Governor Signs Bill Delaying WASL Requirement
By Chris Mulick AND Sara Schilling S, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.
May 9–OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill Tuesday delaying until 2013 the high school graduation requirement that students pass standardized tests in math and science.
She also allowed students who fail the reading and writing sections to substitute suitable scores from the SAT, ACT and some Advanced Placement exams to meet the graduation requirement that kicks in next year for those tests.
But the governor vetoed four sections of the bill that most notably would have allowed students who failed WASL exams to appeal their scores, directed the state Board of Education to study replacing the WASL tests with end-of-course exams and allowed some English learners to skip the WASL altogether.
Gregoire, who initially called for delaying the graduation requirements for the math and science exams last fall, said she had reservations with parts of the bill but could live with it.
“Our students cannot and will not be penalized because the state hasn’t done its job in our education system to ensure that they have the math and science skills they need,” Gregoire said. “We’re gonna get it right.”
Most likely will see the new law as a mixed bag. Just two legislators stood in for a picture after the bill was signed.
Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, who worked his own version of the bill and voted against Senate Bill 6023 because of the appeal process it tried to set up, said he was “thoroughly disappointed” Gregoire eliminated provisions for end-of-course exams and said the state is “clinging to a sinking boat with the WASL.”
Others said the bill represented at least some progress.
“I think the delay is good simply because the test is, I think, flawed, and certainly not realistic,” said Gary Henderson, the retiring superintendent of the Kiona-Benton City School District. “It has to be changed to be reliable.”
Rick Jansons, president of the Richland School Board, was disappointed Gregoire vetoed the section dealing with end-of-course exams. His district has questioned the WASL’s validity, reliability and expense, and worked with Haler on legislation to replace it.
“The state government has taken a step in the right direction by delaying some of (the graduation requirements). We hope they read the technical reports that say it shouldn’t be used as a high-stakes test,” he said. “One test shouldn’t kill 12 years of work. Not when there are many ways to assess (students’) abilities.”
Some Mid-Columbia educators said the math and science delay won’t weaken their commitment to bolstering student achievement in those subjects.
“We intend to keep it a major area of focus. At the same time, it is nice that maybe there’s a little less pressure from the kids’ standpoint,” said Ron Higgins, director of assessment and program evaluation for the Walla Walla School District.
Math education especially continues to be a priority in Kennewick, said Dan Mildon, president of Kennewick’s school board. He said the math WASL has issues that should be examined. Gregoire indicated she vetoed the section pertaining to English language learners because it wouldn’t meet federal requirements.
“I just don’t think it’s reasonable these students should be held accountable for test scores when for a lot of these kids it amounts to a test of their English speaking ability,” said Ricardo Sanchez, board chairman for the Latino/a Educational Achievement Project. “These kids haven’t had the time to know the English language.”
—–
Copyright (c) 2007, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.