High school students who fail the math WASL might get a new alternative assessment that would let them be tested on the material in smaller bites.

Senate Bill 5239 would provide for segmented math courses to help students pass the 10th-grade math Washington Assessment of Student Learning, a statewide graduation requirement.

“We love it,” said Debbie Jakala, a spokeswoman for the Edmonds School District. “It’s another opportunity for kids who are going to really benefit from instruction that is focused and structured.

“It will keep it from becoming so overwhelming that in some cases it is preventing some students from being successful on the WASL.”

Students, for instance, would concentrate on numbers and algebra for 60 days before taking a WASL-like exam in December. The exam would focus only on those disciplines.

Their exams would be graded by an out-of-state company and returned by the end of January. Student scores would be logged toward their overall WASL score.

Lessons and examinations would follow in geometry and measurement, followed by probability and statistics.

Students wouldn’t need to ace all three exams to pass the WASL, but would have to have a high enough overall score.

Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, chairwoman of the Senate’s education committee, is one of the bill’s sponsors. She likes that the proposal allows students to master individual concepts and then move on.

“The whole idea of it is so right on target,” McAuliffe said. “It is diagnostic. This allows students not to be overwhelmed by a test.”

McAuliffe said she doesn’t have much confidence in existing WASL alternatives, but the Senate bill has promise.

Just 56 percent of the state’s juniors have passed the 10th-grade WASL math exam. By comparison, 87 percent have passed the test’s reading portion and 86 percent passed the writing exams.

Although the math requirement might soon be delayed by the Legislature, there are no guarantees. School districts are scrambling to solve the math deficiency.

The state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is developing the segmented math course curriculum and intends to complete training by June 30.

If the bill passes, the Edmonds School District will begin planning for the segmented math classes at all its high schools for next fall, Jakala said.

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.