WASL math delay not a certainty

High school students who didn’t pass the math section of the WASL shouldn’t count on the Legislature to bail them out, state officials caution.

“It would be unwise for any students to assume anything but that they are going to need to meet standards,” said Thomas Shapley, spokesman for the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. “The important message is, don’t feel like you are going to get a reprieve from the Legislature.”

Gov. Chris Gregoire and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson asked state lawmakers to postpone until 2011 a requirement that high school students pass the math section of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in order to graduate. The proposal calls for allowing students in the classes of 2008 through 2010 to graduate without meeting the math standard, as long as they take and pass additional math classes.

Without the delay, just under half of the state’s current 11th-graders risk not graduating on time. Those students should be registering now to retake the test in spring, state officials say.

Science will be a graduation requirement for the class of 2010 – this year’s freshmen. Only about 35 percent of last year’s 10th-graders met the science standard, so it’s also a concern.

“We are going to register all juniors to take the WASL in the content area for which they have not yet met standard,” said Emmett Arndt, executive director of teaching and learning services for Spokane schools.

Gregoire’s proposal has a lot of support but the legislative session just started, and it’s likely the outcome of the proposal won’t be known until later this spring when the session ends. “That’s always true with a legislation; it’s got a long way to go,” Shapley said.

So students are encouraged to “stay the course,” he said.

It’s also possible that if the proposal is approved, students still would need to take additional math courses.

“We know our graduates need to leave high school with the highest level of understanding in mathematics as they can attain,” Arndt said.

This year Spokane Public Schools added the requirement that all high school students take another year of math. Previously math classes were required only through sophomore year, and then became electives.

“It really reflects the goal in our strategic plan that our graduates will be well prepared for college and post-secondary successes,” Arndt said.

For college standards, students should leave high school with at least pre-calculus level math, Arndt said. That’s beyond what’s required by the WASL.

Students have five chances to pass all sections of the WASL, the state’s answer to federal No Child Left Behind requirements. The federal law states that every child must be proficient in reading and math by 2014.

After two failed attempts, students in Washington can show skill through alternative methods, including passing the math section of the SAT.

About 11,673 of last year’s 10th-graders retook the exam in August, and of those about one quarter met standard. About 70,000 students statewide take the test each spring.

This year, the high school writing and reading exams are scheduled for March 13-15 and March 19-20, respectively. Math and science will be administered April 17-20. Scores will be released in June.