Math scores were the primary source of concern for most of the eight North Olympic Peninsula school districts whose Washington Assessment of Student Learning scores were released on Thursday.
In order to pass the WASL, a student must score a C – or 70 percent or better – on each of the reading, writing and math portions of the test.
The test also includes a science portion.
Not all grade levels take all tests.
Third through eighth grades and 10th grades, take the reading and math tests.
Fourth, seventh and 10th grades take the writing test.
Fifth, eighth and 10th grades take the science test.
The WASL is particularly important for 10th grade students, since passage of the math, reading and writing portions of the test is a graduation requirement set by the state Legislature.
Student who don’t pass the WASL in their sophomore or junior years must take it again in their senior years.
Those who are stumbling over the math portion can still graduate if they earn an extra math credit in their senior year.
Statewide, about 48 percent of the class of 2009 passed the math portion as 10th grade students.
An additional 2.2 percent had already passed the test as ninth grade students.
District-specific data on students who passed as ninth graders was not available.
