Thousands retake WASL in August

Math teacher Kent Johnson, right, of Pasco High School completes the
final session of his summer WASL-preparation class and wishes
his students good luck in the Aug. 7-10 WASL retakes.

Thousands retake
WASL in August

WASL records already set in spring testing

By Editor Ken Harvey

The vast majority of students who took the 10^th-grade WASL exam have learned the essential skills expected of them in reading and writing, says Dr. Terry Bergeson, the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.

However, while gains were made in mathematics, nearly half of those taking that section of the WASL failed to pass it.

Of the 71,136 sophomores who took the reading test, 60,873 students met or exceeded the standard last spring. And more than half of the students – 43,758 – scored in the highest performance level, Level 4.

This year’s results also show a two-thirds reduction in the number of students scoring in the lowest performance level (Level 1) in the reading section of WASL, according to OSPI.

Writing scores showed similarly impressive improvement, says Dr. Bergeson. Of the 70,812 sophomores who took the writing test, 59,196 met or exceeded the standard -- nearly 10,000 more students than last year. There were also two-thirds fewer students performing in Level 1.

However, of the 70,255 who took the mathematics test, about 46 percent could not pass it, according to OSPI. Nevertheless, there were important improvements -- 37,866 did meet or exceed the standard, and there was a one-third reduction in the number of students still in Level 1.

Meanwhile, the Legislature this year appropriated $28.5 million in supplemental funding to help the Class of 2008 pass the WASL, as now required for graduation.

This funding included $3.1 million for the summer program, along with $19.3 million for remedial classes during the regular school year for the failing students and $6.1 million for additional programs such as before- and after-school programs and teacher development.

While the number of students taking advantage of this year’s newly funded summer WASL preparation classes has been lower than desired, thousands of students statewide have sacrificed much of their summer vacation in order to take the classes with hopes of passing the WASL during the August retakes, also initiated this year.

There were many reasons why more students did not sign up for the summer classes this year. No one knew if there would be a summer program until the Legislature passed the funding toward the end of the school year. The students themselves did not know what sections of WASL they passed or failed until about June 8, two weeks before summer classes were to begin. Many families had already made other plans.

And migrant students – the group that struggles most with passing the state’s achievement test – frequently have to work during the summer to help support their families and to even earn enough money for school supplies in the fall.

“We called almost 120 students and offered the summer program to them free of charge, and of course they would receive credit for it. We were only able to get 65 of them to sign up,” says Pete Peterson, the Pasco High School summer school principal.

However, “the first year of any program is going to be difficult,” Peterson says. “When we start any pilot program here at Pasco high school, the first year is always low. But as the kids get more information and get used to seeing the program, they start coming more and more. For the students who chose to take part in it, it was very, very good.”

Nevertheless, about 15,000 students have signed up to retake all or part of the WASL on Aug. 7-10.

The summer WASL prep classes were aimed at helping Level 2 students just a few points away from passing a particular section of WASL last spring. The results could raise the percentage of those passing the reading and writing to around 90 percent.

The largest number of students, however, signed up to take the math section of the test. The 10,000 students who have signed up to retake the math section could significantly raise the portion passing that section, as well.