The Washington Assessment of Student Learning continues to grow in its use and influence.
But few parents have taken the extra step of seeing how their child answered the secretive exam’s questions, nearly a year after being granted that option.
Out of a pool of 750,000 records statewide, parents of just 536 students have asked to see their children’s test booklets from the 2004-05 WASL exams.
| Parents can review their child’s completed WASL test booklets. Requests for 2005 tests can still be made, but must be received by Feb. 1. Details on requesting 2006 tests will be available by spring. Request forms are available at www.k12.wa.us/ assessment, or by contacting the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction at 360-725-6348 or assessment@ ospi.wednet.edu. |
Parents of about 70 Snohomish County students were among them, making up 14 percent of the state total.
Viewing the completed tests takes time, and can be done only under strict security precautions.
No cell phones. No notes. Just one hour. And parents must sign a document acknowledging that they will be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $500 for sharing a test’s content with others.
Those who have seen the WASL tests call it an eye-opening experience.
“School is a little bit different for my son than it was for me,” said Dori Mashburn of Everett, who reviewed the tests her son passed as a fourth-grader at Silver Firs Elementary School last year.
Mashburn said she remains baffled by some of the math questions, and whether the writing tests were scored consistently.
Still, she said it was worth seeing her son’s actual work.
“You get a flood of paperwork that comes home … but having seen the actual WASL exam, you can spend more time on those areas where they were closer to the line,” Mashburn said.
Requests to view tests were spotty across school districts. Northshore led the area with 19 requests, followed by Everett and Edmonds with 13 each. Three local school districts – Darrington, Lakewood and Monroe – had no requests.
That’s expected to change this year as the WASL becomes a graduation requirement. Parents of high school students can appeal the results if they have reason to believe something went wrong.
Requests must be made through the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The state retrieves booklets from a secure storage center, then notifies the local school district, which sets a time for the parent to review the tests.
Educators also benefit from the experience, said Peter Hendrickson of the Everett School District.
“It helps remove some of the mystery from this test. … I think it helps create some trust with parents,” he said.
Being so accommodating will get tougher, however, if the requests skyrocket, schools say.
“It is time-consuming. If schools are inundated, it would be problematic,” said Arlene Hulten, communications director for the Lake Stevens School District, which had one couple view their three children’s tests.
Two school staff members are required to be on hand during viewings, including one versed in the tests who can answer questions.
Not all questions have answers, however.
Parents can see how many points their child got on each question, but more detailed scoring guides have not been released.
It was a source of frustration for Laurie Tollefsen of Brier, who viewed the writing WASL test her daughter failed as a fourth-grader at Lockwood Elementary School in Bothell last spring. No one could explain why her daughter’s written responses were scored the way they were, she said.
“Students don’t get any answers back on what they did right or wrong … and there was nothing I could gain from it to help her with writing in the future,” Tollefsen said. “If it’s not something you can learn from and help your child, what’s the point?”
The state may release portions of the scoring guides in the future, said Greg Hall of the Everett School District.
At issue is security. The state publicly releases about one-third of the questions used on each WASL test, but saves and closely guards the rest for future exams.
Also, the state is making efforts to improve the way it reports scores to parents. It has redesigned individual student reports this year to be more personalized and informational, including how parents can get remedial help.
“We need to keep working toward a better answer,” said state Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, who chairs the Senate’s Early Learning, K-12 and Higher Education Committee.
Reporter Melissa Slager: 425-339-3465 or mslager@ heraldnet.com.
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