With the recent release of 2005 WASL scores, state school Superintendent Terry Bergeson spouted her usual rhetoric about how wonderful the scores are and how well the WASL is working. She spoke of the nearly 80 percent that passed the fourth-grade reading test. Here are some percentages of students that passed all required subjects that are not widely talked about.
4th grade: 45 percent passed
5th grade: 36 percent passed
7th grade: 41 percent passed
8th grade: 36 percent passed
10th grade: 42 percent passed
Let me rephrase this, most of our kids failed the WASL!
Or could there be another explanation? Could the test be flawed? Incorrectly scored? Could WASL protesters be bringing down the numbers?
We had a whopping 6,790 WASL tests that were refused to be taken! Washington state is home to some politically savvy parents who can see through the WASL agenda and refused to let their children participate. Many of us protesting WASL are not afraid that our children will fail and we are not protesting high standards. We are protesting a test that is developmentally inappropriate at most grade levels and excessively expensive (WASL costs up to $72 per test, when other tests are available for $3). We are protesting a test, and the curriculum that surrounds it, which has received failing scores from national organizations and that only serves the needs of the minority and not the majority.
But please don’t take our WASL scores too seriously, they really don’t mean a thing. Yes, the test is flawed; yes, the test is incorrectly scored and yes, WASL protesters are making a difference.
Kathy Storkersen
Edmonds
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