Typically it’s pretty easy to analyze state assessment scores, by comparing them to years past. But last spring the state issued new shorter tests based on different standards or expectations.

I’m going to take my time analyzing the data and talking to people before drawing any hard conclusions, but I wanted to make the data available. Below are some graphs and comparisons.

If you want to see how you’re student’s school did, check out the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s thorough Web site.

Middle and elementary school students took what’s now called the Measurement of Student Progress (MSP) while 10th-graders took the High School Proficiency Exams (HSPE). They’re both essentially shorter versions of the WASL.

I will point out as of now, all incoming 10th-grade students for the class of 2013 must pass all four sections of the HSPE to earn a diploma. State Superintendent Randy Dorn asked for that to change, but it hasn’t happened yet.

While I don’t want to reach any hard conclusions right now, I will point out that Renton appears to have followed state trends overall. However, many of its scores fall below the state average.

Overall, middle school students improved their scores with the new tests while high school students and fifth-graders (the last year students are in Renton elementary schools) saw declines.

Though still below state average, Renton eighth-graders made significant progress in closing the gap with the state average this year.

I’ll have information about government sanctions and how they could affect the schools when I get back from vacation.

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This data represents percentages of students who passed the exams.

HIGH SCHOOL DATA (2008-2009; 2009-2010)

WA STATE 10th-GRADERS
Reading 81.2, 78.8 (-2.4)
Writing 86.7, 85.9 (-0.8)
Math 45.4, 41.6 (-3.8)
Science 38.8, 44.7 (-5.9)

RENTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Reading 81.1, 73.7 (-7.4)
Writing 85.3, 77.7 (-7.6)
Math 40.4, 34.0 (-6.4)
Science 41.1, 38.9 (-2.2)

RENTON HIGH SCHOOL
Reading 74.6, 69.1 (-5.5)
Writing 76.9, 70.1 (-6.8)
Math 28.0, 22.1 (-5.9)
Science 25.1, 28.1 (+3.0)

HAZEN HIGH SCHOOL
Reading 87.0, 80.1 (-6.9)
Writing 87.1, 83.0 (-4.1)
Math 50.1, 50.5 (+0.4)
Science 47.5, 48.7 (+1.2)

LINDBERGH HIGH SCHOOL
Reading 82.1, 76.3 (-5.8)
Writing 91.8, 84.3 (-7.5)
Math 45.0, 36.8 (-8.2)
Science 59.0, 46.3 (-12.7)

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WA STATE EIGHTH-GRADERS (2008-2009; 2009-2010)
Reading 67.5, 69.2 (+1.7)
Math 50.8, 51.5 (+0.7)

RENTON SCHOOL DISTRICT EIGHTH-GRADERS
Reading 59.7, 66.6  (+6.9)
Math 38.9, 47.4 (+8.5)

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WA STATE FIFTH-GRADERS (2008-2009; 2009-2010)
Reading 74.0, 69.5 (-4.5)
Math 61.9, 53.6 (-8.3)

RENTON SCHOOL DISTRICT FIFTH-GRADERS
Reading 69.6, 65.3 (-4.3)
Math 50.1, 43.8 (-6.3)

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The below charts represent percentage of pass rates for the Renton School District for the past three years.

Adam Swinney, new eighth-grade language arts teacher, talks to other new teachers at the Renton Chamber of Commerce 21st Annual New Teacher Breakfast.

About 40 new teachers were welcomed to the Renton School District with a breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Commerce Aug. 26.
Business leaders fund and participate in the annual tradition to support the incoming staff and show their appreciation.
The new teachers come from several walks of life from being a recent college graduate to moving to the district from out of state.
One such teacher is Adam Swinney, the new eighth-grade language arts teacher at Dimmitt Middle School, who moved to Renton after teaching high school English for three years in the Chicago Public School system.
Bob Bridge surprised the teachers with $50 each to help offset costs when purchasing new materials for the classroom. It was paid for by the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation.
The event was catered by Renton Technical College and featured keynote speaker Dean Allen, CEO of the Seattle-based McKinstry, a consulting and construction company.

