Last week’s release of statewide test scores undoubtedly left the public wanting more information.
With almost 300 school districts in the state, thousands of schools and even more students, the scope is very wide.
The same could be said for digging through Yakima County test score data. After all, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction posted proficiency rates for Smarter Balanced exams in grades 3-8 and 10-11; the Measurements of Student Progress, or MSP, in science for fifth- and eighth-grade students; and high school end-of-course exams in algebra, geometry and biology.
While it would be impossible to analyze every row and column of data in one story (at least for this reporter), here are 10 items of interest that may have gone unnoticed:
• Participation may vary. Among the data released Tuesday were participation rates, or the percentages of students who took the exams.
This year, participation rates in grades 3 through 8 all exceeded the 95 percent participation threshold the U.S. Department of Education has in place. The same cannot be said about 11th grade English and math, as 88 percent and 61 percent of students took those, respectively. Keep in mind, the 11th grade math exam is not yet a requirement for state high school students.
The U.S. Department of Education has warned states it could withhold some funding if the threshold isn’t met. However, OSPI spokesman Nathan Olson said the agency doesn’t expect any repercussions, given it is only the second year under Smarter Balanced. The work-in-progress Every Student Succeeds Act consolidation plan will address what could happen if schools don’t have 95-percent participation, Olson added.
• Some Yakima Valley districts posted perfect attendance (for testing). Union Gap data shows all its students in grades 3-8 took their respective exams. All of Granger’s students in grades 3-8 and in 11 took the reading exams.
• Are high school juniors college and career ready? Under Smarter Balanced, students can fall under Level 1, 2, 3, or 4. If a student scores a 3 or 4, he or she is considered college and career ready.
According to state data, almost 76 percent of juniors hit a 3 or 4 in language arts, while 22 percent met the same mark in math. The numbers are difficult to decipher, as the math exam is still not a requirement and the language arts exam was under transition into becoming a requirement.
• Same goes for local high school juniors. According to state data, the majority of juniors in the ESD 105 region are college and career ready, with 66 percent of students posting a 3 or 4 in language arts. But once again, the percentage of students refusing to take Smarter Balanced math affected local scores, as under 18 percent were proficient. Test refusal means a student gets a score of zero, and the zeroes count against school districts when the assessments are graded.
• Hispanic students in third grade classrooms are lagging behind in reading and writing. Among county districts with posted numbers, Hispanic third-grade students posted rather low figures when it comes to English language arts. According to the data, about 29 percent of the students were proficient in reading and writing. A number of factors can come into play, such as growing up in a migrant family or learning how to read and write English, said Ric Pilgrim, assistant superintendent for Educational Service District 105.
Another factor is the poverty level, he added. Research has shown poverty – which is tracked by schools via free and reduced meal figures – has a great impact on student learning. Resources and experiences at home may be more limited for a low-income family than in a middle- or upper-class home.
• White students do have a head start, but local numbers behind state’s. White students generally posted better language arts scores than Hispanic students. Third-grade students identifying as white posted better language arts scores, as 59 percent of the students met proficiency.
However, proficiency rates still trail the state average. In fourth grade language arts, 60 percent met proficiency, but the state average is 65 percent.
In sixth grade math, 44 percent of white students in the ESD 105 region met proficiency, but the state average was closer to 55 percent.
. Native American scores trail state. Proficiency rates among Native American students in the ESD 105 region trail the proficiency rate averages among Native Americans in the state in all categories. For instance, 21 percent of students were proficient in fourth-grade math but trailed the state average of 29 percent. Native American students make up more than 3 percent of regional enrollment, behind white and Hispanic students.
• A tale of two cities. Just south of the largest local district of Yakima, more than 600 students attended Union Gap, the smallest school district in the county. Union Gap is a one-school district serving students through eighth grade. Demographics are fairly similar, too; both districts’ Hispanic students make up more than 70 percent of their enrollment, the majority of students qualify for free or reduced meals.
However, Union Gap student scores were higher than Yakima at every grade level and in math and language arts. Keep in mind, though, the Union Gap sample size was significantly smaller than Yakima’s. For instance, in seventh grade, Union Gap had 65 test takers, while Yakima had 1,059.
• Zillah tops Lower Valley, except for … Among the Lower Valley districts, Zillah’s proficiency rates were the highest in language arts and math for grades 3-8. One outlier, though: its proficiency rates in sixth-grade math were on the lower end of scores across the Valley.
• Yakima School District tops 16,000. For the first time, the school district topped the 16,000 mark in terms of enrollment. According to the OSPI data, Yakima had enrolled 16,238 students throughout last school year, making it the 19th largest in the state.
Yakima is not the largest regionally, though. Both Kennewick and Pasco down the I-82 corridor reported much larger enrollments of 17,722 and 17,441 students, respectively.
