I retired in 1986, 19 years ago, moved from Seattle to Snohomish County and have been paying taxes ever since, year after year, many years, to support the local schools, long after my son finished school.
From time to time I read about the WASL controversy and problems, and it occurred to me that the premise of the WASL is not new or without merit.
When I graduated from the eighth grade of a one-room rural school in Wisconsin in 1936, all eighth graders were required to go to Wausau, the county seat, and take an exam. (I believe the state was considered a forerunner in education, having early on established teachers’ colleges throughout the state, one being River Falls, which I attended through sophomore year under the G.I. Bill.)
I presume it was a way of monitoring the performance – depth and quality – of the teachers and student graduates of the one-room rural school in surrounding Marathon County.
Now these many years later we have the WASL. I presume its purpose is the same. I have no argument with that, believing it is necessary – a good thing – for the teachers, students and society.
For my and my neighbors’ edification, I would like to see The Herald run a few example questions from the current WASL, to give parents and taxpayers the scope and depth of the exam. This may have been done in the past, I missed it, new people have moved here and the exam changed by design.
Sample test questions would show us, parents and grandparents, how much the world has changed and more importantly, the direction education is headed socially and technologically. That it does not consist of a bunch of obtuse questions and that we are getting our taxes’ worth.
DONALD PASSOW
Stanwood
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