New test gets high marks

I am a ninth-grader at Mead. I am taking the practice test called the High School Proficiency Exam, also known as HSPE. The sophomores, juniors and seniors are taking the graded test.

I agree entirely with the new test called HSPE. I like this test more because it requires the same amount of thinking, compared to the prior test, but the format is friendlier.

The old test was called the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, also known as the WASL. The test has a new name and a new layout which has less full-page writing and more multiple choices.

The WASL was troubling because the questions were not always straightforward. The HSPE questions are to the point. This test will not be complicated for students; students had difficulties with the WASL.

Though I listened in class and was prepared, the layout of the WASL was intimidating. When Gov. Christine Gregoire said, “Education can lift individuals out of poverty and into rewarding careers,” she made a big point. People want to learn when they are confident, and I feel the WASL prohibits confidence. I feel HSPE allows kids to feel secure allowing for a better education and future.

Michael Botterbusch

Spokane