Mrs. Connie Mott
Academic and Career testing

Academic and Career Testing

“The state-level WASL assessments require students to both select and create answers to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and understanding in each of the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs)--from multiple-choice and short-answer questions to more extended responses, essays, and problem solving tasks.” (OSPI website).  

The WASL is a very important test. Students take variations of this test at almost every grade level and the 10^th grade WASL must be passed before a student graduates from high school.

 All Horizon students will take two or more WASL tests during a three week period from mid April to early May. Our 6th, 7^th and 8^th graders will be tested in reading and math, 8^th graders will also be tested in science and 7^th graders in writing.

Horizon students have traditionally done very well on the WASL. The WASL is scored in 2 ways. You get a number which represents the number of correct answers. You also are scored in 1 of 4 levels. Level 1 & 2 are below mastery; level 3 meets mastery and  level 4 excides mastery. Last year Horizon’s 7th graders scored over 19% higher than the Washington state average. In math, Horizon scored over 21% better than across the state and in writing we were over 22% higher.  Three of our students received perfect scores in two of the three areas.

Other testing includes the Gates McGinite and STAR reading assessments which are given to all students. Sixth graders will also be assessed in math to determine the appropriate seventh grade math class for them.

All eighth graders will be given a career interest inventory and will participate with Mrs. Mott in a unit that explores careers and academic requirements for high school graduation and classes needed to enter a four year college. We will start a document which the state calls High School and beyond. The students will look at classes they may take in high school and consider options for the year after high school.  Students will follow this unit with a project in their language arts class where they will further explore a specific career. Parents will see the result of this project at the student lead conferences in May.