The Washington state Office of Public Instruction released preliminary Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) scores for English, Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics for third- through eighth-grade and 11th-grade for the 2016 spring semester.
High school students who took the 2015 assessment in 10th-grade and scored at a level 3 or 4 had their scores rolled over to this year.
The SBA is a computer exam that charts a student's success or failures as they move through questions. It also aligns with Common Core State Standards.
In average test scores for 2016, Medical Lake scored higher than the state average across the board in ELA. For math, the district scored higher than the state average in third-, fourth- fifth- and 11th-grade.
Medical Lake's 11-grade scores more than doubled, 36 percent to 80 percent in ELA and 20.9 percent to 43.6 percent for math.
Kim Headrick, director of teaching and learning, said the growth in the 11-grade scores is "two-fold," one part being the 10th graders who achieved a level 3 or 4 last year and had their scores roll over. The other part was the 11th-graders who took the test this year, already had the information for the tests and knew the expectations ahead of time.
"Our 11th-graders stepped up and did their best," Headrick said.
Cheney scored higher in the state average in both for seventh-grade ELA test scores and 11th-grade ELA and math scores. Students in grades 3-6 and eight tested scored below the state average in both categories.
Cheney Associate Superintendent Sean Dotson noted that the district uses several testing methods, in addition to smarter balanced assessment, to monitor students' academic progress,
"The Measures of Academic Progress is another tool we use," Dotson said. "We also have the Developmental Reading Assessment where students actually read to their teachers, who can monitor progress that way. Each assessment gives different types of information."
Cheney's ELA scores at all grade levels either improved or stayed the same as last year.
"We see encouraging information from the growth in scores," Dotson said. "Our goal is to keep getting better."
Compared to last year, Medical Lake saw improvement in ELA scores in all but third- and seventh-grades. Headrick said the district once again provided a reading-intensive program for students who aren't reading at their grade level or fell below it.
Cheney and Medical Lake scored higher than the state average in the Measurements of Student Progress science for fifth- and eighth-graders, and 10th-grade end-of-course biology test.
Dotson said Cheney will look at the "bright spots" in the testing and incorporating the data into the district's development plan. He'll also reach out to school districts with similar demographics to Cheney's and examine their progress in SBA scores.
As for Medical Lake, Headrick said staff will continue to examine ELA and math data, as well as address standard and material changes from the state.
"We'll continue to look at a student's needs and instructional skills to address them," Headrick said.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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