WA Student Test Scores Latest ‘Victim’ Of Covid–Math Plummets

Not much mainstream media publicity was given to the shocking test scores.

OSPI Releases results of first tests given since Pandemic began

The latest standardized tests given to children across Washington state public schools since 2020 show some discouraging results.

According to an analysis by the Washington Policy Center, 70 percent of students (overall) failed to meet math standards, and 52 percent failed the ELA, or English Language Arts (the non-match portions of the test).

This includes Benton and Franklin Counties. These maps, courtesy of the WPC, show just how bad it's been. Red indicates failing, yellow is closer to passing, green levels are closer to meeting desired standards.

ELA and Math are depicted below.

According to WPC Education writer-reporter-researcher Liv Finne, the number of families who've had at least one child withdraw from the K-12 public school system is up to a staggering 41,000.   Finne reports that data from Running Start, community college enrollments, colleges, and universities show declining numbers.

This indicates students are likely giving up on goals and dreams of studying at the next level, perhaps in part due to struggling academically.

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Finne argues more assistance for family choices (including private and home schooling) is needed. One thing is for sure, the state's 'grand experiments' with distance and other alternative pandemic education have failed our students.

However, this is not a major surprise, even as far back as early fall 2020-spring 2021 some members of the Kennewick School Board noted the District was seeing its lowest student assessment test scores in District history.