I’m all for testing children in school. But I am sick and tired of having the WASL shoved down my throat as the cure-all for what ails the education system.
Our daughter is autistic, and is in special ed. That’s just the way God made her, and we love her and accept her for who she is. It would be nice if the state did too! Instead they are trying to force her into their square peg of what the perfect child should be, by mandating that she take the WASL with other kids the same age, and then holding her up for ridicule when she doesn’t pass. Who gets blamed? She gets blamed for not trying hard enough. (I have never seen a kid try harder.) We the parents are blamed because we don’t encourage her enough. (We are behind her 100 percent.)The teachers and school are blamed because they are failing. (I have a high regard and respect for them.)
The finger is pointed at everyone except who it should be – the state for their insistence of one-size-fits-all testing, so they can crank out those cookie-cutter kids.
Not all kids are the same, and they should not all be treated the same as far as testing. Until the state realizes this and does something other then forcing the WASL on us, then our daughter and others like her will continue to be treated unfairly.
Susie Balasa
Everett
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