LWSD students outperform state averages on state assessments

Students continue to score well above state averages.

September 30, 2019 8:30 am
LWSD students outperform state averages on state assessments

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students continue to score above the state average in all areas tested by the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA).

“Our students continue to achieve at high levels and we celebrate the hard work of teachers and students as we review these indicators,” LWSD Superintendent Dr. Jane Stavem said in a press release. “However, we also know we continue to have persistent achievement gaps that require a laser-like focus on the ways we support all students to do their best learning.”

Students in grades 3-8 and in grade 10 took the SBA in English language arts (ELA) and math. Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 also took the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).

In ELA, the percent of LWSD students meeting the new standards ranged from 80.8 percent in fourth grade to a high of 88.7 percent in 10th grade, according to the release. At the state level, the percent of students meeting the standard in ELA ranged from 55.4 percent in grade three to a high of 69.7 percent in grade 10.

In grades 3-8 math, the percent of LWSD students meeting the standard ranged from 71.3 percent in 10th grade to a high of 81.6 percent in third grade, the release states. At the state level, the percent of students meeting the standard ranged from 40.2 percent in grade 10 to 58 percent in grade three.

In LWSD, 81.7 percent of fifth grade students met the science standard in 2019, according to the release. This is slightly lower than the 82 percent of fifth grade students who met the science standard in 2018. At the state level, 53.2 percent of fifth graders met the state science standard. In eighth grade science, 77.6 percent of LWSD students met the standard. At the state level, 51.6 percent of eighth graders met the state science standard.

Similar to the state, the district is seeing gaps in subject areas, in race and ethnicity and in poverty, the release states. District officials are analyzing these gaps to determine how they can target those areas and provide additional support, according to the release.

“Lake Washington performs well above the state averages, and our goal is to continue increasing the achievement of all students while closing the achievement gap,” Stavem said in the release.