Students score well on basic skills test

Washington ninth-grade students once again earned higher marks than their peers nationally on an annual basic skills test.

The Iowa Test of Educational Development, also known as the ITED, measures skills in reading, mathematics and student abilities in language arts.

The state’s high school freshmen have taken the multiple-choice test since the spring of 2000.

This year, the average score in Washington was 57, which means students performed better than 57 percent of students nationally, according to test results released recently by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The national average was 50.

“We’re happy with the results,” said Kim Schmanke, OSPI spokesperson. “We focused on our state’s standards.”

No district scores 100 percent. The goal is to show consistency from year to year and gradual growth over time.

The average score of Mead students was 66, four points higher than last year. Central Valley was 63, down a point from last year.

Spokane Public Schools students’ average score was 57, which has remained consistent since the test has been given.

Nancy Stowell, Spokane Public Schools associate superintendent of teaching and learning services, said that while tests like the ITED help schools diagnose some weak areas in teaching, more effort has been spent in Spokane schools on preparing for another test.

“Our focus in our schools has been on preparation for the WASL,” Stowell said.

The ITED test is different than the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL, which is intended to measure how students are doing against a set of state standards. The ITED is a standardized national test.

WASL scores are expected to be released around Labor Day.

For more information on ITED scores posted by specific districts, check the OSPI Web site at http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us.