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Haler legislation to assess
WASL alternatives wins House support
On the same day that it
passed several bills to preserve the Washington Assessment of Student
Learning, the House of Representatives opened the door to exploring
alternatives to the WASL by approving House Bill 2414, prime-sponsored
by
Rep.
Larry Haler, R-Richland.
“The education reforms that led to the WASL were adopted in 1993 because
there was a desire to do better, to improve the performance of our
schools. In that spirit we should be willing to look at educational
assessment reform – to step back and take a hard look at whether the
WASL, 10 years after it debuted, is performing the way we need it to,”
said Haler, R-Richland.
HB 2414 would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to ask
the U.S. Department of Education, before the beginning of the 2006-07
school year, for flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act to look
at alternatives to the WASL. It now goes to the Senate for
consideration.
Haler’s legislation proposes a pilot project with six school districts,
which would use an assessment other than the WASL to gauge math and
reading performance of students in third, fifth, sixth and eighth
grades. The state education office would work with local school
directors, administrators, teachers, and parents in developing the
request and selecting the assessment.
“The No Child Left Behind Act allows flexibility when it comes to
assessments of student learning. The Richland School District, which I
represent, has looked carefully at the state’s mandate to add full-blown
WASL testing in third, fifth, sixth and eighth grades in addition to the
fourth, seventh and 10th grades. The WASL is expensive to administer,
and the Legislature’s decision last year to allow up to four WASL
retakes only adds to the cost.
“Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves whether there’s room for improvement?
The Richland school directors and I believe it’s reasonable to look at
other assessments that appear to be quicker, easier and cheaper yet
provide better results for parents and teachers. My bill would give
several school districts that opportunity through a pilot project,” said
Haler.
“We’re capable of producing better technology at a lower cost -- I’m
interested in seeing whether a decade of experience will help us come up
with a student assessment tool that is equally or more effective than
the WASL but less expensive.”
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Public
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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