The number of improved scores on the 2006 WASL –Washington Assessment of Student Learning — for North Olympic Peninsula students outpaced the number of lagging scores.
The scores were released Friday from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and showed students in Clallam and Jefferson counties improving from last year on 64 out of 95 portions of the test.
(A full breakdown of district percentages and rankings for students who passed the WASL is on page ??.)
The 64 portions of the WASL that North Olympic Peninsula students improved on are made up of the test’s four different subject areas — reading, writing, science and math — for grades four, five, seven, eight and 10.
Those grades were the only ones required by the state in previous years to be tested on at least one of the four subject areas.
Grades three and six joined the others in being tested this year because of new state testing requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The subject areas with the greatest improvement of passing scores for students in Clallam and Jefferson counties were in reading and writing.
The math and science scores, however, showed continued struggle in those subject areas on the North Olympic Peninsula and across the state.
The total state percentage of passing students in science and math declined for grades four and seven, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson said at a press conference Friday.
To address the problem, Bergeson’s office is offering assistance to school districts to improve teaching skills in math, and helping them choose curricula that matches state academic standards, she said.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a professional education association, is also expected to consult with Bergeson’s office next week to provide a set of focal points that spell out math learning goals for each grade level, she said.
In addition, Washington Learns, a state study of education goals and financing, is preparing recommendations for the state Legislature on how to improve the math performance of students.
Reporter Vanessa Renée Casavant can be reached at 360-417-3535 or vanessa.casavant@peninsuladailynews.com.