I agree with letter writer Ed Glazer (“WASL requirements: It’s too much for ESL students,” April 25). Both of our children are in the Mukilteo School District special education program. Last year our daughter was required by the state to take the Washington Assessment of Student Learning with all other fourtth graders. We knew she wasn’t ready, the school knew she wasn’t ready, but she had to take it. She failed, didn’t even finish, got zero, below zero. According to the state, our daughter is a failure, and might not graduate.
Who should we believe? The state who thinks our daughter is stupid because she can’t pass the WASL, or all the wonderful people who have worked with her through the years to help her to achieve and advance to where she is? I tend to believe her teachers and am very grateful for them and all their work.
We are very proud of our daughter and all that she has accomplished because she has worked hard at it. I challenge the people who came up with the WASL to come up and meet our daughter, talk to her, ask her how she likes school, then look us in the face and tell us we have failed.
It bothers me that the state wants to lump all kids together without regard to their mental ability, language ability, etc. Not all kids are the same. The state is setting these kids up to fail, without even giving them a chance to prove themselves. What does that say about our society?
“No Child Left Behind” … Well, our daughter will be left behind if she is forced to take the WASL every few years, and that is used to measure her success. There must be better way than the WASL, a way to be fair to all kids.
Everett
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