Parents Worry As WASL Requirements Loom
By Editor Ken Harvey
Although statewide WASL test scores have improved dramatically over the past
5 years, it still appears that many if not most ethnic students will not
graduate in 2008 without substantial changes.
Some changes are being made and additional ones are under consideration, according to Dr. Richard Gomez Jr., director of the state's Migrant Education Program.
Latino parents on a panel at the recent LEAP Conference expressed their frustration.
"Our young people have dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, nurses, and astronauts," said one parent. "I'm concerned that after 12 years of school, they'll be told, 'Your future, your hopes, your dreams have ended.'"
She said even her fourth-grader is having trouble sleeping at night because "she's been told if she can't pass the test, she won't be able to pursue her dreams."
Another mother on the panel agreed. "I'm in favor of good education," she said, "but I'm not in favor of a test that ends their future."
One parent suggested that just because a child is not strong in one area does not mean his talent and skills in other areas might not be adequate for him to succeed.
In a workshop during the LEAP conference, Dr. Gomez explained some of the
changes occurring and under consideration to help more students to graduate.
Students in the 2008 graduation class - the first to be required to pass the WASL - will be allowed to retake the test multiple times if they fail to reach Level 3 mastery in the 10th grade.
Knowing they have to pass the test to graduate and being able to retake just the subjects they failed up to twice in the 11th grade and twice in the 12th grade should double the number of students passing the test overall, and triple the number of Hispanic students passing the test, according to estimates by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
In 2004 less than 20% of the Hispanic 10th-graders passed all three portions of the WASL. Among migrant students, only 10% passed the math portion of the test while 17% passed reading and writing standards.
The state estimates that with increased motivation, improved education and retake opportunities, 58% of the Hispanic students would graduate in 2008, along with 56% of the black students and 62% of the American Indian students.
While that is better, that still leaves about 40% of these three ethnic groups without a standard diploma, a "Certificate of Academic Achievement."
There is considerable
financial motivation for the state to improve on that figure, since students who
fail to graduate as 18-year-old seniors could stay in the public schools up to
three more years (until age 21) in order to pursue their diploma.
Another program, "Forward Start," is being considered by the Legislature to allow students who would have graduated except for passing the WASL to continue taking the test while they proceed into community college.
If House Bill 2037 is approved by the Legislature, Forward Start pilot projects would begin next fall.
That would provide students a more "age-appropriate" setting "instead of having them take 12th grade over and over again," said Rep. Dave Upthegrove, the bill's primary sponsor.
With increased parent and financial pressure, the state's A+ Commission that analyzes and oversees WASL was asked to consider other options besides the current graduation requirement that all students must achieve Level 3 mastery of all three primary subjects - reading, writing and math.
According to Dr. Gomez, options included (1) requiring Level 3 mastery in two subjects and Level 2 in the third; (2) requiring Level 3 mastery in only one subject and Level 2 in the other two; or (3) requiring students to reach only Level 2 mastery in all three subjects.
The A+ Commission could not reach consensus on any of the various models under consideration.
While those options remain under consideration, OSPI and local school districts are doing what they can to further enhance WASL scores in other ways.
Being offered as a pilot project this year will be a WASL test in Spanish for recently immigrated students who have not yet mastered English. If the number of Hispanic students passing the test increases significantly because of taking the Spanish version, WASL may be offered in other languages, as well, said Dr. Gomez.
Additional "alternative assessment methods" besides the paper-and-pencil test will also be available, and an appeals process will be developed for students who feel they have legitimate reasons for additional, individual consideration.
Another strategy is the development of Student Learning Plans for students in grades 8-12 who do not pass WASL. A plan detailing how the student would overcome his deficiencies would be developed by counselors and students with input from teachers and parents. Thereafter, parents would receive regular reports on their child's progress, Dr. Gomez explained.
Recognizing that Latinos make up the largest ethnic group, now with 12.7% of the K-12 student population, he said other strategies are being developed to meet the specific needs of these students.
Teacher and administrator exchange programs are being developed with Mexico and Spain in order to offer some classes in students' native language.
Mexico also offers free textbooks and educational videos in Spanish to help recently immigrated students. And regular classes and additional learning materials are now becoming available through Internet "portals" developed by Mexican educational agencies.
Students and their parents in Yakima, for example, can now begin taking classes in Spanish over the Internet. According to Yakima Superintendent of Schools Benjamin Soria, who is also chairman of the LEAP Advisory Board, the Internet-based classes will be overseen by a Yakima educator and regular course credit awarded locally.
For Latino students who achieved strong Spanish literacy before emigrating to the U.S., classes in Spanish could help them greatly in passing the WASL, Dr. Gomez said.
But such classes will have little effect on students who already prefer the English language or for recently immigrated high school students who received very little schooling in their homeland and are not literate in any language.
Dr. Gomez recalled one of his former middle school students who, for lack of schooling, did not even know how to hold a pencil.
For these students and others, the state is considering development of stronger vocational programs, Dr. Gomez said.
Some of the most promising practices, such as dual language immersion and an increase in bilingual educators, will take longer to have an impact on WASL scores and graduation rates.
Helping all students prepare for good careers after high school - whether in professional or in vocational fields - is not easy, Dr. Gomez said.
"It takes everyone working together," he said, "and it does no good for some people to hide their heads in the sand like an ostrich."