Orcas middle and high-school students may be seeing more standardized tests in the future.

Currently, students see their first timed and nationally standardized test in the 10th grade, the pre-ACT (PLAN) test, while 11th graders are offered the pre-SAT (PSAT) test. The ACT and SAT are today’s standards for most college entrance requirements, while the PSAT is the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship competition. As it stands now, only a few exceptional seventh and eighth grade students qualify to take the SAT early, as part of the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program.

So most families are unaware of how students’ test scores stack up to national averages until they hit their first national standardized tests in 10th grade, leaving them only a year or two to try and boost those scores. Principal Kyle Freeman and Principal/Superintendent Barbara Kline are considering bringing in nationally standardized testing earlier to help teachers and parents better prepare students prior to that fateful sophomore year. For the eighth and ninth graders, Kline and Freeman are considering using the Explore tests, created by the ACT company, and may discuss using similar tests for the fifth and sixth graders.

“We are one of the few schools that offer the PLAN,” said Kline.

She finds it a helpful assessment tool, but says, “we really want to get some national standard for the students to have experience with before they hit the PLAN test.”

2008-2009 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test results

Washington State Test Scores for 2008-2009

Grade Level: Reading Math

3rd grade 71.4% 66.3%

4th grade 73.6% 52.3%

5th grade 74.0% 61.9%

6th grade 72.0% 50.9%

7th grade 59.3% 51.8%

8th grade 67.5% 50.8%

10th grade 81.2% 45.4%

Orcas Schools Test Scores for 2008-2009

Grade Level Reading Math Writing Science

3rd grade 73.1% 69.2%

7th grade 77.3% 59.1% 81.0%

8th grade 84.8% 78.3% 63.0%

10th grade 85.4% 48.6% 90.7% 48.8%

“Compared to the state scores, we did well. We had a low score in math largely because we were missing a lot of students in Italy due to the World Travel Club trip (the AP European class),” said Kline. She believes student motivation plays a large factor in determining WASL scores. Kline said that when the tests became mandatory for graduation, scores went up and stayed high. There was also a jump in scores when the state government was promising the possibility of scholarships for scores of 4 or higher, she said.

WASL scores gave Orcas a boost in the US News and World Report’s 2010 Best High Schools Program, helping Orcas High School earn bronze medal distinction.

The old WASL test will soon be exchanged for new tests called the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) and the Measures of Student Progress (MSP). The tests have been reformatted, shortened, and adjusted to fit new state math standards.