Pioneer School students ace state test

Students at the Pioneer School mean business when it comes to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

The nine fourth-graders at the small Spokane Valley private school who took the test this spring passed in all areas, and four of the students had a perfect score in writing.

“We are proud of our fourth-graders,” said Betty Burley-Wolf, the school’s director. “This is the sixth year we’ve taken the test, and every year they are outstanding.”

All nine students passed in reading, and 89 percent passed in math and writing.

The test score is based on a 12-point system. Nine is required to pass, a 12 is perfect, Burley-Wolf said. Four of the nine Pioneer students scored a 12 in writing.

Pioneer school is a nonsectarian school with grades kindergarten through five, and costs $5,500 a year to attend. Private schools are not required by the state to take the WASL, but Burley-Wolf said the exam is a good measure for parents to see their child’s academic performance.

It’s also used as a tool for students who enter the public school sector after they leave the fifth grade at Pioneer. The WASL is given again in the seventh and 10th grades in public school.

“It’s not really fair if they didn’t take it as a fourth-grader, and then have to take it as a seventh-grader,” Burley-Wolf said.

— Sara Leaming