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By the Numbers: Rising Student Achievement in Washington State
Students who entered high school this fall have a special distinction - they're the first class required to meet Washington's new graduation standards. In addition to taking and passing a required number of courses, students graduating in 2008 must complete a "Certificate of Academic Achievement," which includes meeting state standards on a basic reading, writing and mathematics test (the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL,) completing a project on a topic of their choice, and creating a plan for their first year after high school.
These new graduation requirements kick off the second important phase of Washington's education reform movement, underway now for more than a decade. The expectations we have for this year's freshmen, and all of those students who come after them, are the result of a thoughtful, consistent vision for improving Washington's public schools to better prepare the next generation of citizens for their adult lives.
The changes implemented in Washington's education system over the past decade are reaping rewards. Students are clearly becoming better readers, writers and thinkers, and are better able to apply their learning to real-life situations. While there are many ways to measure student achievement in the classroom, state and national achievement tests provide important information about how students "measure up" to state learning standards and "stack up" against their peers in other states.
Over the past several years, Washington has soared by many measures from the middle of the pack to the top tier of states academically.
1 In 2003, Washington students, as a group, earned the highest average SAT scores of their peers in states where at least half of students take the test. From 1993 to 2003, the average SAT score of Washington students rose 41 points - only six states have better long-term gains.
2 In 2003, Washington students, as a group, posted the second-highest average ACT scores in the country. For each of the past 10 years, Washington consistently has been one of the top five performers on the ACT.
3 Washington scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress are consistently at or above the national average, and in some cases significantly above that average. For example:
- Average reading scores of Washington fourth-graders have risen over the past 10 years at twice the national average growth rate.
4 While there remains a disturbing achievement gap between poor and wealthy children and between white children and children of color, that gap is closing in many areas. For example, between 1996 and 2003, black eighth-graders in Washington made a bigger jump on the NAEP math test (+19 points) than black students in any other state, and fourth-grade black students scored 15 points above the national average for their peer group in fourth-grade reading in 2003 (10 points is considered equal to a full year of learning).
5 Performance on statewide tests, the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), has steadily improved among all ages and ethnic groups since 1997. And in 2004, while overall test results were up in all grades in reading, writing and mathematics, students in nearly all ethnic minority groups improved at a faster pace than their white peers.
6 Four times as many Washington students are taking advanced placement exams as they did 10 years ago, and over the past five years, participation rates for students of color have increased between 70 and 170 percent.
Students enrolled in special education programs are raising their achievement as well, and they also will have to fulfill the new graduation requirements taking effect in 2008. Many efforts are underway to help these students meet new achievement goals, as well as to meet state and federal accountability requirements.
Special education students already have access to special WASL testing accommodations related to the setting in which they take the test, scheduling, how the test questions are presented and how students respond to questions. Students for whom the WASL is not an appropriate option can use the Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS). This alternative to the WASL allows students to submit a portfolio of work to measure how well they are mastering state learning standards in reading, writing, math and science. The portfolios are reviewed and scored by carefully trained educators. This allows students with profound disabilities an alternate way to show they are learning and achieving commensurate with the expectations in their individual education plans.
The new graduation requirements also offer an alternate path to the high school diploma for some special education students for whom the WASL is not an appropriate assessment, given their level of disability. As one of the new requirements to receive a diploma, students must earn a "Certificate of Academic Achievement" by passing the reading, writing, and math portions of the high school WASL. Some students enrolled in special education will have the opportunity to earn an alternative "Certificate of Individual Achievement" that won't require them to meet standard on the WASL. Students will be able to demonstrate their skills and abilities to earn this alternate certificate in a number of ways - specifics will be spelled out in each student's individual education plan. More guidance on which students may be eligible for the alternative certificate and how those students can meet alternate certificate requirements will be provided to school districts by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Students who receive both kinds of certificates will earn the same high school diploma - their transcripts will designate which certificate they received to earn that diploma.
This year, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction requested and received more flexibility in assessing Washington special education students for purposes of federal accountability under the No Child Left Behind law. Starting in spring 2005, students enrolled in special education may take a developmentally appropriate test to meet federal accountability requirements. For example, a seventh-grade student may take a fourth-grade WASL test if the student's individual education plan team determines that is an appropriate option. For federal accountability purposes, no more than one percent of students at any grade level can be counted as "proficient" via an alternative assessment (such as an off-grade test or a portfolio of work.) However, districts can now appeal exceptions to that one-percent cap to OSPI.
Dr. Bergeson was born and raised Massachusetts. She attended Emmanuel College in Boston, graduating in 1964 with a B.A. in English. She began her career in education as a public school teacher and counselor, first in her home state of Massachusetts and then in Alaska. In 1969, she earned a master's degree in counseling and guidance from Western Michigan University.
That same year, Dr. Bergeson moved to Washington state to become a counselor at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. While at Lincoln, she created and implemented a successful experimental program for at-risk students, which retained about 60 potential dropout students, significantly increasing their academic achievement.
In 1977, Dr. Bergeson entered the University of Washington's doctoral program. While studying and working as a graduate teaching assistant, she successfully completed a research project to increase mathematics and science enrollment of females and ethnic minorities in secondary schools. She was selected to serve as chair of the National Education Association's Women's Caucus and implemented a National Women's Leadership Training Project.
As an advocate for education and educators, Dr. Bergeson became active in the Washington Education Association; she was elected vice president in 1981, then president in 1985. As WEA president, she promoted the association's commitment to children and public education and raised citizen awareness of the need and direction for systemic education reform. She served the WEA as president for four years.
Dr. Bergeson then went back to work at the district level when, in 1989, she was hired as the executive director of the Central Kitsap School District. There, she supervised nine schools and several special programs.
In 1993, Dr. Bergeson was appointed executive director of the Washington State Commission on Student Learning. As executive director, Dr. Bergeson was charged with developing statewide standards for students, as well as a series of tests students must pass prior to graduation. She served as executive director until 1996, when she ran for and was elected as state superintendent of public instruction. She took office in January 1997.
In 2000, Dr. Bergeson again ran for state superintendent of public instruction, and was elected to the position for a second term of office. She continues her pledge to transform the teaching profession in Washington state, and to ensure all students achieve a diploma that prepares them for success in the 21st century.
This article is in the public domain and can be freely copied and used in trainings as handouts at parent and community meetings, and in creating your school or district programs. (Please cite all sources of materials you use.)
This information is provided by:
Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Special Education
P O Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504-7200
(360) 725-6088
Fax (360)586-1631
E-mail: dgill@ospi.wednet.edu
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