroup missing one category for a school to be listed as not making AYP, even if the rest of the students score significantly higher than standard. Statewide, 60.6 percent of schools did not make AYP while in Lake Washington, 38.7 percent of schools did not make AYP.

Schools that do not meet AYP targets for any subgroup in a specific area two years in a row go into Improvement Step 1. Only those schools that receive federal Title I funds, however, face specific consequences each year they are “in improvement.”

At the elementary level, 24 out of 30 schools met their AYP targets. One of those schools, John Muir Elementary, made AYP this year after two years of missing the standard, which put the school into Improvement Step 1. It takes two years in a row of making the standard to exit an improvement step; if Muir makes AYP next year, they will exit Step 1 completely. In addition, Community School is in Step 4 of Improvement because too few students took the WASL test. Parents at this choice school have expressed disapproval of standardized testing and do not allow their students to take the test. Community does not receive federal Title I, Part A funds, and does not face consequences as a result. (See the attached list for AYP status for all Lake Washington schools.)

At the junior high level, special education reading and math scores are an issue at six of the seven schools that are in Improvement. Redmond Junior High School’s special education students, who missed the standard on both reading and math last year, met the standard this year. Redmond Junior High School is still in improvement Step 1 because of scores in reading for low income students. Four of the district’s 12 junior high schools made AYP this year. None of the schools that did not make AYP receive federal Title 1 funds and thus do not face specific consequences.

Five of six high schools did not make AYP this year. Juanita High School did make AYP. BEST High School did not have adequate participation in the WASL and enters Step 2 of Improvement as a result. Transition School, which serves special education students ages 19-21, did make AYP.

“Most students at these schools that have been singled out for improvement status are succeeding” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, Superintendent. “But we want every child to succeed and will work hard to make that happen.”