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The Columbian
January 20, 2006

Speakers defend, decry WASL

By Kathie Durbin—Columbian staff writer

OLYMPIA - Should Washington stay the course with one high-stakes test or give students new options to demonstrate they have achieved state reading, writing and math standards required for high school graduation?

That was the issue debated Thursday before a Senate committee as it heard testimony from teachers, students, parents, principals, business leaders and school board members over two bills that would change how the Washington Assessment of Student Learning is used to assess student performance.

A third bill co-sponsored by Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, that would abolish WASL as a graduation requirement, was virtually ignored.

As things stand now, students in the class of 2008 must pass all three parts of the WASL in order to graduate, although alternative ways of demonstrating competency backed by Democrats and Republicans alike are in the works.

Business leaders, school administrators, legislative leaders from both parties and Gov. Chris Gregoire all support holding to the one-test standard.

But a bill introduced at the request of the Washington Education Association, dubbed the "weighted multiple measures" approach, would give the WASL score far less weight in evaluating whether a student has met state standards for high school graduation.

Under Senate Bill 6461, a student's grade point average would account for 70 percent of the evaluation. A student's score on the 10th-grade WASL, completion of a so-called "culminating project" and preparation of a plan for high school and beyond each would account for 10 percent. Low performance on one measure could be offset by higher performance on another.

To graduate, students would have to receive a passing grade in every required course and score at least a level 1 on each section of the 10th-grade WASL.

A second bill, Senate Bill 6618, introduced at the request of former Gov. Booth Gardner, would require the state board of education to study and certify several alternative ways for students to demonstrate their proficiency and let students choose which one to use.

Gardner, who was governor when the WASL was first adopted in 1993, has worked with apprehensive students, parents and educators statewide to address their concerns about the requirement. At Thursday's hearing, he said he got involved because everywhere he went, people couldn't stop talking about the test.

"I asked, 'Who got this sucker started?'" he joked. "They all folded their arms."

No one testified on Pridemore's bill. He said he could support the WEA-backed proposal.

Testimony from all sides on Thursday was passionate.

"We come today with a sense of urgency," said Washington PTA President Linda Hansen. "Is the system ready? Is one assessment the way? No one test should determine a child's opportunities and life chances."

She urged lawmakers to hold to a high standard but broaden the tools used to measure that standard.

WEA President Charles Hasse said there is a broad misconception that "high-stakes testing and high standards are one and the same." In fact, he said, they are often at cross purposes. He said 72 percent of his 78,000 teacher members now oppose use of the WASL as a graduation requirement, up from 59 percent in 2000.

Arcella Hall, president-elect of the Washington State Association of Principals, called sticking with the WASL "an issue of social justice." Hall said she is the principal at a school where half the students are non-native English speakers. Nonetheless, 65 percent have met the WASL standard in writing.

"In our particular school, we look at the WASL as a friend to our students," she said. "Our students come out of poverty. Do not derail this process. I urge you to stay the course."

Special education teacher Stacey Balentin said the WASL does not measure the high standards she sets for her students in Kitsap County, standards like showing up for class and doing their best. Instead, "it tests their weaknesses," she said.

Having to pass the WASL means her students have to give up electives and vocational courses in favor of remedial academic courses, Balentin said. Using multiple ways to measure their progress "would honor those students," she said.

Stanford University Education Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, testifying by speakerphone, said using multiple measures would provide a more complete picture of student performance, increase student achievement and reduce the risk of a skyrocketing dropout rate as students afraid of failing the test choose to drop out of high school.

Darling-Hammond based her testimony on a study of 20 states that use a test for high school graduation, either alone or with other measures.

"There is growing evidence that a single test is producing high dropout rates and earlier dropout rates," she said. "Overall, you could end up with a less well-educated population as a whole."