Gov. Gregoire delays math and science WASL

With a stroke of her pen, Gov. Chris Gregoire pushed the math WASL graduation requirement back five years.

At the same May 8 signing, the governor vetoed large sections of the bill that sought to overhaul the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

That same day, the Washington Education Association (WEA) delivered a box of petitions to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson asking her to lower the stakes on the WASL and do more to raise school funding.

The petitions had signatures of 14,000 teachers, said the state teachers union.

Here’s what’s been changed in the new laws:

High school students now won’t have to pass the math portion of the WASL to graduate until 2013 — this year’s sixth-grade class.

The requirement was supposed to take effect with the class of 2008. But fears escalated with more than 30,000 juniors who have yet to pass the test and were at risk of not earning a diploma.

Science also was delayed to 2013, from 2010.

“We must improve math and science teaching and learning, but we cannot penalize students when the system has failed them,” Gregoire said in a prepared statement.

Students still must pass reading and writing.

And those who don’t pass the math WASL must take math courses through their senior year and continue to attempt the test or an approved alternative.

The new rules expand alternative ways students can meet WASL graduation requirements. They also let students attempt one of those paths after making one stab at the WASL, instead of two.

The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction planned to send school districts more information on the law this past week, said Thomas Shapley, a spokesman.

“Having a high standard is great. But there’s so much subjectivity to it, where it’s not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer,” said David Tollefsen of Brier. “I would hope that they look at it, revise it and make it less subjective.

“I’m a black-and-white person, where math is solid numbers. They don’t teach it that way anymore.”

The legislation – Senate Bill 6023 – passed the Senate with 30 votes, and passed the House with 56 votes.

Gregoire vetoed sections of the bill that would have pushed for end-of-course exams to replace the math WASL, set up a regional appeals process, and provided special exemptions for English language learners.

She also scratched out a clause that declared the situation “an emergency.”

Bill sponsor Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, said she’s disappointed with the vetoes.

“Some students will always struggle to demonstrate their knowledge on standardized tests, even if they’ve mastered the material,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “The current WASL alternatives just provide more tests, when what these students need is an entirely different pathway for demonstrating their knowledge.”

The Washington Roundtable, a business group that supports the WASL, also expressed disappointment – saying the governor shouldn’t have signed the bill at all.