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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, August 25, 2008 Shorter WASL exams ahead for students in most grades High school tests will stay the same, but other kids will see more multiple-choice questions. By Eric Stevick Herald Writer The WASL has been put on a diet. A trimmer version of the state exams will be given next spring at most grade levels. Testing time for the Washington Assessment of Student Learning will be reduced by about a third, said Robin Munson, director of student information for the state superintendent's office. Much of the reduction is based on the kinds of questions that will be asked. There will be a greater percentage of multiple-choice questions and fewer open-ended questions, officials said. The WASL is expected to take about 18.9 percent less time for fourth-graders and 41.2 percent less time for sixth-graders. The shorter tests are the result of an order from the Legislature. WASL exams given to high school students will remain the same length. Students must pass the 10th-grade reading and writing WASLs or an alternative to the state tests to graduate. They also must pass the math test or continue passing math classes through their senior year to graduate. Munson said the state has taken out some of the harder and easier items from the elementary and middle school WASLs. The challenge was to shorten the WASL but make sure "the validity and reliability of the test" remains intact, Munson said. A shorter test doesn't mean schools can let up on their efforts to prepare students for the WASL, said Arlene Hulten, a Lake Stevens School District spokeswoman. "It's still high stakes," Hulten said, referring to the fact that WASL scores are used to measure schools progress toward meeting requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind law. "As far as a school district goes, the focus on it and the time put in to prepare for it will be the same," Hulten said. "It will be nice for the students to have a test that is shorter and more befitting their ability to think and sit and process information." Nancy Katims, director of assessment and research for the Edmonds School District, likes the shortening of the exams given the state's assurance the results will be valid and reliable. "I think it is going to make people in the schools very happy," she said. "I think being able to shorten the time is great." School leaders will have to decide how they want to test their students but it will be possible to finish a whole section of the exam, such as reading, over one day, Katims said. By 2010, WASL test dates could be changed for elementary and middle schools. State education leaders have heard arguments to move it either earlier or later in the year. WASL exams are typically given during a three-week window each April to elementary and middle school students. High school students take reading and writing each March and math and science each April. Those advocating moving it into May say it gives more time to prepare and keeps students on task with their lessons. "Sometimes students feel it's the end of their coursework they need to be focused on," Munson said. On the other hand, some people advocate giving the WASL earlier in the year so families could get the scores earlier and to help in identifying students' strengths and weaknesses sooner. Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.

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