Ginger Olsen, testing and accountability director for the Nye County School District, recently reported the results of writing tests given to fifth and eighth graders.

At the grade-school level, the test is scored based on five different factors, and each is scored on a scale of one to five. A sum of 12 is a passing score.

The high school writing proficiency test is scored based on the paper as a whole, but graders do consider the factors assessed at the grade-school level.

Olsen said the district has a pretty good record when it comes to the writing tests.

She said about three or four fifth graders of every 10 pass the test, consistent with the statewide average, and about half of the eighth graders pass.

"By the time they get to 11th grade, when it really counts, you have about eight out of 10 passing. And then of this current group of seniors, nine out of 10 passed," she said.

However, this year the fifth graders' scores had declined a bit everywhere in the county, with the exception of students in Amargosa and Beatty.

Eighth grade scores were also down all over, and Olsen explained the Department for Student Achievement is already at work implementing an action plan to bring scores up that include having the state writing coordinator come and host a workshop with teachers.

In addition, Olsen said the district was working on aligning the writing curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Writing tests are scored by a group of Nevada teachers specially trained for that.

"They're confident in their method of scoring," Olsen said.

She added that statewide 800 papers were scheduled for re-scoring, and the school district had sent back 23 of those.