WA 10th, 11th graders keeping pace with seniors on WASL

Washington's sophomores and juniors are passing the reading and writing tests of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning at about the same pace as this year's seniors, except for those students who are learning English as their second language.

In results released Monday, about 85 percent of the class of 2009 have passed both the reading and writing parts of the WASL as of the spring 2008 tests, and 60 percent have also passed the math test or an approved alternative. Among those juniors learning English as a second language, only about 47 percent have passed both the reading and writing tests.

State schools chief Terry Bergeson said the failure rate among English language learners shows that the state has to provide more money and programs to high schools to reach these recent immigrants, particularly in schools where the population of non-English speakers is small.

"We have to improve the program resources that high schools have to help these students," Bergeson said. "We've got to work smarter."

Giving new immigrants a later graduation date, better screening in bilingual classes for students who need more help, and more state dollars to support these programs will be among the keys to improving the WASL success rate, Bergeson said.

The class of 2010 - this year's sophomores - is also making progress toward meeting their WASL requirements. About 75 percent of this year's sophomore class have passed both the reading and writing tests and nearly 47 percent have also passed the math WASL.

Sophomores and juniors still have numerous chances to pass the WASL or an approved alternative, including the August test, but only if they register by the end of June to take those exams.

Students in this year's graduating class were the first to be required to pass the reading and writing parts of the WASL in order to graduate. But the WASL is just one of four state high school graduation requirements. Students must also earn the required number of credits in each subject area, complete a special project and write a plan for what they will do after graduation.

And they still have the hurdle of the math WASL, although passage of that test is no longer required for graduation. Students are required to keep taking and passing math classes and keep taking the WASL until they pass the test or fulfill one of the approved alternatives - or until they graduate.

Bergeson said the state needs to put more resources into keeping students in school, but she doesn't think the WASL has been a factor in dropout rates.

Some districts are having some success with new student tracking programs, and Bergeson says she is looking for state money to scale up these programs to help kids in every district.

At least 25 percent of every graduating class doesn't make it to the end of their senior year. Bergeson thinks a graduation specialist at every high school could make a big difference for these students, but school districts shouldn't be expected to pay for this new staff member themselves.

"It's a moral imperative that we help these children," Bergeson said.