A Feb. 8 Herald headline asked, “Does Randy Dorn have the answers?”
Dorn’s successful campaign for state superintendent of public instruction campaign promised key changes in testing format, time constraints and the financial burden the WASL has cost our schools. Voters proved these are changes they believe in. His opponent, WASL Queen Terry Bergeson, declared her intent to continue the WASL experiment and was dethroned after her 12-year rule.
Our state gave the “New 3 Rs” of the WASL (Relating, Representing and Reasoning) time to provide the evidence, proving Dorn’s changes are necessary. Superintendent Dorn has boldly stated the path he will take to instill the valid foundational skills our children have always needed: the Traditional 3 Rs (Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic).
WASLization caused our teachers to lose the flexibility to teach to student diversity in achieving right answers, instead having to follow the restrictive, scripted mandates needed to fit students into the “one size fits all” WASL box. Superintendent Dorn is a homegrown Washington boy who experienced education when teachers still had the freedom to use their passion for teaching and diverse talents to inspire lifelong learning and the skills needed to identify right answers in and out of the box.
Randy has had his finger on the pulse of our schools throughout his life. The WASL has been like treating the common cold with chemotherapy. Dr. Bergeson wasn’t willing to change the course of her unproven, theoretical treatment. Extracting the ailment, revisiting tried and true remedies, or seeking proven treatment changes is often necessary to find the cure. Voters agreed Dorn has answers to remedy the many ills of the WASL experiment.
Rachel DeBellis
Marysville
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