Passing WASL found to be within arm’s reach

One point.

Like forgetting to explain why the answer was “Miguel” on a math story problem about borrowed calculators. Or pulling just one detail instead of two from a story about quarrelling woodcarvers.

That’s all that separates hundreds of Washington 10th-graders from passing the state’s high-stakes math, reading and writing tests – or being turned back to try again.

Sophomores on Monday start tackling the Washington Assessment of Student Learning exams. They’ll be under unprecedented pressure as the first class whose diplomas hang on passing the WASL.

The Everett Herald analyzed more than 76,000 individual student test scores to see just how far teens were from meeting the state’s graduation standard.

There is hope. The data show that passing the tests is within reach for the majority of students – including many who are gripping their No. 2 pencils in fear.

With practice, patience and perseverance, most of today’s 15- and 16-year-olds will stroll over the “pass” line and across the stage by 2008.

In general, students need little better than the equivalent of a “D” letter grade to pass the WASL.

“I don’t see this as a time to panic,” Gov. Chris Gregoire said.

Statewide, more than 43,000 students failed at least one of the three tests last year. The analysis shows that nearly 30 percent were within spitting distance on the subjects they missed.

More than 2,500 students – including 192 in Spokane County – failed the WASL by just one point last year.

There are a host of reasons students don’t quite get over the bar.

Maybe they just need a bit of extra instruction in writing a five-paragraph essay. Perhaps they need some lessons in how to take a test such as the WASL. It could be they’ve been skipping too many classes, or they’ve moved between schools that use different math curriculum.

Going too fast could also be the problem. A close look at test results shows that a tendency to rush and miss what the test is asking figures into low scores.

On last year’s math test, for example, the biggest stumbling blocks were story problems that asked students to show step-by-step how they reached their solution. Each step along the way was worth a point.

Passing rates are expected to jump dramatically overnight when this year’s test scores are released in June.

Besides the extra preparation being done at most schools, there’s extra motivation, since this year’s sophomores are the first required to pass the tests in order to graduate.

It means they’re more likely to try harder and score better. It also means they’re more likely to take the test in the first place.

Students who “opt out” of taking the WASL earn a zero score. Among school districts based in Spokane County, 137 students refused to take one or more of the tests, the Herald’s examination showed. They made up 4 percent of those who would have failed the WASL graduation standard.

State educators predict the number of students passing all three tests this spring will leap 15 percent, to 56 percent, thanks largely to newfound motivation.

It’s a pattern seen in other states that have introduced exit exams.

“States put the exam in place and everybody freaks out. ‘Oh, there’s going to be a train wreck,’ ” said Patty Sullivan, director of the Center on Education Policy in Washington, D.C. “In the end, students do pass it and it’s not an issue.”

It helps that the state is investing $28.5 million to ensure that passing rates go up, targeting extra dollars to students who fail the WASL tests this spring. Students have five tries to pass each test.

With the new money promised by lawmakers, state assessment chief Greg Hall predicts more than 90 percent of the Class of 2008 will pass the WASL, or an alternative, by graduation day.

Students more than ever are realizing the importance of the WASL, Gregoire said.

“They’re going to have to work hard and take the test seriously.”