WASL a barrier for would-be Mariner grad

Published 10:13 pm Thursday, June 12, 2008

EVERETT — Mark Klinefelter ordered his Navy blue graduation cap and gown, but isn’t able to wear it at Mariner High School’s commencement tonight.

Instead, he plans to watch his friends and classmates from the sidelines.

The senior, who immigrated from the Philippines four years ago, met all but one of his graduation requirements: the reading section of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

He fell four points shy and plans to try again in August.

Under Mukilteo School District policy, he can’t participate in the commencement exercise.

So he hopes to get a refund for the cap and gown he looked forward to wearing.

“I’m kind of angry and sad, but it’s OK,” he said.

Had Klinefelter attended school in other parts of Snohomish County, he could have appealed and would most likely have been able to take part in the ceremonies.

While the state requires high school students to pass the reading and writing WASL or an alternative assessment to earn a diploma, it is up to school districts to decide whether to let students participate in commencement.

Mariner is in the Mukilteo School District, which requires students to pass the exam before letting them walk in the ceremony with their classmates.

The district has compassion for students who work hard and don’t make it, but seniors must complete all the requirements, including the WASL, said Andy Muntz, a school district spokesman.

“It really wouldn’t be a graduation ceremony,” Muntz said. “I’m confident he will get his diploma. It’s just a matter of time and probably not a very long time.”

Mukilteo is not alone in drawing a strict line. Arlington and Stanwood are among the school districts that require students pass the WASL or a WASL alternative to participate in graduation ceremonies.

Other districts in Snohomish County leave the door open, but students must have met all other graduation requirements. Those districts include Everett, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Monroe and Snohomish.

Lakewood High School, for instance, allowed a senior to participate in commencement Thursday despite that student not yet passing the reading WASL.

Her story mirrors Klinefelter’s. She came from another country but is still learning English. Her speaking and reading skills have progressed enough where she no longer qualifies for an intensive English Language Learner program, but she has yet to master the nuances of her second language.

Like Klinefelter, she has tried alternative assessments to the WASL, including a Collection of Evidence option that allows her to submit samples of her ability to read and analyze different texts.

Her collection of evidence didn’t meet state standards and she was allowed to resubmit it with supplemental work by a deadline earlier this month. Results are due in August.

Like Klinefelter, she is planning to retake the WASL this summer.

Lakewood school officials decided Tuesday to let her participate in commencement after weighing a number of factors, including how hard she worked to catch up on academic credits after moving to Lakewood from California, said Larry Francois, superintendent of the school district.

“This is really a young lady who I think is very representative of what we are going to see more of as far as students not making it over the bar to graduation: a non-native English speaker, a hard worker, still not getting there but would get there with a little more time,” Francois said.

As for Klinefelter, who might enroll in community college to study computer programming or return to school in the Philippines, he’s planning to sign up for an August WASL retake and is confident he will eventually get his diploma.

Fellow Mariner senior Sasha Mohnani said she is disappointed and frustrated for her friend.

“He has worked so hard,” she said. “It is just hard for other people to understand about how hard it is to come to another country and have to learn another language.”