State ranks above average in WASL "proficiency" definition

Last week, the results of a national test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that Washington fourth- and eighth-graders score above average compared to their counterparts in other states.

This week, a new report shows Washington is again above average, this time in how it defines "proficiency" on its own tests, the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL.

A report released today by the Fordham Institute and the Northwest Evaluation Association says the WASL has a higher passing bar in reading and writing than the average in the 26 states examined. The exceptions were reading in grades 4, 5, and 8, where the WASL passing bar was below the 26-state average.

The report, called "The Proficiency Illusion," underscores the fact that proficiency in one state means something very different than it does in others — and sometimes from grade to grade within the same state.

"America is awash in achievement 'data,' " the report says, "yet the truth about our educational performance is far from transparent and trustworthy."

The news wasn't all good for Washington. The study also concludes that many state tests, including the WASL, are easier in elementary school than in middle school. In other words, a student who passes the third- or fourth-grade WASL in math isn't necessarily on track to pass math in grade 8.

In addition, Washington was among the states where the math exams are harder to pass than the ones for reading, according to the study's authors.

The authors are quick to point out, however, that they aren't trying to say math tests need to get easier, or reading tests harder. Other studies, which have focused on the content of Washington's math test, have concluded that the math WASL is too easy. One of those studies is now being used as the basis for revising Washington's learning standards in math. A draft of those revisions is expected to be available in December.

The Fordham Institute is headed by Chester Finn, Jr., a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a former assistant secretary of education under President Ronald Reagan. The Northwest Evaluation Association is a nonprofit organization based in Oregon.

The full study, including an explanation of its methodology, can be found at www.edexcellence.net. The methodology generally involves comparing the performance of students on state tests and the "Measures of Academic Progress," or MAP, developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association.

Linda Shaw: 206-464-2359 or lshaw@seattletimes.com