As superintendent of the state’s K-12 public education system, Terry Bergeson has led a transformation that challenged a widely held belief: that many children were bound for mediocrity.
The new vision, which this spring will face its most meaningful test to date, rejects that thinking. In its place, it challenges all of our kids to meet foundational standards that will prepare them to compete in a world that is far more competitive than the one their parents entered out of high school.
Starting in March, 10th-graders will take the Washington Assessment of Student Learning reading, writing and math exams, which they’ll be required to pass to earn a diploma. These sophomores are the first to have the WASL count as a graduation requirement.
Predictably, students, educators, parents and even lawmakers are getting nervous. The fact the just under half of last year’s 10th-graders met standards on all three tests makes such concerns understandable. What should give more pause, though, is that too many of our children are getting through the K-12 system short of the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century.
Bergeson is aware of the jitters. She shares them. Her answer to overcoming them is the right one: Work together on a sensible course of action that will get results.
“It’s not about denying students a diploma,” Bergeson told school directors in her recent state of education address, “it’s about asking them to truly earn a diploma and giving them more support to do it.”
Specifically, Bergeson is making three supplemental budget requests of the Legislature:
* $42 million for academic support to help this year’s 10th-graders pass the WASL, including summer school for students who don’t pass it the first time. Students who don’t pass any section of the WASL can retake that section up to four times, and will get targeted help in between retakes.
* $5 million to help support classroom teachers with new materials, assessments and training to help students meet standards.
* $4 million to expand guidance and counseling programs in high schools. This will better ensure an ongoing, personal relationship with an adult that will teach students how to chart their own educational course.
As this year’s crucial testing period approaches, fear that some students might not graduate will prompt calls to postpone or kill the WASL as a graduation requirement are all but inevitable. They must be resisted. The hard work that has been done in schools across the state for more than a decade to get students prepared for this necessary step should be seen through. Rather than being tempted to backpedal, lawmakers should move forward and provide the additional funding Bergeson seeks.
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