Benefits
for students taking the WASL
(from
Responses
prepare by Parent Empowerment Network
www.mothersagainstwasl.org
1. The WASL is
the only standardized test given in the state that assesses the Essential Academic
Learning Requirements, including higher-level thinking, communication,
reasoning, problem solving, and application of knowledge and skills in new
situations. In other words, students can show what they know and can do in
formats that allow them to construct their own responses (rather than just
choosing the best option from pre-determined choices).
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
Teachers have far better
tools at their disposal to measure the learning of the children in their care. In
fact, the state of
2. Teachers and
staff can gain information about students' progress toward meeting standards (benchmarks
for what students should know and be able to do) in the core academic areas of
reading, writing, math, and science, and can plan instruction accordingly.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
WASL is not a diagnostic
assessment, nor is it a test of basic skills. It was not designed to measure
the individual achievement of students and should never be used to determine
instruction. According to OSPI’s own technical report on WASL, “Scores from one test given on a single occasion
should never be used to make important decisions about students' placement, the
type of instruction they receive, or retention in a given grade level in
school.”
3. Students in
the class of 2008 and beyond are able to practice taking the WASL and get
feedback on their performance in grades 3 - 8 before taking the High School WASL
as a graduation requirement.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
WASL is an invalid
assessment for many students. The research of Dr. Donald Orlich has shown that
many questions on the WASL measure a formal thinking level that is
developmentally inappropriate for students in the grade tested. State
assessment director Joe Willhoft co-authored a report in 2003, which concluded
that the 7th grade math WASL is approximately 2 years above grade
level and that the 10th grade math WASL is approximately 3 years
above grade level.
4. Each
student's WASL performance provides a profile of the student's strengths and
weak areas in each subject area tested.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
WASL was developed as a
measure of the education system. It tells very little about the strengths and
weaknesses of the individual student.
5. Because the
WASL has been shown to be an excellent predictor of success in the freshman
year in college, students can use their WASL performance as indicative of areas
they might want to strengthen prior to graduation.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
WASL has not improved the
math skills of students who attend college. In fact,
after 13 years of WASL-based school reform, our colleges are placing as many or
more students as ever in remedial math courses.
6. In the
Evergreen Public Schools, students in Grade 10 can earn up to one half credit
towards graduation for meeting the standard on the WASL subtests.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
This is an inappropriate
use of WASL and deprives students of valuable instruction time.
7. Because the
WASL assesses students' progress toward meeting standards, information about
the performance of groups of students helps district staff make decisions about
the effectiveness of different instructional programs.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
WASL is cheating our
children out of a well-rounded education. School programming should not be
predicated on WASL scores or WASL goals. School programming should respond to
the needs and desires of students, parents and community.
Consequences
When Students do not take the WASL
1. Teachers and
staff lack full information about the instructional needs of these students,
which could lead to some students not receiving all the instructional support
they might need to be successful later in school.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
Many diagnostic tools
exist. WASL is not a diagnostic tool. Teachers do not see the test or the
student’s answers. The test is not scored by professional teachers.
Professional teachers who know the student are in the best position to diagnose
the instructional needs of students. No state-level test can do this!
2. When a
student has not taken the WASL, schools lack the necessary information to
develop a Student Learning Plan for that student.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
WASL is not a diagnostic
test. Student Learning Plans were mandated by the legislature with no regard
for the appropriate use of WASL scores. OSPI’s own technical report on WASL states: “When making decisions about individuals, multiple
sources of information should be used and multiple individuals who are familiar
with the student's progress and achievement (including parents, teachers,
school counselors, school psychologists, specialist teachers, and possibly even
the students themselves) should be brought together to make such decisions
collaboratively."
3. While the
student's individual record simply indicated "Not Tested," because
the number of students meeting, exceeding, or failing to meet the standards is
based upon enrollment, the percentages for the schools and districts are
impacted by refusals. This could reflect poorly on the school and/or district,
since businesses and real estate agents use test scores as one indicator of
school successes.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
“Real Estate Agent here……If the schools are
good then yes it is a selling point, but I have never had a client ask “what
were the WASL scores for the district?” Now I have had clients ask about sports
programs, music programs, if they have computers, teacher to student ratio, did
the last school bond pass, etc.”
4. Students in
the class of 2008 and beyond who do not take the WASL prior to Grade 10 will
not have had the opportunity to practice and get feedback before taking the
test as a graduation requirement.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
The WASL as a graduation
requirement violates good assessment practice. Statements against this practice
can be found on the websites of every reputable education association in the
5. Students in the class of 2008 and later who do not take the High
School WASL will not receive a high school diploma.
Parent
Empowerment Network Response:
The legislature is considering alternatives
to the WASL graduation requirement. Parent Empowerment Network is seeking legal
counsel in order to bring a lawsuit in the event that the state does not
provide reasonable alternatives to the WASL.
The state is responsible for holding
districts accountable. Our schools are accredited; our teachers are certified; local
school boards are the only official bodies that have the right to determine
curriculum and assessment practice for students. Private schools are not
required to administer the WASL. Parents of homeschooled students are not
required to administer the WASL.