Spring 2022 standardized test scores in Clark County public school districts reflected similar trends as schools across the country and state: Schools are struggling to recoup learning losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The good news, however, is that Washington schools are displaying slight increases in English language arts and math proficiency levels on state standardized tests, known as the Smarter Balance Assessment, since the last round of testing in fall 2021.
That round, teachers and administrators in local districts said earlier this year, might have contributed to skewed results, as tests are typically conducted in the spring at the end of the calendar year. By conducting them in the fall, they said, the testing schedule conflicted with teachers’ ability to get to know their students as they usually do at the beginning of each school year.
Compared with the last round of standardized tests conducted in spring 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington still lags by about 9 percentage points in English language arts, 10 percentage points in math and 4 percentage points in science.
Coming Friday
How some Clark County districts are taking steps
to address lagging test scores.
Grades three through eight and 10 take the Smarter Balanced Assessments in English and math. Grades five, eight and 11 are tested in science through what’s called the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science.
How does Clark County stack up?
From Ridgefield to Vancouver to Camas, spring 2022 test scores in Clark County showed mixed results.
In Evergreen Public Schools, the region’s largest school district, 38.5 percent of students met proficiency standards in English, amounting to a marginal decrease of 0.7 percentage points from fall 2021. In math, 25 percent of students met standards, an increase of 4.5 percentage points from fall 2021. Lastly, 35.6 percent of students met standards in science, a decrease of 9.9 percentage points from fall 2021. The discipline had previously been the highest-performing subject for Evergreen.
In Vancouver Public Schools, 42.3 percent of students met proficiency standards in English, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points from fall 2021. In math, 29.4 percent of students met standards for an increase of 3.6 percentage points from fall 2021. Lastly, 39.7 percent of students met standards in science, marking a decrease of 10.8 percentage points from fall 2021. Science had also been the highest-performing subject for Vancouver last year.
Students in Battle Ground Public Schools saw improvement across the board this spring, with 53.8 percent of students meeting proficiency standards in English for an increase of 4.2 percentage points from fall 2021. In math, 38.4 percent of students met standards for an increase of 7.8 percentage points from fall 2021. Lastly, 49.1 percent of students met standards in science, an increase of 1.6 percentage points from fall 2021.
In the Camas School District, 74.9 percent of students met proficiency standards in English, an increase of 4.6 percentage points from fall 2021. In math, 64.6 percent of students met standards, another steep increase of 10.2 percentage points from fall 2021. Lastly, 69.7 percent of students met standards in science, a decrease of 3.3 percentage points from fall 2021.
In the Ridgefield School District, 61.9 percent of students met proficiency standards in English for a slight increase of 0.5 percentage points from fall 2021. In math, 47.8 percent of students met standards, an increase of 7.8 percentage points from fall 2021. And, 49.3 percent of students met standards in science, a sharp decrease of 12.3 percentage points from fall 2021.
With scores now available to school leadership teams, some districts are taking action to remedy learning loss and closing the achievement gap between white students and students of color.
The Columbian will report in the coming days on how some districts are using federal funds to launch after-school and summertime tutoring programs, as well as how one district — Evergreen Public Schools — has already begun a months-long process of uniting its leadership team with school teachers to get better data on where students need help most.
