Results tagged “wasl”

Their kids scored big fat zeros on the Washington Alternative Assessment System (WAAS) last year, and this year parents asked Green Lake Elementary special ed teachers Lenora Stahl and Juli Griffith not to put their children through an ordeal they say has unreasonable and inappropriate standards for students with special needs.

In just a few hours, the new state schools superintendent--a man named Randy Dorn--will announce his new vision for standardized testing in Washington. Dorn campaigned on the promise that he would revamp the public schools assessment strategy, replacing the often-criticized Washington Assessment of Student Learning with "a simpler, fairer test." So far, it looks like the 10 a.m. announcement will be related to his expected support of a bill before the state Senate this session that would create a three-part assessment system (including, yes, a "state-administered summative achievement assessment" of some kind) to replace the WASL. Fingers crossed that the new test and other measures will accomplish that perfect balance between tough and fair, and that Dorn can cut through all the politically correct educationese we find so repugnant to speak about our school systems honestly and directly.

There are three weeks until Election Day, and three issues in our state's gubernatorial race (four if you count Eastern Washington's concerns). Each week we'll be taking an award-winning look at where the candidates stand.

The Slog decided to do their version of "Are You Smarter Than the Standardized Test You Support?" with State School Superintendent Terry Bergeson, and she failed. Bergeson was given three sample questions from Port Angeles WASL tests. One from each WASL group tests 3rd, 7th, and 10th graders. The Superintendent only answered two of the three questions, and she answered them both wrong. Realizing she was busted, Bergeson signed the test with a frowny-face...how very 7th grade of her indeed.