Superintendent's proposed changes to WASL not progress

The following guest editorial was written by David Phelps, director of communications for Washington Education Association.

For years, Washington teachers have suggested similar improvements to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The existing WASL is too long. It takes too much time away from actual teaching. It doesn't provide teachers with the information they need to help their students.

Teachers have opposed using the WASL as a high-stakes test that prevents students from graduating, even if they've met high academic standards in other ways.

WEA supports an assessment system that includes tests and other measures that provide measurement of student performance on the state standards, provides timely, diagnostic feedback, recognizes and is sensitive to diverse cultures and abilities of all students, does not significantly reduce actual teaching time and is cost-effective.

Above all, the assessment system must provide the necessary information that drives instruction meeting individual student needs.

Consistent with all the major education organizations and standardized testing companies, WEA believes no single test or other single measure can legitimately be used for making life decisions.

Superintendent Dorn's proposed changes begin to address some of our recommendations. Unfortunately, he continues to ignore teachers on the issue of a high-stakes, single qualifying test. Superintendent Dorn plans to use this new test in the same way as the old WASL. This is not progress.

- David Phelps