New WA test scores show which Tri-Cities schools are recovering faster after COVID
Tri-City schools overall saw slight gains in reading, math and science test scores earlier this year, but some students are still struggling with learning loss after months of remote learning during the COVID pandemic.
The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released data last week from the Spring 2023 Smarter Balance Assessment and the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science.
The Smarter Balance test measures the grade-level proficiency of students who take it from the third-grade to eighth-grade, as well as in the 10th grade.
The science test is taken in the fifth, eighth and 11th grades.
A student cannot pass or fail the tests. Instead, the score is used to measure the college readiness of a student and proficiency in the subject without needing remedial learning.
“Our expectation is that all students, regardless of need, are going to learn and they’re going to grow and progress, and ultimately meet grade-level standards and graduate,” said Kennewick Superintendent Traci Pierce. “It’s not enough to look at proficiency alone, we have to look at growth.”
When deciding how well a program, curriculum or school is performing, officials also take into consideration how well students are doing in classes, engagement and retention, in-school testing, attendance and discipline data, and several other variables.
Spring 2023 testing data is available to view online and can be sorted by the state, district and school levels.
Here are the percentages showing how many students at each Mid-Columbia school district met grade-level assessment standards last spring:
Washington state: 51% in English, 39% in math, 43% in science
Richland: 55% English, 42% math, 42% science
Kennewick: 48% English, 34% math, 38% science
Pasco: 32% English, 22% math, 29% science
North Franklin: 36% English, 26% math, 24% science
Prosser: 34% English, 22% math, 32% science
Columbia-Burbank: 30% English, 16% math, 33% science
Finley: 28% English, 14% math, 30% science
Kiona-Benton City: 20% English, 13% math, 26% science
These Tri-City schools saw the largest year-over-year improvement in the math standards:
Rosalind Franklin STEM Elementary, Pasco
Marcus Whitman Elementary, Richland
Westgate Elementary, Kennewick
Hawthorne Elementary, Kennewick
Jason Lee Elementary, Richland
These schools saw the most improvement in English and reading standards:
Columbia River Elementary, Pasco
Marcus Whitman Elementary, Richland
Rosalind Franklin STEM Elementary, Pasco
Horse Heaven Hills Middle School, Kennewick
Edwin Markham Elementary, Pasco
Halfway there
Comparisons of math and English scores from 2019 to today show Tri-City schools are halfway to fully rebounding from learning losses during the COVID pandemic.
The pandemic’s impact on student learning was clearly shown in Smarter Balance testing in Fall 2021, as the percentages of students meeting grade-level standards dropped by double digits in Kennewick, Richland and Pasco. Those results also mirrored broader trends seen across Washington state and the nation.
Today, Richland must add 6.9 percentage points in English and 8.3 points in math to be back to pre-pandemic levels.
Pasco needs to add 7.7 points in English and 7.9 points in math.
And Kennewick needs 8.7 points in English and 7.8 points in math.
“Our goal isn’t to get to where we were pre-COVID, because where we were pre-COVID is not where we want to be,” Pierce said. “Having less than half of students (testing) at grade level in math? I mean, that’s not what we’re shooting for.”
Kennewick has several initiatives in the works to help address that, including adoption of a new elementary math curriculum this year and a review of district-wide literacy programs.
Pierce said schools with a higher percentage of low-income and English-learning students tend to perform worse on the Smarter Balance test, which is given in English.
As many as 38% of students in some Kennewick schools are English-language learners.
While it’s helpful to use Smarter Balance findings in conjunction with other data points to see how well schools are doing overall, Pierce said the testing data alone doesn’t tell the full story of how individual students are doing academically and how effective classroom instruction is.
Pasco was the only school district among the Tri-City “Big 3” to see year-over-year overall increases on the Smarter Balance and science tests.
A half-percentage point more in Pasco met English standards, 2 points more met math standards and nearly 1 point more met science standards.
“I think the challenge is it’s never just one thing,” said Carla Lobos, assistant superintendent of instructional services at Pasco. “When it comes to education and teaching, it’s complex. If it were easy, we would all do it and have the answers.”
Several variables contributed to the rise in students meeting grade level standards, Lobos said: A big push for “rigorous instruction” and social-emotional learning in the classroom, stronger support for multi-lingual learners and individualized instruction, a new K-5 literacy program roll out for both both general education and dual-language learners, and a focus on mathematics in secondary schools.
Lobos also said students, families and teachers are feeling happier and more optimistic this year with the worst of COVID in the rear-view mirror.
COVID learning loss
Tri-City school districts have already spent millions on tutoring, summer school classes and for extra staff to help address learning loss, and it’s expected that those spending efforts will continue in the coming years even as COVID-era federal dollars dry up.
One estimate from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab shows it would take more than $77 million in math and English tutoring for the Tri-Cities to make up for the time students spent away from in-person classrooms.
“We have to meet all of our students where they’re at and support them on an individual basis,” said Pasco School District spokesperson Anna Tensmeyer.
The schools that saw the largest year-over-year drop of students meeting standards in the Tri-Cities were on average smaller, whiter and alternative choice schools.
The sharpest declines for students meeting math standards:
Tapteal Elementary, Richland
Phoenix High School, Kennewick
Pacific Crest Online Academy, Richland
Orchard Elementary, Richland
Lincoln Elementary, Kennewick
The schools with the largest slide in English standards:
Legacy High School, Kennewick
Tapteal Elementary, Richland
Sunset View Elementary, Kennewick
Pacific Crest Online Academy, Richland
Amon Creek Elementary, Kennewick
‘Accelerated learning recovery’
OSPI says the statewide data shows an “accelerated learning recovery” in math in nearly all grades, as well as in English language arts in elementary schools.
The new scores show “diligent recovery and acceleration efforts by Washington’s students, educators and families.”
But the data also reflect opportunity gaps for students who are disabled, multi-lingual learners, low-income, homeless, or are Latino, Black or Native American.
About 60% of Tri-City students live in a low-income household, and nearly half identify as Hispanic or Latino.
“Some of our students faced persistent opportunity gaps which continue to be reflected in these data,” said Washington Superintendent Chris Reykdal in a statewide statement.
“Our schools, community partners and the state get better each year at targeting resources to the students who would benefit from additional supports, and in many communities, they are seeing their efforts make a difference,” he said.
Washington students continue to perform similar or better than students enrolled in public schools across the U.S., according to National Assessment of Educational Progress results.
The state’s eighth graders place in the top 15 states in the country for their math and reading abilities.
