Middle and elementary schools students in West Seattle who came close to passing the Washington Assessment of Student Learning last spring are enrolled in a new after-school program aimed at boosting their test scores.

The district's chief academic officer, Carla Santorno, initiated the program to assist fourth- and seventh-graders who scored just below standard in math and or reading, said Joanne Testa-Cross, who helped develop the district's pilot program.

Lafayette, Cooper, High Point, Gatewood, Sanislo, Highland Park and Roxhill elementary schools, as well as Madison Middle School have volunteered to participate in the program called Extended Classes for Extended Learning.

There are already a number of programs to help high school and primary school students who need remedial help in meeting state standards, but students close to passing are often overlooked for additional intervention, said Testa-Cross.

Targeted help for math and literacy at theses grade levels became even more important as results from the 2006 Washington Assessment of Student Learning showed drops in seventh-grade reading and math scores and fourth-grade math scores.

The program is funded through a statewide initiative meant to boost academic standards through smaller class sizes and is designed to assist students through "explicit, targeted instruction at their level of need," Testa-Cross said.

Districtwide, 37 schools have volunteered to participate and more than 800 students are taking advantage of the extra help. The classes are formal instruction hours taught by certified teachers and conducted beyond the school day.

Testa-Cross was quick to clarify that it's not a tutoring program, but an extension of the student's regular curriculum specifically geared toward meeting math and literacy standards.

The instruction includes tackling common problems students have with those subjects.

For example, many students fail to answer all parts of multi-part questions simply because they don't read the question carefully enough. Part of the classes focus on teaching students to mark off questions as they are answered.

"We're trying to get students to become more dexterous in taking tests in general," said Testa-Cross. "It teaches them to pay attention and you can do this."

Sometimes students will give examples from their own life when the question asks for an example from the text. Or they don't properly label times and dates. As minor as those errors may seem, they can mean the difference between passing the test or not, said Testa-Cross.

About 140 teachers were recruited from schools and trained in the curriculum that was developed in house. They meet regularly to discuss and assess student work and progress.

"That's really important that it's not just speculative," said Testa-Cross. "It's key because it gives (teachers) an accurate look."

If the program is successful, the district hopes to expand it to other kindergarten-through-eighth grade classes.

The classes are small, only about six to nine students in each. That's a huge advantage for the students and the teachers, said Victoria Foreman, principal of Sanislo Elementary School.

About 45 percent of Sanislo students come from poor families, one of the biggest predictors of test scores. Last year, nearly 85 percent of Sanislo fourth-graders met the state's standard for reading and about 65 percent passed the math portion, surpassing the district's average of 81 percent for reading and roughly 59 percent for math.

Though Sanislo fourth-graders are doing well in reading and the school has well-established interventions to support students in that subject. Math continues to stand as a higher barrier for many students, said Foreman.

"We decided to take advantage of (the program)," she said.

About 16 Sanislo students are enrolled in one-hour, after-school classes three days a week.

It makes for a long school day for the young students, up to eight hours, but students take snack breaks and are broken up into two small classes, said Foreman.

"There's lot of interaction," she said. "It's an interactive learning experience. They have fun, it's focused and purposeful but it's also enjoyable for the students."

Teachers say students are "engaged," "enthusiastic to share ideas" and seem to be "understanding their inner voice," said Testa-Cross.

"Our biggest frustration is time," she said. "We wish there were more time."

As education leaders fight to change the state's bleak education funding statistics, which rank Washington as 46th in the nation in class size and 42nd in per-pupil spending, the pressure on students to meet state standards isn't letting up.

But research supports this type of targeted instruction, said Testa-Cross.

"It can be very successful especially if you do frequent assessments along the way," she said.

Santorno referred Testa-Cross to a former colleague in Colorado who designed a similar program there. The results were a dramatic increase in the school test data, Testa-Cross said, and she's confident Seattle will see similar outcomes.

"It seems to be gaining momentum," she said.

Teachers have said the curriculum is "meaningful" and correlates well with the students' regular coursework, said Foreman.

"I'm very hopeful we'll see results, based on teacher and student responses at this point," she said.

Rebekah Schilperoort can be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com