Kids helping kids learn the ropes
Central Valley High School freshman Tyler Griffing knows one thing he must do to graduate in 2008.
“That’s the first thing they tell you when you walk through the door,” Griffing said. “You have to pass the WASL.”
But like many of the 450 freshmen at CV, Griffing couldn’t tell you how many credits he needs to graduate or which classes are required. He couldn’t tell you the consequences of failing classes, or why meeting all the requirements – including passing the much-talked-about Washington Assessment of Student Learning – will matter even after he graduates.
On Tuesday, juniors and seniors at CV were learning how they can help freshmen get a grasp on all that, through a state-funded, student-led project called “Student to Student: Change Your World.” Upperclassmen all over the state are getting the training this month so they can teach the material to their younger peers this spring.
The project consists of a video and curriculum – both developed with help from a recent CV graduate – explaining state high school graduation requirements and laws. It is part of a Washington State Student Engagement Initiative, funded by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in partnership with the Washington Association of Student Councils.
The class of 2008 is the first required to pass the WASL to graduate. By 2014, every student in the nation must take a state test to demonstrate proficiency in reading and math, a goal set forth by the president’s No Child Left Behind Act.
“We have this widespread education reform out there, but the kids don’t get it,” said Leanne Donley, Central Valley leadership teacher. “They don’t know what is required of them.”
The Student to Student project was created in 2003, with the help of former Central Valley student Andrea Naccarato, who is now a freshman at Whitworth College. She was a student member of the State Board of Education.
Naccarato and Kouroush Zamanizadeh of Western Washington, another student board member, took charge of the project.
“So much of education now just focuses on the WASL that students don’t hear about the other things out there that they need,” Naccarato said. “It’s so important that kids have some ownership in their education.”
The program is voluntary, and students have to go to the principals in their schools and ask to teach it.
Through the WASC board, students at Central Valley, Lewis and Clark, and Mead high schools have been selected to be in charge of contacting all the Greater Spokane League schools to get them involved, Naccarato said.
The video was completed by a professional production company last year, and made its debut in Spokane this fall at the Washington State School Directors Association annual conference.
Students interviewed in the video are surprised to learn that to graduate they need 19 credits in the core subject areas: math, science, English, and social studies. They can fail no more than two classes in four years.
They also learn that they have to pass the WASL to earn a Certificate of Academic Achievement, and complete a senior project, both required for a diploma.
“It’s neat to be a part of something that will hopefully help kids see they can succeed, that they can go out in the world and make a difference,” Naccarato said. “I think if just one kid takes his education seriously because of this, then we have accomplished our goal.”