WASL: A Modest Proposal
This year’s sophomores are the first class who won’t be allowed to graduate unless they’ve passed the infamous WASL test. That wouldn’t be so bad if the previous WASL scores weren’t so lousy. In Seattle, only 35 percent of last year’s sophomores passed all three required sections of the test.
I’ve asked a couple of working teachers about the WASL, and the general reaction is: we hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. No, not just because their performance is also attached to the WASL. It’s because you get what you measure. If you’re measured on a test, you’ll start teaching to the test. Social studies, art, history, who cares? As long as you pass the math and reading sections on the WASL, you’re fine.
There are now some exceptions to the no-graduate rule. Governor Gregoire signed a bill that allows students who’ve failed the WASL to graduate anyway if their grades are equal or better to a group of peers who passed the test, or if they submit a portfolio of work, or complete a career training program. Students can also substitute their performance on a nationally recognized test like the SAT for the math section of the WASL.
Still. It’s expensive. Home-schoolers, who aren’t required to take the test, skew the numbers. Some kids thought it was too easy. Other kids thought it was too hard, or thought it led to rote memorizing and a lack of creative thinking.
Here’s the best suggestion I heard all week for fixing what’s broken about the WASL. I suspect it’s not original. If someone wants to claim credit in the comments, feel free.
- Have every member of the Washington State Legislature sit the 10th grade WASL exam.
- Collect all the scores.
- Figure out the midpoint (50th percentile) score achieved by our state legislators.
- Anything higher than that midpoint is a passing grade.
“we hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns”
As opposed to non-burning suns?
Have you seen example questions on a WASL? Its not a hard test… not by any stretch of the imagination.
As hard as it is to believe, most politicians are probably smarter than most people. Just because they have different views that you, doesn’t mean they’re stupid.
I’m going to have to agree that the test is not hard. I took it about 10 years ago and a majority of my class did fine on it. Most of the questions are stuff kids should have picked up on from elementary school on. Yes some of the questions are pretty tough, but it’s not like the whole test is that rough. And what is considered a passing score? 60%? Hell even the stoner kids were passing it.