Seahawks athletes are expected to visit multiple Renton schools over the next month to give recognition to teachers and to teach kids about healthy living and exercise.

Hazen High School business teacher Mark Sabo was recognized Aug. 27, and Friday, Sept. 3, Highlands Elementary School kindergarten teacher Lynne Morgan will also be recognized as one of the “Heroes in the Classroom.”

The program, which is also in place in Atlanta and Chicago, includes a presentation during a school assembly, a team jersey for award winners, two tickets to a Seahawks game, and on-field passes to see the game up close and personal. Seahawks players won’t be at this event, but staff will.

In addition to those two visits, Players do plan to visit Maplewood Heights, Campbell Hill and Tiffany Park elementary schools as a part of the Play 60 program, in which athletes encourage kids to exercise 60 minutes daily. They also talk about doing well in school and bullying.

Maplewood is the only school with a set date, 10 a.m., Sept. 14. I plan to go to one of them to write a more in depth story about the Seahawks program.

Compliments of spokesman Randy Matheson, I now have a beautiful version of the Renton School District final 2010-2011 academic calendar.

It’s printed and taped to my cubicle wall, and I recommend parents do the same.

FINAL Calendar 2010 2011

Sorry kiddoes, school starts Wednesday, Sept. 1.
Congratulations parents, another year of watching your children learn and grow is about to start.
All seventh-, eighth-, 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders get an extra day to play, starting class Sept. 2, while they give the incoming sixth- and ninth-graders a chance to explore their new middle and high schools without the older classmates.
Most kids have already had class registration and ASB sign up days.
Don’t forget that there are new lunch prices this year. Elementary meals are $2.25. Middle school lunches cost $2.75, and high school meals are $3
Neighboring districts Kent and Tukwila also start Sept. 1, but Bellevue started classes Aug. 30, and Seattle starts Sept. 9.

Apparently, we have the only working online copy of the 2010-2011 calendar. The Renton School District posted a prettier one, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

10-11 Calendar REA R 3-18-10

P.S. I’m back to blogging too, after a busy summer of festivals and annexation talks.

The Seattle Times published an interesting story today about how parents are challenging the Seattle School Board’s decision to rehire the superintendent by petitioning for a recall election for five of the seven members.

The group alleges the board didn’t fully consider a recent audit on the district’s finance policies before rehiring Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson.

The petition will go before a judge, before the group must then get 32,000 signatures to win the recall election, according to The Times.

The Washington State Board of Education has a missing person, and Randy Dorn is calling for a special election in November 2010 to fill the spot.

The board is comprised of 16 members:

• Two members from the eastern region of the state, elected by school board members;
• Three members from the western region of the state, elected by school board members;
• One member, at large, elected by approved private schools;
• The superintendent of public instruction;
• Seven members appointed by the governor; and
• Two student representatives selected by the state board itself.

The position up for election is Western Region Position 3.

Candidates must be residents of the region they wish to represent. (For the western region, that includes the 19 westernmost counties.) Candidates cannot be employed by any public or private school, college, university or other educational institution, any educational service district, or the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction after being elected to the State Board. Persons elected to the board may not concurrently serve as a member of the board of directors of either a public school district or a private school.

Debbie Tito, the director of assessment for the Renton School District, accepted a position overseeing the district’s human resources department.

She was introduced to the Renton School Board by Sheryl Moore, who incidentally accepted the assistant human resources position in June.

I spoke with Tito a few times about the High School Proficiency Exam, particularly about how passing the math section will soon be required by all high school students.

This is a cool tid-bit of news about a science teacher:

McKnight Middle School science teacher Carlie Jonas is one of only six teachers selected to help design environmental science and sustainability curriculum this summer with a team at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The team will work with Nobel Laureate Dr. Lee Hartwell to design a curriculum to be used in a teaching program at
Arizona State University. Fred Hutchinson hopes to eventually have the curriculum used in local universities.

Next school year Jonas will work with other McKnight teachers to implement lessons learned during her  summer program.