The Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP) is a maturing and stable program. In 2016-17 it included: (1) Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and math for students in grades 3-8 and high school; (2) Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) in science for grades 5 and 8; (3) End-of-Course exams in math and…

Writing about the teaching artist practice should mean writing about art making. As both teacher and artist, the authors are required to be cognizant of their own art-making processes, both how it works and why it is important to them, in order to make this process visible to their students. They also need the same skills to write about how and…

This article describes a curriculum project designed to create opportunities for transformative educational experiences in relation to democratic and social justice ideals. The project used an empowering interactive art form, Forum Theatre, to explore the topic of bullying. Through the development of Forum Theatre scenes by eighth grade students…

When the author offered the option of writing an article for "Voices from the Middle" to her seventh- and eighth-grade language arts classes, some students were unwavering in their preference to stay on the steady, familiar ground of writing a letter to a peer about a book they had read and loved. Noah McCord, Tobin Feldman-Fitzthum, and…

This report is in response to the requirement of RCW 28A.150.550 that the State Board of Education, with assistance from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (WTECB), the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC), and the Washington…

This paper profiles Washington's test score trends through 2008-09. Between 2005 and 2009, the percentages of students reaching the proficient level on the state test and the basic level on NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) decreased in grade 4 reading. In grade 4 math, the percentage scoring proficient on the state test decreased…

This paper profiles Washington's test score trends through 2008-09. Three years of comparable mean scale score data were not available from the state. In 2004, 77% of non-Title I 4th graders and 60% of Title I 4th graders scored at the proficient level on the state reading test. In 2009, 75% of non-Title I 4th graders and 61% of Title I 4th…

The 2007 Hawai'i State Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 118 S.D.1 HD 1 Improving the Community's Understanding of the Department of Education's Programs and School Expenses Including a Comparison with Other States on Adequacy of Funds. Among the requests contained in the resolution were the following: "Be it further resolved…

This report provides a summary for the years 1993 through 1997 of district and school-level results in Washington on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, fourth edition (CTBS/4) for grades 4 and 8 and the Curriculum Frameworks Assessment System (CFAS) for grade 11. For grades 4 and 8, the average national percentile scores in reading,…