WASL Data 2005 and 2008

Here are 2008 WASL pass rates for all students and Black students from OSPI

Grade 4 Reading all 72.6% : Math all 53.6%
Black Students Reading 60.5% : Math 31.3%

Grade 7 Reading all 63.1% : Math all 50.5%
Black Students Reading 48.3% : Math 28.0%


Grade 10 Reading all 81.8% : Math all 49.6%
Black Students Reading 69.5% : Math 22.2%

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Here are 2005 WASL pass rates for all students and Black students from OSPI

Grade 4 Reading all 79.5% : Math all 60.8%
Black Students Reading 69.1% : Math 37.7%

Grade 7 Reading all 69.0% : Math all 50.8%
Black Students Reading 51.7% : Math 25.4%


Grade 10 Reading all 72.9% : Math all 47.5%
Black Students Reading 53.7% : Math 20.4%

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The 5 subgroups below are Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Limited English, and Low Income students.


In Statistical Summary of 2005 to 2008 changes:

Grade 4 Reading State Change -6.9 : Math change -7.2
5 Subgroups
average change -2.38 additional : math -0.14 additional drop
Black students absolute change -8.6 : Math absolute change -6.4
worse than state all ( -1.7) : better than state all (+0.8)

Grade 7 Reading State Change -5.9 : Math change -0.3
5 Subgroups
average change +0.08 additional : math -0.14 additional drop
Black students absolute change -3.4 : Math absolute change +2.6
better than state all (+2.5) : better than state all (+2.9)

Grade 10 Reading State Change +8.9 : Math change +2.1
5 Subgroups
average change +5.28 additional : math -0.32 additional drop
Black students absolute change +15.8 : Math absolute change +1.8
better than state all (+6.9) : worse than state all (-0.3)


Given the amount of money pumped into WASL testing the questions now must be:
Do we have bad tests or just a lousy system of education?

Looking at all the six sections above is Grade 10 reading improvement real or fake?

Article IX of the state constitution states:

ARTICLE IX EDUCATION : SECTION 1 PREAMBLE.
It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.

I know Seattle is in clear violation of the State Constitution in regard to Mathematics. This will become very apparent in the McLaren, Porter, Mass appeal of the "Discovering Math" series decision on May 6, 2009 filed on June 5, 2009 in King County Superior Court when this comes to trial in early 2010.

The larger issues is:
Do the policies, WASL aligned recommended materials, and WASL testing that Dr. Bergeson put in place also lead many other school districts to violate article IX?

Large Achievement Gaps that do not narrow certainly are more than a statistical coincidence. In Seattle math this situation for educationally disadvantaged learners in math has consistently worsened for more than a decade.

In regard to grades kindergarten to Four ... a reading of Project Follow Through would help.
In regard to Math a serious application of NMAP documents is drastically needed.

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And How About the WASL reading anomaly for grade 10 to make sure the kids can graduate.

Just another reminder of the huge difference in WASL reading score improvement from 2000 to 2005 while IOWA reading test scores were flat.