August 28, 2003

News Release

Seattle Students Make Gains on the
Washington Assessment of Student Learning

Largest Increases in Grade 7
Students in Seattle Public Schools made gains on the 2003 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), with middle school students posting the largest increases. Seventh-grade WASL scores were up in every subject area tested.

The state-mandated test, which measures proficiency in reading, writing, math and listening, is given annually in grades four, seven and 10. This year's WASL results hold special significance because the scores are being used as the basis for measuring "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. As part of this federal law, schools and districts will be held accountable for making increases in the achievement of students on the WASL. Achievement is measured for all students, as well as for several subgroups of students, based on special education needs, race and ethnicity, English-language fluency and family income.

For a school or school district to make adequate yearly progress, every subgroup of students must meet the target in reading and math at every grade level tested. Although the Seattle school district met the targets for AYP in the "all students" category, certain subgroups of students fell short of the goals. Therefore the district, like 125 others in Washington state, did not make AYP as defined by the new federal law.

"The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act" is to have all students meet academic standards," said Interim Superintendent Raj Manhas. "That is also our goal here in Seattle Public Schools, and we have been working diligently toward that end for several years. We have made substantial progress, but we have far more to do. This data will help us better focus our efforts on those students most in need of assistance."

Some initiatives and programs already underway include:
~ Enhanced professional development for special education teachers focused on behavior intervention strategies, reading and math instruction, building positive relationships with students and development of effective Individualized Education Plans. These steps have helped reduce referrals to Special Education by 20 percent over the previous year.

~ The Literacy Initiative, an intensive 72-hour training program for the district's 3,000 teachers that aims to increase student achievement in reading, writing and thinking by infusing instructional strategies for teaching literacy across the curriculum. More than 1,300 teachers have been through the program since its launch in March 2000. Test results show that African American children who failed to meet the state's reading standards doubled their pass rate after spending two or more years with teachers who had completed the Literacy Initiative.

~ Courageous Conversations About Race, an in-depth training for all district staff focused on eliminating the achievement gap between white students and students of color. Throughout the training, now in its second year, participants examine how race impacts student learning and what teachers, principals, instructional aides and others can do to ensure student achievement across racial lines.

~ New instructional materials and textbooks that reflect the rich diversity of the world in which we live.

~ Early assessment of students, at the beginning of the school year, to determine strengths and weaknesses and develop intervention plans for students who need them.

~ Plans for more bilingual instructional assistants to assist second language learners.

~ A pilot early intervention program, in which instructional aides visit the homes of families with preschoolers and teach parents strategies for helping their children be successful in school.

~ Small learning communities that emphasize both rigorous academic standards and strong bonds between teachers and students. Cleveland, Rainier Beach and Ingraham high schools are all creating small learning communities this year.

Many Seattle schools and students are reaping the rewards of focused efforts to raise student achievement. At Schmitz Park Elementary School, 4th grade reading scores jumped 21.1 percentage points, to 87.8 percent of students meeting standards. Math scores jumped 13.1 percentage points, to 67.3 percent meeting standards.

Fourth grade scores at the African American Academy jumped 35.4 percent in math and 6.9 percent in reading. And at Hawthorne, one of the district's more diverse elementary schools, math scores jumped more than 20 percentage points and reading scores increased more than 7 points.

There still is a marked gap in achievement between white students and students of color. But progress is being made. For example, fourth-grade African-American students made strong gains in math, reading and writing. Math scores jumped 9 percentage points, writing scores jumped 13 points, and reading scores jumped 3 points.

The strongest one-year gains on the WASL were made at grade 7, with increases of 6.1 percentage points in listening, 3.6 in reading, 4.0 in writing and 4.1 in mathematics. At grade 4, scores increased .7 percentage points in writing and 1.9 percentage points in math. Reading scores dipped slightly - less than 1 percentage point - and listening scores dropped 5.1 percentage points.

At grade 10, writing scores increased 4.9 percentage points and reading scores rose by slightly less than 1 percentage point. Scores dropped slightly in math (0.4 percentage points) and listening scores declined 8.5 points.

The trends in Seattle scores, like those statewide, show strong growth over time. In math, for example, 4th grade scores were up 17 percentage points from 1999, writing scores were up 20 points, and reading scores were up 8 points.

"The progress we've seen at individual schools across our district are wonderful examples of what can be achieved," Manhas said. "Our challenge now is to extend this kind of success to every school and every student in our city. I have every confidence that with schools, parents and communities working together, we will reach this goal."

Seattle Public Schools
Washington Assessment of Student Learning
System-wide Results, Percent Meeting Standard
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Gains 1999-2003
Reading
Grade 4 56.0% 63.6% 63.5% 64.2% 63.9% +7.9%
Grade 7 40.1% 39.8% 38.9% 44.3% 47.9% +7.8%
Grade 10 36.0% 49.8% 49.5% 52.4% 53.1% +17.1%
Writing
Grade 4 38.6% 40.8% 44.1% 50.8% 58.5% +19.9%
Grade 7 36.3% 40.3% 45.3% 50.2% 54.2% +17.9%
Grade 10 32.2% 27.3% 37.8% 47.3% 52.2% +20.0%
Listening
Grade 4 66.4% 64.8% 70.2% 64.3% 59.2% -7.2%
Grade 7 83.2% 74.8% 76.3% 77.0% 83.1% -0.1%
Grade 10 59.1% 68.1% 71.6% 75.4% 66.9% +7.8%
Math
Grade 4 35.8% 44.3% 43.5% 51.1% 53.0% +17.2%
Grade 7 26.9% 30.9% 29.9% 29.8% 33.9% +7.0%
Grade 10 24.8% 32.2% 33.7% 35.3% 34.9% +10.1%

For school-by-school results, please visit the OSPI Web site.

View a presentation made to the School Board on September 3 that includes system-wide results, performance by ethnic group, gains and gap reduction, and review of AYP results.
Please click here to view WASL charts