Major grant will assist early learning program in Washington.

OFFICE OF SUPPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION NEWS RELEASE -- Washington state continues to place near the top of the country in National Board Certified teachers.

Numbers released today by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards show that Washington has the second-most...more new NBCTs (945), behind only North Carolina, and is fourth overall in the total number of NBCTs (6,242).

“The National Board program is one of our most successful,” said Randy Dorn, state...

For the ninth consecutive year, Washington students’ average score on the three major SAT exams (reading, writing and math) was the highest in the nation .

Washington state education officials and Microsoft are teaming up to launch a new virtual academy to teach high school students computer and web-development skills.

Dorn announces major new partnership with Microsoft IT Academy. It will bring software and training to every Washington high school.

State officials say 364 middle schools will give Washington achievement tests online this spring.

Gov. Chris Gregoire has a long list of education reforms she wants the Legislature to approve to set Washington up to compete for federal Race to the Top dollars, including a plan to put experienced teachers back on probation after several years of poor evaluations.

They haven't found a single new dollar to pay for their ideas, but state lawmakers and education officials are pushing ahead with plans to start implementing education reform.

Results from last spring's statewide tests show Washington students are holding steady in their understanding of reading, writing and math, but their achievement is not high enough in many places to meet the federal government's requirements for adequate yearly progress.

The final scores from the statewide testing system known as the WASL indicate three quarters of the state's10th graders have passed. State Superintendent Randy Dorn says that's good news, but says he's alarmed by the resulting drop-out rate.

A test despised by a whole generation will be scrapped and streamlined. The state superintendent announced the newest details Thursday on the highly-touted replacement to the WASL.

While state lawmakers were debating plans to reform the state's education system, no one wanted to talk about how much the changes would cost and where the money would come from. They're talking now.