Gregoire delays WASL math, science requirements

OLYMPIA — Gov. Christine Gregoire today delayed until 2013 a requirement that students pass the math and science portions of a high-stakes exam in order to graduate from high school.

She also vetoed large sections of the bill overhauling the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) exam.

Gregoire said she would have preferred to delay the math and science WASL graduation requirement only until 2012.

She cut the sections of the WASL overhaul bill that would have established end-of-course exams, regional appeals, a special exemption for students learning English as a second language, and the clause declaring an emergency.

Gregoire said her actions should not be interpreted as a move away from high standards.

"We're not going to give up on our students in the state of Washington," she said, adding that every student deserves a chance to meet the high standards necessary to compete in the global economy.

The Class of 2008 was scheduled to be the first group required to pass the reading, writing and math sections of the WASL in order to graduate. The science section of the test was set to become a graduation requirement in 2010.

The 2008 class will still be required to pass the writing and reading tests.

The WASL was created in response to state and federal pressure to hold high-school students to higher academic standards.

According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 10,831 of this year's high school juniors who have taken the test did not pass the reading portion, 11,718 haven't passed writing and 32,855 haven't passed math. The class includes 82,992 students, but not all have taken all three sections of the test.