Renton Education Blog
Daily news about Renton area schools
State: pass the math standarized test or don’t graduate
November 3rd, 2009 at Tue, 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 am by Celeste GraceyStarting with the class of 2013, all students must pass the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE, the new WASL), before receiving a diploma.
Only about 40.4 percent of 10-grade students in the Renton School District passed the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) last year, sending the district scrambling to improve math performance. Whereas 45.5 percent of Washington state students passed the math portion.
Right now students who fail the standardized test in 10th grade can retake the exam or take an additional two years of math. This option will no longer be available for the class of 2013.
The graduating class of 2010 is only required to take 2.0 credits of math. As I reported last week, starting with the class of 2013, students are required to take an additional credit, totaling 3.0 credits. The district doesn’t know how many more math teachers it will need to hire to provide enough courses for students.
There is a chance this could impact elective courses, but I’ve heard conflicting opinions from district administrators.
Right now it appears that the state legislature is phasing in higher standards. First for reading and writing, where the district performs well, and now with math scores. Currently, all students must pass the reading and writing portion of the HSPE or WASL to graduate.
I’m working on an in-depth story looking at the impact of these higher standards on the school district and the students. Feel free to give your input, I’d like to know parent and teacher concerns.
Celeste Gracey Celeste has been the education and communities writer for the Renton Reporter since July 2009. Follow her on Twitter and watch for stories on RentonReporter.com.
ABOUT COMMUNITY BLOGS: Community blogs are written by volunteers. They are members of our community but not employees of this site or newspaper. They have applied or were invited to blog here but their words are their own and are not edited by the editor or staff of this site, and have agreed to abide by our Terms of Use. The authors are solely responsible for their content. If you have concerns about something you read on a community blog, please contact the author directly or email us.
COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.
So keep your comments:
- Civil
- Smart
- On-topic
- Free of profanity
We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.
As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.
Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.
