State assessment scores released Aug. 29, show Issaquah School District students are continuing to exceed their peers.
In each category, 10-20 percent more of Issaquah’s students passed the reading, writing, math and science tests than the state average.
For a district accustomed to high scores, the trick has been how to stay focused on moving ahead.
“Until you have 100 percent of kids exceeding the standards, there is always work to be done,” said district spokesperson Sara Niegowski.
Over the next couple of months principals and teachers will be analyzing the scores for the whole district to the individual student. The focus will be both on those who didn’t pass and making sure students who far exceeded expectations are still being challenged.
“This is just the beginning of our work,” said Superintendent Steve Rasmussen in a press release.
The most important figures are for 10th-graders, who need to pass the exam before they can graduate. About 94 percent passed the reading exam and 96 percent passed writing this round.
“It’s really validating to know as a system we’re getting that many kids through,” Niegowski said
The state also implemented a math requirement, but the tests are given at the end of the year to students in algebra and geometry, so the results come from a mix of middle and high school students.
For the rest of students, most scores stayed within a few points of last year. However, there were a few points of interest.
Last year elementary students got new science curriculum, which was better aligned with the state’s expectations. While about 5 percent more fifth graders passed the science test this year, the whole state saw a 10 percent jump on the same test.
Issaquah has had a stronger emphasis on teaching science these past couple years, but score changes rarely correlate to one factor, Niegowski said.
After seeing a huge dip in last year’s seventh-grade reading score, the entire state, including Issaquah jumped about 14 percent this year.
“Sometimes when you see a jump like that, it makes you think last year’s test was a bit of an anomaly,” Niegowski said.
