90 percent of seniors passed state's graduation exams
Ninety percent of Washington's 12th graders have passed the statewide reading and writing tests that are a graduation requirement, state officials said.
The Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) — Ninety percent of Washington's 12th graders have passed the statewide reading and writing tests , and state officials said Wednesday this year's 10th and 11th graders appear to be on track toward similar results.
This spring, Washington's high school students made their first attempt at a different set of statewide tests called the High School Proficiency Exam. The tests are based on the same learning standards as the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, but are shorter and more focused.
Preliminary results for 10th graders, who took the test for the first time this spring, show that 78 percent passed reading and 84 percent passed writing. Just 43 percent of 10th graders passed the math exam.
Among 11th graders, 88 percent have passed reading, 90 percent have passed writing and 57 percent have passed math in two years of taking the exam.
Passing the reading and writing sections of the exam — or an alternative — is one the state's graduation requirements along with passing required classes, and completing a senior project.
Students can take the state exam multiple times — and some of the seniors passed just this spring.
If students fall short in math on the exam, they can still graduate if they continue to take and pass math