Slightly more than half (56.4 percent) of the Highline district's high school seniors have passed required state tests and are on track with class credits to graduate this spring.

However, 84 percent have passed both the reading and writing sections of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) and would qualify to graduate if they accumulate enough class credits in their senior year.

This year's seniors are the first class that is required to pass both portions of the WASL to graduate.

The requirement to pass the math WASL has been postponed, but those who did not meet math state standards must pass a senior math class.

A credit is earned by successful completion of a school year long class. The district requires 23 credits in a broad range of subjects to graduate.

Students who have not earned 17 credits before beginning their senior year are not considered on track with credits, Alan Spicciati, district accountability director, told school board members at a study session Sept. 12.

Spicciati did not present figures on how many students may be just a few credits behind.

According to district statistics, 16.4 percent of seniors are behind in credits and have not passed the WASL, 16.7 percent are behind in credits but passed the WASL and 10.5 percent are on track with credits but did not pass the WASL.

The district's four large high schools have broken into smaller learning communities to provide a more personalized education. District officials say this approach should result in higher academic achievement and fewer dropouts.

The Evergreen High campus in North Highline began three small schools with separate principals when classes resumed this month.

Highline in Burien and Mt. Rainier in Des Moines also assign students to small academies but retain one principal for each school, where students may cross over to take classes in other academies.

SeaTac's Tyee split into three small schools two years ago.

In Tyee's tenth-grade WASL reading results, scores went down in the smaller ACE and Global schools between 2006 and 2007 while Odyssey's went up.

All three learning communities improved in writing but declined in math.

ACE and Odyssey declined slightly in science while Global improved.

Under provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Tyee did not make adequate yearly progress and is considered to be in step 4 of improvement status.

Because district high schools do not receive federal Title I funds, they do not face sanctions.

Spicciati also presented to board members an overall look at district WASL results.

"The bottom line is we made progress in every subject but there is a long way to go," he declared.

Students in grades three through eight and grade 10 took the state tests in the spring.

In reading, 64.4 percent met state standards, up from 63 percent in 2006.

Writing scores improved with 64.3 percent meeting state standards compared to 58.2 percent the previous year.

In math, 43.2 percent passed in 2007 and 39.9 percent passed in 2006.

For science, 27.2 percent met standards, up from 24.2 percent.

Over the eight years the WASL has been administered, there has been a "tremendous change" in district scores, according to Spicciati.

The perception is that only high-poverty schools have been getting better, while all district schools have improved, he said.

"We have sharpened our game," Spicciati added.