Washington students’ test scores drop significantly

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington students took their first state exams last fall since the pandemic began and their scores dropped. The Seattle Times reports that between 2019 and 2021, the overall percentage of students who met state standards on the math portion of the exam fell by 20 percentage points. Just 30% of children — public school students enrolled in grades 4 through 11 — met standards in math. In English, the portion of kids who met the standard fell by 9 percentage points. State education officials cautioned against putting much stock in the numbers. But some outside observers said the scores could show where to direct resources.