SEATTLE — State schools Superintendent Randy Dorn wants another delay in the math and science requirements for high school graduation.
The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is revamping statewide testing to create a replacement for the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, and the new high school tests won’t be used statewide until 2012.
But Dorn said Thursday that the current graduation requirement for high school students to pass statewide math and science tests by 2013 is neither realistic or fair.
The state is drawing up learning standards for math and science to specify what high school graduates should know in those subjects.
Teachers, administrators and students in Snohomish County and across the state are eager to get their eyes on the new tests, but the math learning standards won’t be adopted until 2011 and the science standards until 2012. The class of 2013 won’t have enough time to master those new standards before being tested, Dorn said.
“I’m not backing away from the graduation requirements, but we need to give teachers and students additional time with the new math and science standards before students can be expected to have a fair chance to pass the tests,” Dorn said in a statement.
Dorn said he plans to ask the Legislature to delay the graduation requirements for at least one year.
The lawmakers who chair the two main education committees in Olympia both said Thursday that the idea of delaying the math and science graduation requirements will get a good hearing during the next legislative session.
Senate Education Chairwoman Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, said she shares Dorn’s timeline concern but doubts the governor will be on board with the idea.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has said repeatedly that she does not want to delay the math and science graduation requirement.
The proposed replacement for the high school science and math WASL, based on the new learning standards, was to be tried out by some districts in 2011 and be used statewide the following year. OSPI also is creating replacements for the WASL’s reading and writing components, which likewise were to be adopted in 2011.
The new tests to replace the WASL have been tentatively called the “Measurements of Student Progress” for grades three through eight, and the “High School Proficiency Exams” for older students.
In spring 2010, before the new tests are finished, high school students will be taking something very similar to the WASL but it will be called by the new name, said OSPI spokesman Chris Barron.
The state plans to do the statewide assessment tests online, rather than by paper and pencil.
Some Everett schools may pilot online testing next year, but nothing’s certain yet, said Terry Edwards, the Everett School District’s chief academic officer. He believes online testing has great potential, but without seeing the new test, he doesn’t know what to make of it.
“A lot of schools across the state are nervous about moving to a new testing format that’s pretty high stakes for schools,” Edwards said. “They know what they’re going to get with the paper version. They’d like to see the online version before they jump.”
In Monroe, some schools probably will pilot the new online tests next year, said Fran Mester, assistant superintendent of the Monroe School District. She hopes online testing will be more efficient than paper-and-pencil tests, but said there must be safeguards in case scores get misplaced or mistakes happen. Misplaced WASL scores would have prevented several Monroe students from earning their diplomas this year, had test administrators not been able to double check the students’ actual test books and correct scoring mistakes.
“Right now we spend a great deal of time counting booklets, making sure everything sent to us from the state is boxed up and returned,” Mester said. “Eliminating that whole step is really, really good. My only concern is what our system of checks and balances will be.”
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