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Reykdal: test scores often misread; attendance and dual-credit gains show recovery but math lags
Summary
OSPI Superintendent Chris Reykdal said Smarter Balanced scores are widely misinterpreted, reported higher grade-level benchmarks (about 70% math, 75% ELA), noted enrollment recovery and attendance nearing pre-pandemic levels, and flagged mathematics and chronic absenteeism as continuing concerns.
Chris Reykdal said the Smarter Balanced assessment is not a pass/fail instrument and warned against misreading its levels: "A 2 for too long has been considered failing... A 2 is grade level progress," he said, and asserted the state is "more like 70 percent of students in math and 75 percent of ELA at grade level." He urged reporters to consult Smarter Balanced experts for accurate interpretation.
Reykdal highlighted strong dual-credit participation, saying Washington has one of the most robust dual-credit systems in the country, which supports students taking college-level work while in high school. He also pointed to recovery in enrollments since the pandemic but said long-term flattening is likely due to lower birth rates.
On attendance, Reykdal said average weekly attendance by December was "very, very close to pre pandemic levels" but cautioned chronic absenteeism remains high under the state's 18-day threshold (excused or unexcused). He recommended early-warning interventions and emphasized that some recent absences are health-related and appropriate.
The superintendent named mathematics as the area of greatest concern and urged renewed emphasis on earlier math coursework (including access to Algebra I by eighth grade) and investments to support math learning.
