By Brenda Sexton-The Courier-Herald

Plateau-area school officials are busy wading through their students' recently released Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test scores. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released the results of this spring's battery of tests Thursday and at first blush area education leaders are, like many across the state, for the most part pleased with reading and writing scores, but still see room for improvement in math and science.

Both the Enumclaw and White River districts are planning a presentation at an upcoming school board meeting and parents can expect to see their child's results arriving in the mail this month.

As a whole, each district was celebrating the increases and puzzling over the dips.

&#8220I think there's some good things the more I look at them,” said Terry Parker, Enumclaw School District director of curriculum and assessment.

Enumclaw's third-grade students saw their highest scores in history in reading and math and Parker said the district's emphasis on writing showed in test scores.

He said the district also saw improvement in its science scores and attributes the rise to its recently adopted elementary curriculum. Parker is hoping for similar results at the secondary level since its science curriculum adoption took place this summer.

He said the district is pleased, but also sees the challenges in math and science that lie ahead. In January, OSPI is expected to unveil revised mathematics standards for all grade levels.

&#8220We still have a long way to go,” Parker said. &#8220Mathematics must be the highest learning priority in our district.”

The district is anxious about this year's fourth-grade scores. The group of students who started fourth grade Aug. 28 represent the district's first full-day kindergarten class.

Across the river in Buckley, it was a similar mixed bag of emotion.

&#8220We saw some good jumps,” said Mike Jacobsen, Parker's counterpart for the White River School District. &#8220We as a staff, as a school district and as a community should feel good about that. It's motivation to continue the hard work.”

White River sees a number of areas of improvement, especially in fourth grade, sixth-grade math and science and eighth-grade reading and math. Jacobsen said the district's formation of Professional Learning Communities, which gives teachers the opportunity to collaborate and analyze student work, is paying off.

&#8220We know we can be much better than we are and we're committed to get White River there,” Jacobsen said. &#8220We're excited.”

White River's Collins Alternative Programs once again did not meet annual yearly progress (AYP) as outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind program. And again this year White River leaders asked for a waiver from OSPI for Collins Alternative Programs since more than 50 percent of its students come from outside the White River School District. Collins Alternative Programs draws its student base from the Enumclaw, White River, Orting and Sumner school districts.

Collins Alternative Programs did not make AYP and is considered Step 3 status, which would mean it could lose certain federal funds. But since Collins doesn't receive those funds, the only consequence it faces is a mandate to notify parents of its status so they have the option to send children elsewhere. This doesn't have much bearing either, Jacobsen pointed out, since it's already a choice school.

Carbonado Historical School District Superintendent Scott Hubbard was singing the praises of being small and also noting the trials of being a kindergarten through eighth-grade district of 175 students.

&#8220One of the positive things for our school is we hardly ever have anyone in a Level 1 reading,” he said.

Another advantage is teachers are able to look at and cater to every individual student's needs.

&#8220We look at the strengths and weaknesses for all kids,” Hubbard said. &#8220That's what's nice about a small school.”

&#8220We look at the individuals. We always know we can improve.”

The disadvantage comes when there are 14 to 25 students in each grade level; the performance of one or two students can greatly swing test scores.

But Hubbard is excited about a reading intervention program and a math program the district has started to help students. And, like his big-district counterparts, he's wondering what the state's revised math standards will mean to his district.

Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@courierherald.com.