• Class of 2009 Raises the Bar, But Dropouts Remain a Problem
• Progress Reports for the Class of 2010 and 2011
• WASL Replacement Plans Move Forward

Class of 2009 Raises the Bar, But Dropouts Remain a Problem

While more than 93 percent of 12th graders in the class of 2009 passed the reading and writing state exams, there remain a concerning number of students who dropped out long before graduation. That’s according to the preliminary results of the high school Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), released today by Superintendent Randy Dorn.

Dorn said that while the percentage of students passing the state reading and writing exams is impressive, he emphasized that the graduation picture of the class is much more complex. 

“I applaud the hard work of the students who stayed in school and passed the state reading and writing tests,” Dorn said. “But we have to increase our focus on those students who don’t make it that far.”

Washington’s on-time graduation rate has averaged about 72 percent between 2004 and 2008, with an extended graduation rate of about 77 percent over the same five-year period. The state’s annual dropout rate is nearly 6 percent, which means that each year the state loses a little more than one in every 20 students. Over a four-year period, though, more than 20 percent of the state’s high school students have dropped out.

While the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) won’t have full details about the class of 2009 until late fall, the agency has released data of what happened with the class of 2008 over four years. The class of 2008, which started in 2004-05, began with approximately 89,500 students and lost about 18,500 (21 percent) due to dropouts. When the class graduated last June, another 4,000 students remained in lower grades or remained as returning 12th graders, likely because of a lack of credits.

“Our graduation statistics have been consistent enough over the years that it makes sense to apply the 2008 numbers to the current graduating class,” Dorn said.

Students in the class of 2009 had to meet four state graduation requirements, including passing a reading and writing state assessment or a state-approved alternative. Students also needed to complete a high school and beyond plan, a culminating project and district credit requirements.

WASL results, along with on-time graduation data, tell an important story, Dorn said. By only looking at the performance of students on the state reading and writing exams, it would appear that the achievement gap between certain ethnicities and white students has decreased.

However, Dorn said, state exam results are only one indicator of the achievement gap picture.

For example, an average of 86.5 percent of American Indian/Alaskan Native students passed the reading and writing state exams the past two years. However, that group saw an on-time graduation rate of just 48 percent in 2008. The same held true for Pacific Islanders, African Americans and Hispanics. Those groups all had passing rates of 85 percent or higher for students who stayed in high school all four years, but all saw an on-time graduation rate of 60 percent or lower.

“Keeping students in high school and engaged in learning is an issue that every community, school, legislator and state leader must address,” Dorn said. “We can’t afford to fail our students.”

To learn more about the requirements for the Class of 2009 and the upcoming requirements for the Classes of 2010-2013, visit OSPI’s resource page.

To find out about the alternative methods for students to meet state standards and graduation requirements, visit OSPI’s Certificate of Achievement page.

Progress Reports for the Class of 2010 and 2011

Click on the images below to view the progress of the Classes of 2010 and 2011 to date. 

OSPI will release results for the grades 3-8 WASL in late August. That’s also when district-by-district numbers for all grades will be posted to the OSPI Report Card.

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WASL Replacement Plans Move Forward

Next school year, the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) will be replaced with the grades 3-8 Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE). Beginning in spring 2010, the new state tests will be shorter and online testing will be piloted in reading and math.

Online testing is voluntary for elementary and middle schools during the next two years, but will be required in 2012. Online high school testing will not be piloted until 2011 and will be available statewide in 2012.

“The move to online testing is an important first step in making our state assessment system a true tool that teachers and families can use to help assess how well a student is learning,” Superintendent Randy Dorn said. “While we’re not the first state to implement online testing, we’ll certainly be ahead of most. We’re confident this is the direction the rest of the nation will soon be going.”

Replacing the WASL, however, does not eliminate the state high school graduation requirements, which, among other requirements, call for high school students to pass the reading and writing state exams and to either pass the math test or earn two credits of math after 10th grade. Students can also meet the assessment requirement by passing other state-approved alternatives.

A major concern for Dorn has been the amount of time it takes to administer the WASL. Beginning next year, that time will basically be cut in half with single sessions in reading, math and science taking no more than 90 minutes on the MSP and 120 minutes on the HSPE. That’s compared to two 90-minute sessions in grades 3-8 for those subjects on the WASL and two 120-minute sessions in high school. For 2010, writing remains unchanged, but will likely be moved to an online platform in the next year or two (click the chart above to view a timeline).

The testing dates for the High School Proficiency Exams will generally remain the same in spring 2010 as they have in the past, except reading, math and science will take only one session:

• Reading, March 16 (only one session)
• Writing, March 17-18 (two sessions)
• Math, April 13 (one session)
• Science April 15 (one session)

While state fall online testing is no longer an option because of budget cuts, OSPI will be able to provide a diagnostic testing tool for teachers and students beginning in the fall of 2010 thanks to $4.4 million from the Legislature (House Bill 1244, Sec. 513). OSPI envisions a system in which students will be able to take online practice tests throughout the school year based on specific sections within the state learning standards. The results of the online practice tests will be available immediately and assist teachers in identifying any possible weaknesses in a student’s learning.

In fall 2009, students will be able to view a tutorial of the MSP online testing system, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the system far in advance of spring 2010 testing.

School districts have already received spring 2009 high school WASL scores and are now mailing the WASL score reports.

At Partnership for Learning, we seek to ensure that any modifications made to Washington’s student assessment do not compromise the reliability or validity of the tests or the scores they report. Accordingly, we plan to monitor Dorn’s changes to the WASL closely to confirm that rigor of the tests is maintained.

To learn more about changes to student assessment in Washington, please visit OSPI’s assessment page.

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