YAKIMA, Wash. -- Test results for Yakima Valley students in reading, writing and math show mixed results this year, mirroring statewide scores.

Figures released Tuesday from two new state tests that replaced the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) show some gains in math, ups and downs in reading and a flatline in writing.

"I'll come right out and say it: Compared to '09, scores are mixed," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn said during a news conference in Olympia Tuesday morning.

That was to be expected, he said, following the move to the new exams as well as the switch to online testing in some grade levels. The two new standardized tests -- Measurements of Student Progress and High School Proficiency Exam -- are said to be shorter, but still as rigorous as the former exam.

"This is a big transition year," he said. "It will be smoother next year ... I think we're on the right track."

In the Yakima School District -- the region's largest with more than 14,700 students -- results reflected the statewide trend.

"Where we were up, they were up. Where they were down, we were down," said Greg Day, the district's academic assessment director. "We had mixed results overall in math and science, reading and writing."

Tenth-grade writing scores for Yakima students showed slight improvement over last year's WASL. So did math scores for sixth-, seventh-, eighth- and 10th-graders.

"I think they weathered (the transition to the new assessment) better than the elementaries," Day said.

Day said he thought third-, fourth- and fifth-graders got tired during the reading portion of the new tests, a point echoed by other educators in the Valley.

Still, he said the latest round of scores represent a new starting point.

"We're really viewing this as a new baseline against which to measure future scores and achievement," Day said. "This is really kind of a start-over. We want to look forward and see where we can build."

But, he said, "We need to wait until next year or the following year to see what the trend is."

School districts around the Valley show similar slight bumps and dips.

Students in the Sunnyside School District, for example, showed gains in math for six of the seven grades measured.

Among seventh-graders, 45.8 percent met standards -- more than double last year.

Only 10th-graders lost ground in math scores, going from a 21 percent passage rate to 12 percent.

Administrators credited the improvements to a revised curriculum, the addition of math classes in the middle schools, and augmenting teacher training in math.

While scores increased, the district is still falling behind state averages.

"At Sunnyside, we're struggling to figure out what we need to do better to help our students succeed in math, and we don't have all the answers yet," said Eric Sylling, a district grant director and former assistant high school principal.

He cautioned against reading too much into this year's scores. The tests are new and it's difficult in education -- which relies heavily on statistics -- to know exactly what helps in just one year, he said.

Peter Finch, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in the West Valley School District, also expressed caution.

"You can't really compare last year's scores to this year's scores because this year's scores were based on new state standards for math," he said.

Like Sunnyside, West Valley showed small spikes in math scores for sixth-, seventh-, eighth- and 10th-graders. But they're still not where they need to be, Finch said.

"We compare to the state average, but overall the state is very low in math," he said. "We continue to focus on math."

According to Finch, test fatigue may have been a factor in reading scores, which went down slightly in fourth, fifth, seventh and 10th grades.

"From what we heard from teachers in the spring, even though the testing was reduced from two days to one day, the one day of testing was quite long," Finch said.

Five of the Zillah School District grades tested showed improvement in math. Only fifth-graders and 10th-graders dropped. And seventh-graders showed the biggest gain, going from 27 percent passing to 36 percent.

Reading scores dropped in five of the seven grades.

"We're up in areas and we're down in areas, and we seem to be saying that every single year," said Zillah Superintendent Kevin McKay, who noted the district has entered Step 1 of Adequate Yearly Progress, a federal matrix that measures district improvements.

Step 1 is the lowest level, in which few, if any, sanctions result under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

According to figures released Tuesday, 968 schools in Washington, or 46 percent, did not meet AYP this year. That's a decrease of 317 schools from last year.

McKay expressed frustration over the education system's complex web of measurement and assessment.

"It's taken on a tone where it's not about the individual student, it's about numbers and data and acronyms," he said.

Results for the MSP statewide show increases in reading in third, seventh and eighth grades and decreases in fourth, fifth and sixth grades from 2009.

Tenth-graders statewide saw slight decreases in math, reading and writing.

They also saw a small gain in science. According to Dorn, it wasn't enough.

"We're still at 55 percent of 10th-graders not passing in their first attempt, and that's with a score increase from 2009, he said about science scores in a Tuesday news release. "We must increase the hours we teach science in the lower grades if we are going to hold students accountable to a graduation requirement."

Dorn cited increased cuts in education funding -- particularly for programs aimed at helping struggling students, such as summer school -- as a factor in the ups and downs in the first round of results for the two new exams. About $1.9 billion in education funding was cut from the 2009-2011 biennium budget.

"We are facing a serious budget crisis in this state, but if we continue to cut education, the progress we've previously made will disappear."

On the web: To see your school's results, visit reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us

* Adriana Janovich can be reached at 509-577-7653 or ajanovich@yakimaherald.com.

* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.