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Dorn: State Exam Results Solid, But Not Whole Story
State Superintendent wants greater focus placed on students who did not meet the assessment graduation requirements and on those who dropped out

OLYMPIA - June 18, 2009 - While 93 percent of 12th graders in the class of 2009 passed the reading and writing state exams, Superintendent Randy Dorn remains highly concerned about those students who didn't meet standard and those who dropped out long before graduation. The first-year state schools chief today released preliminary high school results of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

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. Dorn has made graduation and dropout rates and the achievement gap top priorities for his administration, and that's where he wants educators to place more of a focus.

"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.

"Those are numbers we must change," Dorn said. "And we need to start much earlier than high school to address the dropout issue. We know many students drop out before the ninth grade."

Dorn is addressing the dropout issue by focusing on early learning (prior to when students enter public school), an early warning dropout system that was piloted this spring, and the expansion of career and technical education opportunities to keep at-risk students engaged in their education. Dorn will release more information about his dropout plan in the fall.

While 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."

Changing the State Assessment System: The Move to Online Testing
Last week, Superintendent Dorn released preliminary details regarding the state's replacement of the WASL and the state's move to online testing. Dorn announced today that online testing will begin in spring 2010 in grades 6-8 in reading and math. The rest of the grades and content areas will be phased in over the next few years, he said.

The WASL will be replaced next school year 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 (both online and paper-and-pencil) will be shorter and the time it takes to administer them will be cut in half.

About 25 percent of students statewide in grades 6-8 are expected to participate next spring in voluntary online testing. By 2012, the majority of grades and content areas will be online.

"Changing our assessment system and moving it to online have been major priorities since I took office in January," Dorn said. "I'm pleased with this plan and am confident our state's schools, teachers and students will be able to adjust as we phase it in."

In spring 2011, fifth graders will participate in online testing in reading, math and science. Eighth graders will also begin to test in science that year. In spring 2012, fourth graders will move to online testing in reading and math.

Writing will debut online in spring 2011 in grades 7 and 10, with an online practice test beginning in fall 2010. OSPI is conducting feasibility studies for online testing in fourth grade writing and all subjects in third grade. For now, third grade will remain a paper-and-pencil test until more information is gathered.

Because of budget cuts, OSPI was forced to eliminate voluntary fall online testing. However, Dorn said the agency 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).

The WASL will be administered for the last time in August, when high school students can take reading, math or writing tests for the first time or as a makeup. Students can register for the summer WASL (Aug. 10-13) at www.k12.wa.us/waslregistration through June 26. Students in ninth grade during the 2008-09 school year are not eligible to take the August WASL.

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.