WASL puts strain on students’ class schedules

By this time of the year, high school students should know what their schedules are going to look like in the fall.

That’s not the case for some students.

Under changes made by the state Legislature for students not passing the math portion of the WASL, some students will be signing up for additional math courses. Schools won’t know until today how students scored on the high-stakes exam they took this spring – a test that’s tied to graduation. Therefore, schools don’t know how many students will need more math courses.

“It is going to create some problem-solving for us,” said Emmett Arndt, executive director for teaching and learning for Spokane Public Schools. “Probably the largest concern is: Do we have enough math teachers for these additional sections of math?”

Previously, sophomores beginning with the class of 2008 were required to pass all three sections of the WASL – reading, math and writing – in order to graduate.

After dismal math scores for students last year – 46 percent did not pass – state legislators decided to enact a delay for some portions of the test. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the bill in May that will delay the math and science portions of the WASL until 2013. Science was not scheduled to become a requirement until 2010. Students will still have to pass reading and writing.

But the delay was a not a free pass for students who struggle with math.

Most area schools require only two to three years of math for graduation. Those students, specifically incoming seniors, who have not yet passed the WASL will be required to sign up for another year of math regardless of whether the school requires it.

“It’s going to have a significant impact on those students who set aside required electives until their senior year,” said Evan Sorenson, a Central Valley School District administrator. “It certainly is going to have an impact on the path to graduation; it will likely mean summer school for some students.”

School officials said that many summer school courses within the district are already near capacity, and that’s before WASL scores are known.

“Kids that struggle with math and don’t like math now have to take more math,” Sorenson added. “Are we reinforcing math skills or reinforcing the message that they aren’t good at it?”

Students can still try to meet standard on the WASL by showing their skills through an alternative assessment, including scoring high on the SAT or PSAT college entrance exams or by submitting a portfolio of work called a collection of evidence.

“Just delaying it won’t change anything,” Sorenson said. “I hope the state uses the time to make careful decisions about the test itself, and an overhaul of the math piece may be what’s necessary.”