End-of-course exams back again

The end-of-course exams that Gov. Christine Gregoire vetoed last year are back this legislative session with even more momentum than before.

Lawmakers voted last week to replace the 10th-grade math WASL by 2014 with two exams to be given at the end of classes often taken by freshmen and sophomores in high school: algebra I and geometry I or, in districts with integrated math, integrated mathematics I and integrated mathematics II. The new tests would be phased in over the next few years.

As of now, students must pass the math section of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to graduate, or continue to pass math classes through their senior year.

Opposition to end-of-course exams hasn't been as strong this year for a variety of reasons, and, as of about a week ago, Gregoire hadn't decided whether she'll nix the proposal once again.

The governor "is open to considering it," said Judy Hartmann, her executive policy adviser for K-12 education.

Last year, the idea drew opposition from groups that thought the idea was too hastily proposed. Critics also worried that exchanging one test for another wouldn't help the math challenges facing the state and might make them worse.

A year later, however, supporters can point to a study commissioned by the state Board of Education that concluded that both kinds of tests can do a good job of determining whether students have the skills the state requires, but both have strengths and weaknesses.

In particular, the study found that end-of-course exams can expose math weaknesses sooner. Given that students will soon have to pass a state math exam to graduate — whether it's the WASL or end-of-course tests — many see an advantage in earlier intervention.

"It makes remediation easier," said state Rep. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, the main sponsor of the House bill.

The State Board report also concluded that end-of-course exams often bring greater consistency in what's taught in math classes. The advantages of the WASL included less testing time and cost.

House lawmakers also are no longer pushing for end-of-course exams in science.

And with all the other changes under consideration for the WASL, a switch to end-of-course exams may be one of many adjustments to be made in the next few years. Among other things, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is in the middle of writing a new blueprint for what students should learn in math at each grade level. The math WASL likely will have to change to take those new learning standards into account.

If Gregoire doesn't veto them again, the end-of-course exams in algebra I and integrated mathematics I would be available for optional use in the 2009-10 school year. Geometry and integrated II would follow in 2010-11. The end-of-course test would replace the math WASL in 2014 as the math exam students would have to pass to graduate from high school.

Linda Shaw: 206-464-2359 or lshaw@seattletimes.com