Reference

Metrics Guide

A plain-English index of every metric used on the maps and explorer, organized by school level. Includes calculation formulas, sample SBAC questions, color bands, and the main interpretation traps to avoid.

SBAC = Smarter Balanced Assessment, Washington's statewide ELA + Math test (grades 3-8 and 10). The simplest comparable score across schools.

% meeting standard = share of expected test-takers scoring at or above grade level. Level 4 = the top achievement band; more discriminating where most students already meet standard.

3-year averages are used by default to smooth small-cohort year-to-year noise.

Demographics (low income, English learner, highly capable) are context for interpreting raw scores — not a quality judgment.

Elementary metrics

Grades K-5

Testing only starts in 3rd grade. Early-elementary quality is inferred from later test scores plus context.

SBAC ELA + Math (3yr combined)

The default elementary headline. Average of the school's 3-year ELA meeting-standard percentage and 3-year math meeting-standard percentage across grades 3-5.

combined_ela_math_3yr_pct

SBAC ELA + Math (2024-25)

Same idea but only the most recent year. More current, but a single year can swing more at small schools.

combined_ela_math_2024_25_pct

ELA / Math (3yr each)

Subject-specific 3-year SBAC meeting-standard rates for grades 3-5. Helpful when a school has a strong imbalance between reading/writing and math.

ela_met_standard_3yr_pct, math_met_standard_3yr_pct

WaKIDS readiness — all 6 domains

Share of kindergartners ready in all six WaKIDS domains: social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, and math. Observational, not a test.

wakids_ready_6_domains_pct

Middle metrics

Grades 6-8

Adds advanced (Level 4) achievement, science, growth, and attendance.

SBAC ELA + Math (3yr meeting std)

Same metric as elementary but using grades 6-8.

combined_ela_math_3yr_pct

Level 4 advanced (3yr)

Share of students in the top achievement band. More discriminating than meeting-standard at strong schools where most students already meet standard.

combined_ela_math_level4_3yr_pct

WCAS Science meeting std (grade 8)

Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science. Levels 3 + 4 combined are "meeting standard."

science_met_standard_3yr_pct

WCAS Science Level 4 (grade 8)

Top WCAS performance band; OSPI scale score 765+ at grade 8.

science_level4_3yr_pct

Median student growth percentile (SGP)

Growth between consecutive years compared with academically similar students statewide. 50 = typical statewide growth. Higher = faster growth. Independent of starting score.

growth_combined_median_sgp, growth_ela_median_sgp, growth_math_median_sgp

Regular attendance

Share of students attending ≥ 90% of school days during 2024-25 (OSPI SQSS). Covers all grades present at the school.

regular_attendance_all_grades_pct

High metrics

Grades 9-12

The richest data set — academic, engagement, graduation, and postsecondary outcomes.

SBAC ELA + Math (3yr)

Grade 10 only at the high-school level.

combined_ela_math_3yr_pct

Level 4 advanced (3yr)

Grade 10 top achievement band.

combined_ela_math_level4_3yr_pct

WCAS Science (grade 11)

Meeting standard plus Level 4 (top band, scale score 791+).

science_met_standard_3yr_pct, science_level4_3yr_pct

9th grade on track

Share of 9th graders who earned at least one credit in each core area. Strong predictor of on-time graduation.

ninth_grade_on_track_pct

Dual credit (any)

Share of high-school students earning dual credit (AP, IB, College in the High School, Cambridge, CTE, or Running Start). Subtotals are reported separately.

dual_credit_all_grades_pct, dual_credit_ap_course_pct, ...

Graduation rate (4 / 5 / 6 / 7-year)

Cohort graduation rates: percent of an entering 9th-grade cohort that graduated within N years. 5-year is more stable than 4-year for some cohorts.

four_year_graduation_rate, five_year_graduation_rate

First-year college enrollment

Percent of high-school graduates enrolled in any 2-year or 4-year postsecondary program in their first year out. From OSPI's High School Graduate Outcomes datasets.

postsecondary_first_year_any_enrollment_pct

Persistence to year 2 (4-year)

Share of 4-year college enrollees still enrolled in their second year. A signal of college readiness, not just access.

postsecondary_4yr_persisted_pct

Cross-level metrics

All levels

Low-income enrollment

Share of enrolled students identified as low income in OSPI enrollment data. Context for interpreting raw scores — schools serving more low-income students tend to have lower raw SBAC rates without that meaning the school is worse.

low_income_pct

English learner enrollment

Share of enrolled students identified as English language learners. Like low-income share, this is interpretation context.

english_learner_pct

Highly capable enrollment

Share enrolled in highly-capable programming. Schools above ~50% are flagged with a program note because they aren't directly comparable to ordinary neighborhood schools.

highly_capable_pct

Students with disabilities

Share of enrolled students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan, where reported.

students_with_disabilities_pct

Color bands

Map & explorer

Most meeting-standard metrics use these bands. Metrics with naturally lower distributions (Level 4, growth SGP, postsecondary) use adjusted bands shown in each map's legend.

85+Strong
75-84High
60-74Mixed
below 60Lower

For demographic context (low income, English learner) the direction is inverted — lower percentages render green. That's only a reminder that raw test-score comparisons need context, not a value judgment about students.

Sample SBAC questions

What's actually on the test?

Live operational items are secure, but Smarter Balanced publishes practice tests, scoring guides, and sample items.

Literary passage with evidence (Grade 3 ELA)

Grade 3ELA
Students read a short story and answer questions that ask them to support an inference, determine word meaning from context, and connect details to a conclusion.

Grade 3 ELA practice test scoring guide

Recycling contest data table (Grade 3 Math)

Grade 3MathPerformance
Students use a recycling contest table to compare daily totals, determine which grade won, justify the winner with words and numbers, and reason about how another grade could still win after starting late.

Going Green performance task

Clay pottery planning (Grade 5 Math)

Grade 5MathFractions
Students compare how much clay different projects require, subtract fractional amounts, calculate how many one-pound clay blocks are needed, and design a plan under constraints.

Clay Pottery performance task

Practice tests & sample items

All grades

Practice tests run end-to-end like the real exam. Sample items let you filter by grade, subject, and item type without taking a full test.

Practice tests · Sample items

How meeting-standard is calculated

meeting-standard % = students meeting grade-level standard / students expected to test

For 2022-23 and 2023-24 the numerator is OSPI's Count Consistent Grade Level Knowledge And Above; for 2024-25 it's the equivalent Count Consistent Grade Level. Denominator is Count of Students Expected to Test. 3-year combined means the average of (3-year ELA) and (3-year Math). Weighted variants combine by tested-student denominator.

Important caveats

Testing starts in grade 3

There is no SBAC for K-2, so early-elementary instructional quality is inferred indirectly through 3rd grade results.

Raw scores track demographics

Income, language, disability status, and parent education shape raw proficiency. Use scores with context, not in isolation.

Small cohorts are noisy

A small grade can move a school's percentage substantially from year to year. 3-year averages help.

Suppression and missing data

OSPI may suppress or omit data for privacy or quality reasons. Empty fields are not zero.

Highly-capable program concentration

Schools with very high HC enrollment are flagged because they aren't directly comparable to neighborhood schools.

WaKIDS is observational

An entering-K readiness measure based on teacher observation, not a 3rd-5th grade academic assessment.

Sources