Dear HSD Families:
Each spring, students in grades 3-8 and 10 take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) and students in grades 5, 8, and 11 take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).
September 10, our state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released Spring 2025 achievement data. This is a valuable measure of academic progress for students and families, and an important tool that helps our educators best support the success of every Hockinson student.
How did Hockinson students do overall?
We’re pleased that, as in past years, our students ranked among the top scores in Clark County. Hockinson School District students outperformed state averages in 6 of the 7 grade levels tested in English Language Arts (ELA), 6 of the 7 grade levels tested in Math and all grade levels in Science.
A Few Highlights
98.8% of HHES students participated in the SBA, which is exceptional. This means only 1.2% of HHES tests counted as zeroes. Thank you, families, for helping your student get ready for success on the SBA!
At 8th grade, 68.8% of HSD students met or exceeded standard in Math, 79% in ELA, and 66% in Science, which means this group of students surpassed state averages by 33.3% points in Math, 30.5% points in ELA, and 24% points in Science!
Our 10th grade students exceeded state averages by 21% points in Math and 22% points in ELA. HHS students exceeded the state standard in Science, which is tested in the 11th grade, by 12% points.
Areas of Growth and Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Our 2025 elementary results in Math and ELA were closer to state averages. We are committed to helping every student learn at high levels, and that starts with our youngest learners building strong foundational skills. We are strengthening our instructional practices and curricular materials in three key ways:
New K-5 ELA program focused on foundational handwriting, phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, and comprehension skills using these resources:
Handwriting Without Tears
Heggerty
UFli Foundations
Words Their Way
New K-5 Math curriculum: Our new, curiosity-driven math curriculum teaches students to apply math skills in real-world contexts. This curriculum, along with ELA materials, were purchased with local EP&O levy funds.
Regular testing for student growth: HHES has created an assessment calendar to provide teachers with baseline learning levels and brief snapshots of student progress throughout the school year so they can tailor support to individual student needs.
When to Expect your Student’s SBA Scores
Parents can view a composite report of the HSD’s 2025 SBA and WCAS results on the OSPI website here.
If your child participated in state standardized tests last year, you can expect your student to bring home a detailed individual score report in October. Student scores will be viewable in Skyward Family Access in mid-November.
Looking Ahead and Climbing Upward Together
I wish I could convey to you how hard our students are working every day to learn and grow. The same holds true for our staff. School leaders, teachers and I will all be analyzing these assessment results in the weeks ahead to improve our service to your students. It is these insights that will help us to advancing Goal 1 of our Upward Together campaign:
"Aligned and effective teaching practices that promote a high level of student learning and achievement."
Finally, we understand that assessments are one part of our students' educational experience. As indicated by Goals 2 and 3:
"Safe, welcoming, and positive learning environments that support high academic and behavior expectations for all."
"Everyone working together to lift Hockinson's students and schools to new heights."
we are committed in the HSD to supporting the whole child through not only quality instruction, but through school safety, relationships, and positive school cultures. I am so appreciative that we aren’t alone in these commitments. On behalf of our School Board and entire HSD team, thank you for your partnership in helping our students reach their full potential.
Sincerely,
Steve Marshall