Monday, April 21, 2008 - Page updated at 05:25 PM

Teacher refuses to give the WASL, gets 2 weeks without pay

A Seattle middle school science teacher has been suspended for two weeks without pay for refusing to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in his classroom.

Union officials and education leaders say Carl Chew of Nathan Eckstein Middle School may be the first teacher in Washington to be suspended for refusing to give his students the high-stakes test.

Chew says he has been teaching for about eight years and has felt bad every time he administered the WASL. He decided to take a stand this year. Chew says the WASL disrupts learning, harms students and doesn't help schools do a better job of educating the state's young people.

Chew says this act of civil disobedience will cost him about $1,000 in pay, but not the job he loves. He has received messages of support from parents and teachers from around the state.

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