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Testing Students in Washington State
Washington uses the grades 3-8 Measurements of Student Progress (MSP), the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) and End-of-Course (EOC) exams to test its students. The HSPE and EOCs are used as the state’s high school exit exams.
The name of the MSP, given to students in grades 3-8, conveys the goal of the test: to measure student progress.
This test measures the proficiency of students in high school and serves as the state’s exit exam for reading and writing.
Students in grades 7-12 began taking end-of-course math exams in spring 2011. In spring 2012, students will be offered an end-of-course exam in biology as the state’s science exam.
State Assessment Updates
for 2012
- Reading Assessment
- Mathematics Assessment
- Science Assessment
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About one percent of students participate in the Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS), a challenging program for students in special education.
In addition, the state translates its math and science exams into six languages (Spanish, Russian, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Somali). Students can listen to the test questions on a CD, but must answer in English. This covers about 80 percent of the English Language Learner (ELL) population in our state.
Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment (WELPA)
The WELPA annually assesses growth in English language development by the state’s English language learners. This assessment tests reading, writing, listening and speaking knowledge and skills.
Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) was given as the state assessment from spring 1997 to summer 2009. It was replaced by the MSP and HSPE.
View a state testing history timeline to see the years each subject was phased in at each grade level.
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