Reclassifying students buys time for taking WASL

One in four sophomores in Seattle Public Schools has failed so many classes that the district has "reclassified" them as freshmen.

Nearly half the sophomores at Rainier Beach High School and about one-third of the 10th-graders at Cleveland, Chief Sealth and Franklin are now considered freshmen. The 827 students districtwide can remain with their peers in classes, sports and other activities but must make up the credits in night or summer school in order to graduate on time. The reclassification — of which parents and students were notified in recent weeks — is intended to delay the Washington Assessment of Student Learning for 10th-graders who are struggling academically. The class of 2008 is the first that must pass the WASL to graduate.

By removing hundreds of potentially low-scoring students from this spring's WASL, Seattle's WASL scores will likely increase.

But district officials say it's about making sure students are prepared for the high-stakes exam.

"Students who are not on time in terms of credits don't pass the WASL. They are not prepared for it. They have not passed the course work that prepares for the WASL," said John Thorp, who oversees high-school academic programs for the district. "What is the point of putting them through the WASL if they are not ready?"

In recent weeks, counselors and principals have been flooded with calls from concerned parents and students. District administrators originally reclassified about 1,000 Seattle sophomores, but nearly 200 were erroneous, and most have been rectified, district officials said.

"I panicked," said a 15-year-old Sealth sophomore who was reclassified because she failed two courses as a ninth-grader in the Highline School District. "The letter gave me motivation. It made me realize that I have to be serious with what I am doing. I've got to make sure I concentrate this year more than last year."

The teen, who said she didn't want her name used because she's embarrassed about the reclassification, plans to enroll in two summer classes and perhaps two after-school credit-retrieval courses in the fall to catch up.

Tacoma, Kent, Shoreline and Clover Park are among the Puget Sound districts with a reclassifying policy, but Seattle may be the only district to adjust its policies in light of the WASL as a graduation requirement.

Seattle high-school students must earn 20 credits to graduate, or at least five credits annually. In years past, Seattle students were considered sophomores in their second year, regardless of how many credits they earned. But because of the WASL graduation requirement, Seattle schools officials last fall tightened the transcript rules, saying they wanted more time to help students pass the high-stakes exam. (Students who fail the WASL can retake it up to four times.)

In the class of 2007 — Seattle students who took the WASL as sophomores last year — nine out of 10 who had fewer than five credits failed the math portion.

"If these kids have not passed their ninth-grade math class, there is almost no chance they are going to pass the WASL," said Thorp.

The concentration of new freshmen is highest at schools with large populations of ethnic minorities and students on the federal free- and reduced-price lunch program — groups most at risk of failing the WASL.

Statewide, statistics from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction show that 75 percent of low-income students and nearly 80 percent of Hispanic, African-American and Native American students failed at least one portion of the WASL last spring.

Administrators are predicting record summer-school enrollment at a time when the district is financially strapped.

Thorp estimates the district needs at least $100,000, maybe $200,000, to offer more summer courses to handle the flood of enrollment. District officials are looking at Initiative 728 funds, the federal Title I program and other resources, Thorp said.

Officials are also considering opening evening classes, traditionally for juniors and seniors, to reclassified students.

Many district administrators and high-school counselors said the reclassification is a good indicator of who's having trouble academically: Those who fall behind in credits early are often the students who drop out or don't graduate on time.

"We are concerned with so many kids who are not graduating in four years. We figure that in order to get them back on track, you can't wait until they are juniors or seniors. Some are so far back that they have lost the will to go on" and drop out, said Thorp. "If you can catch a kid now instead of waiting until he is a junior or senior, chances are better he will" catch up.

At Rainier Beach High School, head counselor Aurora Escame was disappointed but not surprised that nearly half of the sophomores had not passed enough classes. "When I checked the [eighth-grade] WASL scores for incoming freshmen, some were reading at third- and fourth-grade level," she said.

The staff wants to add a "seventh period" after-school class on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help students catch up, though school administrators are unsure whether they have enough funds.

Principal Robert Gary Jr. said many reclassified students are one class away from regaining sophomore status. The upside, said Gary, is that "now we can concentrate on those kids who are being reclassified and come up with a program for them."

"You have to look at the type of students we have at this school," said Rainier Beach PTSA president Diane Davis-Mitchell, referring to the roughly 60 percent of students on free and reduced-price lunch. Teachers, parents and the community have to step up, she said. "That is something that we have been stressing. It takes everyone," she said.

At Sealth High in West Seattle, Principal John Boyd said some students were "absolutely devastated" by the reclassification letter mailed on Jan. 26, but he said it was the honest thing to do because "you have to be able to pass some classes" to be considered a sophomore.

The reclassification was a great way to "light a fire under them," added Sealth High PTSA co-president Joyce Horvath. "We don't need to sugarcoat anything.

"If we expect them to pass the WASL, they need to pass their regular classes," she said. "If there is an area they need to improve on, they need to go to summer school."

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com