But, like Dorn, many observers expressed concern about continuing gaps in performance among differen

In a news conference queensgate hotel london Monday, he stressed that students have made a lot of progress over the past decade, and could make even bigger gains if state lawmakers, as ordered by the Washington Supreme Court, continue to raise the amount the state spends on public schools.
All public-school students in Washington take state tests each spring. queensgate hotel london Reading and math exams are given in grades 3-8. Students in grades 4, 7 and 10 take writing exams, and those in grades 5 and 8 take science tests, too. In high school, there also is a 10th-grade reading test and end-of-course exams in algebra, geometry and biology.
This is the third year for the latest queensgate hotel london version of the tests and they soon will be replaced, too. Plans call for phasing in a new set of exams tied to a new set of learning standards known as the Common Core. Washington is among the states that have pledged to use those new standards, which cover reading and math.
The biggest score increase this year was in seventh-grade math, where 63.7 percent of students passed, up 4.5 percentage points from last year. The biggest drop was in seventh-grade queensgate hotel london reading, with 68.7 percent of students passing, down 2.5 percentage points from 2012.
Counting students who made it to their senior year, about 90 percent passed the required reading, writing and math exams, or alternatives. But Dorn also noted that number excludes about 3,000 students who dropped out earlier in high school.
As usual, this year s results varied by school and district. Seattle Public Schools, for example, continued to beat the state average in nearly queensgate hotel london all grades and subjects, and to increase its lead in many areas, especially eighth-grade math and sixth-grade reading.
One of the bright spots was Rainier Beach High School, where the reading passage rate for 10th-graders shot up more than 16 percentage points, which principal Dwayne Chappelle attributed in part to the fact the school has been preparing to implement the demanding International Baccalaureate (IB) program when school starts next week.
The performance of students in Southeast Seattle also improved more than that of students in other parts of the city. Superintendent Jos Banda attributed the improvement to a combination of factors from leadership to a concerted effort in many schools to analyze students weaknesses and get them the help they need.
In third-grade queensgate hotel london reading, queensgate hotel london the Tukwila School District had one of the biggest gains across the state, its passage rate increasing by about 20 percentage points. It was one of the leaders in third-grade math as well.
Some say the lackluster scores statewide were no surprise. Dorn even went as far as to say that holding scores steady could be seen as good news, given that state per-pupil spending has declined in recent years.
But, like Dorn, many observers expressed concern about continuing gaps in performance among different ethnic groups. queensgate hotel london In general, African-American, Latino and Native American students lag far behind their white and Asian classmates.
Others say they expect to see bigger gains soon, given that state lawmakers this year voted to make a significant increase in education spending, queensgate hotel london and soon likely will have to add even more to satisfy the state Supreme Court, which has ruled the state has not lived up to its constitutional duty to adequately fund public education.