Change Washington's graduation math requirements and keep bar high

HOW do we do the right thing for our students? I wake up every day asking myself that question. I want them to have the best education they can, and today that means placing a special emphasis on math and science.

A number of states are getting it right. The expectation in Massachusetts, for example, is to educate all students to a "proficient" level. But educators know that to succeed in the world, "basic" skills are necessary, so Massachusetts allows students to graduate if they show they have basic skills on the state test and continue passing math courses. If they show they have proficient skills, they do not need additional math courses.

I propose to use Massachusetts' "two-tiered" model for Washington. In broader terms, it's time to set our graduation bar for math at the right level.

In 1993, when I was chairman of the House Education Committee, our state began a process to create minimum learning standards and a testing system to ensure that students met those standards. I believed then, and I believe now, that we need to set high standards and hold students accountable to meeting them before we hand them a high-school diploma.

Progress has definitely been made in reading and writing. But math and science have been persistent challenges. Simply put, an unacceptably high number of students do not pass our state math and science tests.

That's the situation I inherited when I took office in January.

In 2008, lawmakers made two key decisions: They directed the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the state Board of Education to create new learning standards in math and science, and they called for "end-of-course" tests to replace our comprehensive high-school math tests.

While I think these decisions have moved us in the right direction, we must give students time to learn the new standards before holding them accountable through high-stakes testing. Students just now learning new standards can't reasonably be expected to pass tests that are required for graduation.

And because we have new standards, we also must determine the bar students need to pass to graduate. If we set it too low, we'll devalue math and science, a major mistake in our increasingly technological world. At the same time, we must remember that we are talking about the minimum requirements necessary to graduate from high school, not what we expect of math and science majors at four-year universities.

Therefore, I am asking the Legislature to make four major changes regarding math and science:

• Delay the math graduation requirement to 2015.

• Establish a "two-tier" bar for the math graduation requirement in which one tier — "proficient" — is a goal but another — "basic" — is enough to earn a diploma.

• Create end-of-course tests in physical science and life science instead of offering a single comprehensive high-school science test.

• Delay the science graduation requirement until 2017, so we can gain some experience with these new tests.

Under my plan, all students would take, and be tested, in either Algebra I or Integrated Math I, and either Geometry or Integrated Math II. If they test "proficient" in both, they will meet the graduation requirement. If they achieve at least "basic" on both, they will graduate if they earn an additional math credit after 10th grade. If they don't make basic in both, they must earn an additional math credit after 10th grade and be re-tested until they reach at least the basic standard. This is a standard that is rigorous, but realistic.

Washingtonians have been arguing about where to set the high-school graduation bar for more than 15 years. Families are losing patience. Let's work together and finally get it right.

Randy Dorn is the state superintendent of public instruction.