Washington state seniors do not have to reach the “college readiness” cutoff score on the Smarter Balanced test in order to earn their diplomas.
The state board of education voted this month to set the cutoff scores in the top third of level 2 on the four-level common-core-aligned test, The Seattle Times reported. To be considered ready for credit-bearing college work, students should score at level 3 or 4.
Washington is one of the few states that are making graduation contingent on passing the Smarter Balanced or PARCC exams, although many states’ policies on exit exams are currently in flux. No state has yet decided to require students to score at the college-readiness level to graduate.
