Bergeson will offer continued progress

The race for Washington superintendent of public instruction is usually pretty quiet, but this year it has become a raucous referendum on school reform, with the centerpiece being the high-stakes Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

The incumbent, Terry Bergeson, is devoted to the movement that began in 1993, when the Legislature passed a sweeping package of reforms. The challenger, Judith Billings, says the reforms have swerved off track. Billings, who served as the state schools chief from 1988 to 1996, notes that teachers were to be the target of accountability, but now that the WASL has become a graduation requirement (beginning with the class of 2008), students are also under the gun.

To determine whether that’s a valid criticism, it helps to visit the past. In the early 1990s, Washington state’s schools were judged to be in the middle of the pack nationwide. Today, they are in the top tier.

Back then, business leaders complained that public schools were not turning out graduates who were prepared for an evolving economy and its emphasis on knowledge-based jobs. Today, business has become an integral partner in education reform and a staunch supporter of the WASL.

In recent years, the federal government has intervened with the No Child Left Behind Act, which ties federal dollars to school performance. Both candidates have legitimate criticisms of NCLB, but the state can’t afford to ignore the mandates.

We believe the state has invested too much in reform to turn back. Math and reading test scores have risen dramatically, especially among fourth- and seventh-graders. The achievement gap for low-income and minority students has narrowed. Bergeson deserves some credit for that.

We think making the 10th-grade WASL a graduation requirement is fair and realistic. Without that, students might not take it seriously, which could provide a skewed assessment of schools and teachers. Bergeson has worked hard to add flexibility. Tenth-graders get four shots at passing the test and the state has come up with alternative assessments. Bergeson has also wrangled sensible concessions from the feds on the controversial adequate yearly progress requirements.

Billings’ critiques are thoughtful and in many respects on the mark. But she comes up short when explaining how the state can measure progress and achievement across disparate districts while at the same time de-emphasizing the WASL.

School reform is in its 11th year, and the results are generally positive. Terry Bergeson should be rewarded with re-election.