Today's editorial in the Everett Herald lays out a sensible legislative approach on the WASL.
The governor and state schools superintendent have proposed putting off the math and science requirements for three years to allow more time for struggling students to get the extra help they need and for thoughtful, systemic changes. That sensible strategy hasn't stopped a stampede toward the latest idea to catch fire: instituting end-of-course exams in place of the WASL. That's in 2SHB 2327, which the House passed overwhelmingly. ...
But the House bill is so prescriptive that it would essentially throw out the math and science standards educators have built for 12 years. It would replace them with off-the-shelf tests that would become the target for new (almost certainly lower) standards. It would also require that the replacement tests include only multiple-choice questions, and limit the science test to biology. (Someone apparently decided other science topics don't matter.) ...
The idea deserves immediate and serious study. ...
Lawmakers should coalesce behind a plan to have the state Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction study end-of-course exams and make recommendations by the end of the year. Aligning standards with curriculum and assessment in a way that makes a high school diploma meaningful in a competitive world should be the goal. Sufficient time and thought must be devoted to doing it well.
No need to rush to retreat. And, for more on the WASL, this morning's TNT reports that science teachers are concerned.
The Washington Science Teachers Association is urging its 800 members to tell legislators to reject a biology-only exam and to study alternatives to the WASL before switching to “end-of-course” assessments that are generally taken after a class in the tested subject.
Of course, a partial retreat doesn't satisfy everyone, as the AP reports.
The state teachers union will continue to advocate for a delay of all parts of the WASL, including the reading and writing tests, said Charles Hasse, president of the Washington Education Association.
The budget wasn't big enough for them, either.
