the post-Bergeson future of the WASL

Dick Lilly, on the future of the WASL:

The door is now open to change the type of test from one that is based on a particular educational philosophy (the ultimate problem with the WASL and most tests of its ilk) to one that is content-based. At root, what’s wrong with the WASL is that it is designed in response to the dominant educational philosophy of the past 40 or so years — the “student-centered,” “discovery” learning that de-emphasizes content knowledge in favor of critical thinking. That's a short-hand description and a lot can be said about this approach, but what it amounts to is the contention that you can make profound decisions while looking at a spreadsheet in which every cell is blank.

To get away from this style of testing, Dorn should switch immediately at the high school level to the SAT subject tests (formerly the SAT IIs). These are good if not excellent content tests, as are the advanced placement (AP) tests. Such tests would provide a stunningly clear picture of what our high school graduates know.

2008 OSPI Summer Institute

OSPI had its Summer Institute in Tacoma this past week. In previous years, there was more than one Institute; however, with the professional development associated with the new math standards, money was funneled toward that end.

Terry Bergeson spoke both Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Here are a few highlights from what she shared:

• The State Board of Education (SBE) is preparing some recommendations regarding graduation requirements (Core 24) for the 2009 legislative session. As part of this package, funding needs will be identified. If the legislature does not make the necessary financial commitment, SBE will not move forward with its recommendations. In other words, there will be no unfunded mandates for schools.
• Speaking of funding, Terry has been working with the Basic Education Task Force to shape reform in this area. Details were not available, but three key areas were identified. First, the formula for foundation support (transportation, teacher pay, instructional materials...) needs to change. There also needs to be identified funding for student programs and supporting educators. Stay tuned for more info in the fall. Terry is very keen on doing something about the need to match our resources with our values for schools.
  
• The full math standards (k - 12) have now been approved and preliminary results regarding the three curricula for each school level (elementary, middle, high) will be available mid-August. Information on supplemental materials will be available at some point in the near future. Terry is also asking for a budget package to support schools who will need to purchase new materials.
• The high school dropout rate in Washington has been ~21% over the last four years. Indications are that the rate will be about the same for the Class of 2008, even with all of the new graduation requirements. It appears that graduation rates will be improving in the next few years. Ninth grade is a pivotal year, and the rate has already changed from 5.1% to 3.7%. We are getting more students to the finish line---and with a more meaningful diploma in their hands.
• Native American students have the lowest graduation rate: only 48.9% are finishing high school (about 1500 kids). Asian/Pacific Islanders have the highest graduation rate with 76.4% completing high school. The average of all groups is 72.5%. This includes students who either finish early or finish late.

Considering all of the upcoming changes in math and science, possible credit requirements for graduation, funding needs (in a time of recession), and NCLB backlash, the next legislative session should prove to be a critical one for Washington schools. Hang on for a wild ride.

Diplomas Count, Part I: The Congressional Representative’s Perspective

In my mailbox today was Education Week’s annual report on graduation rates, Diplomas Count. They do an excellent job with their theme issues, and the neat thing about Diplomas Count is just how accessible it is; there’s something in here for everyone. I’ll be taking some time in the coming weeks to highlight the Washington State pieces from the report.

The first interesting bit is a way of thinking about things that had never occurred to me before: looking at graduation rates by congressional district. Most of the state does merely OK, in the 66% to 75% range on the scale that EdWeek uses, but we seem to have a problem on the coast and in southwest Washington: the 6th congressional district (the peninsula and Tacoma, represented by Norm Dicks), the 3rd (southwest, Brian Baird), and the 9th (Olympia and southern King County, Adam Smith) all trail the state average by falling in the 56%-65% range.

I’m sure there’s a reason for each of them to trail, but still.

A fun summer project for someone that's not me would be to break things out by county. I'd suspect that even though the overall picture looks good that the lowest graduation rate could be Adams, Stevens, or Ferry.

Big Announcement Coming From Terry Bergeson

...on the 10th grade WASL scores and how this impacts graduation, this Tuesday, June 3rd at 10:00 a.m. News brief from OSPI here; link to TV Washington here where you'll be able to watch the press conference live.

It should provide some good blog fodder.

Is the WASL a Graduate's Greatest Nemesis?

The Tacoma Herald is reporting that WASL is not the biggest hurdle keeping students from earning diplomas: lack of credits is.

A lack of academic credits looms as a bigger barrier to graduation than the WASL for the class of 2008, according to area school districts...

Consider Cascade High School.

As of Friday, the Everett school had 386 students in its class of 2008, but 63 were behind on credits they need in order to graduate on time.

Of the 323 students on track to earn enough credits to graduate, seven have not passed the WASL's reading mark, five have not passed writing and 15 have not passed both reading and writing portions of the 10th-grade WASL. Of the 27 students with WASL problems, about 40 percent have either not taken the tests or not had their WASL scores recorded.

Of 63 Cascade students behind on credits, seven haven't passed the reading test, nine haven't passed the writing and 11 have not passed either exams.

While teachers and legislators look for ways to delay or de-emphasize the WASL, students need to be paying attention to all of the graduation requirements. It will be a few more months before we know how all of these various considerations truly impact the graduation rate. For now, it doesn't look like we'll be able to blame the WASL.