WASL scores are up, except where they’re down. SAT are scores down, except where they’re up. And once again the headlines read, “Results mixed.” For those seeking the solace of certitude, these are frustrating times.

Then again, the federal No Child Left Behind Act is rooted in uncertain soil. Federal law says that every child in the United States must be proficient in reading and math by 2014.

That’s crazy, and it’s making educators crazy. NCLB is up for reauthorization this year. Congress should either dump it or relocate it to the real world. In its current form, it appears that its ultimate purpose is to lower the boom, rather than raise the bar.

Nonetheless, it is a positive sign that states are trying to find ways to ensure that high school diplomas are meaningful. Washington state embarked on the accountability journey long before NCLB was launched. In a world that increasingly depends upon an educated work force, that trek must continue.

How are students doing? Well, just the fact that such a thing is being measured is a positive change.

This past week, scores from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning and the Scholastic Aptitude Test were released. WASL results show that it will be a long slog before an acceptable number of kids are brought to proficiency in math. About two-thirds of the Class of 2007 passed the math portion, which is why that requirement has been pushed back to 2012. About 92 percent have passed reading and writing.

Meanwhile, SAT scores for graduating seniors were down in Washington state, including the lowest math scores in six years and the lowest reading scores in 13 years. But those scores still placed the state atop the rankings for states where at least 30 percent of the students take the test.

One explanation for the decline in scores is that more students than ever are taking the test, which means an increasing number of kids are considering college, not just the intellectual elite. Nationally, a record 39 percent of students taking the SAT were minorities.

It’s a case of a positive development dragging down scores. And to complicate matters more, American College Testing scores were up in Washington state for the fourth consecutive year.

These seemingly contradictory data are enough to give any analyst a headache, but the important point is that educators are focused as never before on improvement.

That spotlight has revealed the deficiency in math, which is being met with changes in curriculum, more required classes and training for teachers.

It is unrealistic to expect immediate results from those changes, but because accountability is now an entrenched value in education, the future holds promise.