Change WASL, School Funding, Education Committee Urged

By Heather Woodward, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

Jan. 10–OLYMPIA — Lawmakers should change the state’s school funding system and re-evaluate the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, speakers said at a House Education Committee meeting Tuesday.

Some said the state should back away from its timelime requiring high school students to pass the WASL’s math section by 2008 and should consider delaying the WASL graduation requirements in reading, writing and science, too. State law requires students in the class of 2008 to pass the reading, writing and math sections to graduate. Passing the science section becomes a requirement for the class of 2010.

“Just postpone all of it,” Susie Wright, education policy analyst for the Tulalip Tribes, said Tuesday.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson already have called for delaying the WASL requirement in math until 2011.

Others said they wanted the state to evaluate how the WASL stacks up against other national and international tests.

“I would like to see a validity study on the WASL to see if the tool is what’s flawed,” said Rachel DeBellis, a Marysville mother who belongs to the anti-WASL Parent Employment Network.

Math standards

An independent review of Washington’s math standards is a priority in Bergeson’s budget plan, the state superintendent told lawmakers.

Bergeson and several others who testified Tuesday also say they want the Legislature to change the way it allocates basic operating money to Washington school districts. That call comes as school districts across the state — including a handful in South Sound — face potential budget shortfalls next year and beyond.

“We have to, in this session, look at the definition of basic education,” Bergeson said, adding later, “We’ve got to start building a more transparent, accountable funding structure.”

Lawmakers also should invest more money in preventing students from dropping out of high school and bringing back those who have quit, some testified before the committee Tuesday. That could mean giving students more help meeting personal needs, such as transportation, for example.

“Many of our kids have other unmet needs before they can focus on academics,” said Renee Mona, chief executive officer at Communities In Schools of Washington, an organization whose goal is reducing the drop-out rate.

Doing more to return dropouts to the classroom is one of Bergeson’s 2007-09 budget priorities, the state superintendent told lawmakers Tuesday.

Heather Woodward covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-4225 or hwoodward@theolympian.com.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

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