WASL week dispatches

The Times is following three local sophomores, all of whom failed at least one portion of the WASL in seventh grade. Last month, during the reading and writing portion of the WASL, the teens filed daily dispatches about their experiences. They'll be doing the same this week, during the math portion of the test.

Mandy Schendel, Hazen High School, Renton

Day 1: Science
Apparently the people that came up with the science portion of the WASL didn't realize that – at least at my school – most of the sophomores haven't had physics yet. Some of my science questions were physics related. I don't have a sense of how well I did.

I need a special red phone to call the Governor and ask if someone there would please come to our school and talk with the students to see first hand how little this WASL test is helping our future. In fact it is hurting a lot of the students who are beginning to feel like failures. I realize it's not all the Governor's responsibility, but why not start at the top and work down? I absolutely refuse to believe that any of us should feel like a failure or success based on one WASL test. I measure my own success in a totally different way…..by pursuing my vocal music career goals and having an unwillingness to ever quit what I believe in. I do not enjoy having one test determine if I fit into some committee's idea of what my educational box should look like.

I have an idea.....we could conduct a test. We should have 25 CEOs across Washington state take the WASL test. If they pass all areas, I would honestly re-think my opinion. If they fail, we would all go to the Olympia together and make some serious waves. I think we could televise this! Anyone know a CEO?

Day 2: Science
Today was very similar to yesterday's test-taking experience. I went in knowing it would be hard and that I probably wouldn't feel confident when I was done and, just as I assumed, that was how I felt. When I finished, I really wanted to close the book, jump up, and scream! I was thinking something along the lines of "I'M DONE, I DON'T EVER WANT TO TAKE THIS AGAIN"; however, I soon realized that many people were still taking the test so I quietly closed my book and said it to the girl sitting next to me.

My biology teacher and I have a great student-teacher relationship and we have fun, intellectual conversations. After taking the test I was able to sit down and talk with him for a while about how there were test questions on the WASL that I hadn't yet been taught in class. In some cases I had to totally guess. How on earth can we pass if we haven't studied the subject? He said that hopefully next year they will be able to change the curriculum so that it is focused more on things students would actually see on the WASL. It seems silly that instead of our schools educating us in the manner that is best for us, they have to change the curriculum and teach to one test.

On the positive side, I cannot put into words the amazing feeling that I have right now. Worrying about a test for two weeks caused me a lot of stress. I spent many nights worrying, and many days anxious. There truly are no words that can express this feeling of simply being done. I am excited and thrilled and proud to know that I got through it, and I don't even need a respirator! Whether I pass or not, I did my best and used the skills I've been taught through school. That is enough for me.

Day 1: Math
I walked in today feeling rather uneasy about the whole situation knowing it was the Math test. To be totally honest, I was feeling "slightly freaky" about it. To start the day, things threw me off because we changed seats and it became very unorganized and I have issues around things being….well….unorganized! I listened intently during the instructions so not to miss any key information. The test started out with pretty simple questions. There were a few that threw me off, but I reread them and got back on track. Toward the end of the test, though, I began to struggle with some of the more complex questions. Some had multiple parts and those threw me off more and I was stuck on them for a long time. I kept repeatedly going through the same problems over and over to feel good about it. I never did feel good about it. I ended up having to stay longer than the allotted two hours while some of the students left for class. What was interesting though…about half the sophomore class was in the room with me trying to finish as well, and I thought it was interesting that so many of us hadn't finished the test yet.

It was a bit "freaky" at this point because I've NEVER taken longer than the allotted time allowed for a test. That made my nerves more on edge than usual, but I only had two more questions to go. I got them finished fast, but took another 20 minutes looking over all the other problems and trying to decide if I had the right answers. I played a lot of "guess and check" which also didn't help my nerves a bit! I would see an answer that I thought was wrong, but was unsure how to resolve it.

After speaking with my friends during lunch, I became even more uncertain about how well I did because they are in higher level math classes than I am, and I had completely different answers than they had. It worries me that I may not have done very well, but all I can do is look over some math problems tonight, eat, get some good sleep and hope that things go better tomorrow.

Day 2: Math
Well now that math testing is over, I can breathe again and get back to learning my lines for the school play. After having such a tough time yesterday with the first math test, today was easy breezy! I feel like I totally aced the test today and I would have high fived everyone if I didn't mind looking like an idiot. If only we could erase yesterday's test score (I don't even WANT to see it) and just go with today's test instead. Some classmates thought it was harder today, but the majority of the students seemed to feel good about the day.

Whew. I'm SO GLAD the math portion is DONE. I despise the idea of being a National Honor Society member and possibly (no, probably) failing the WASL math portion. Actually, if I do fail —oh I hate to even go there— I might need to come up with a student education coalition that can take the lessons we learned from being under the pressure of the WASL program this year and sit in front of the legislators so they can hear the voices of the students who have suffered through this testing process. There has got to be a better way!!!

Rickey Combs, Chief Sealth High, Seattle

Day 1: Science
Today was medium. It wasn't too hard. I got through all the problems on the test before the break. I believe I did a good job except on one problem. I slowed down because I didn't know how to do it but I still tried. I think that's all that counts when it comes to not knowing a problem – try your best. I really have become more confident as the WASL has gone on because I'm getting the hang of the problems. I hope I pass.

Day 2: Science
Today was the last day and I felt really relieved because I know I tried my best throughout the whole WASL, but today I focused in and understood every problem. I haven't had anything to eat today, but despite that, I was able to focus. I was thinking to myself: "Why do we have to take this section if we don't have to pass?' And I came to the conclusion that they are using us as test subjects. I think that's a poor excuse for giving us a test. If we are to be tested, let it be on something we have learned. I give great respect to those who are fighting against the WASL, but I still take it seriously because I know it might affect my future. All in all, the test today was easy.

Day 1: Math
Today, for the most part, was easy. I got a lot of the problems done within an average of two minutes. There were a lot of problems that you had to concentrate on and think about. I remember going over problems twice just so I could understand them clearly; that way I wouldn't get the wrong answer. It didn't take me long before I finished, but I still went back and checked my work three times just to make sure I wrote everything right. Everybody was finishing faster than I thought they would, but I didn't pay any attention to them because I believe that the longer you work on something, the better you do. I ate breakfast at school, and that really fueled me to stay awake and concentrate on the math WASL. They gave us a formula sheet and a calculator and that really helped because there were some terms that we needed our memories refreshed on. I used those tools and I got through within about 85 minutes. A lot of kids thought the test was going to be harder than it was, but it was actually kind of easy. I feel I have improved in my math, even if I don't pass this time.

Day 2: Math
Today was easy for me because the math problems they asked I could understand quickly. I struggled on one of the problems but I was able to figure it out. I took my time on every problem and once I did that I was able to understand the problem more quickly. I couldn't believe that I had figured out the problems so easily when I focused more. The WASL really wasn't that bad. I think everyone made it seem harder than it really was.

Wilber Romero, Federal Way High School, Federal Way

NEW
Day 1: Science
The first day of the science was easy since most of the questions were multiple choice. All I had to do was read and pick an answer. But you know there is always a hard part and the hard part of today was when I had to do a lab. It was kind of hard because I had to go back to the story and find things that were needed to answer my questions. Plus, I was late to school again. Still, I took my time doing the WASL. I felt relaxed because science doesn't count (for graduation) so this made me feel less stressed out.

Day 1: Math
The Math WASL was hard today! The problems were too hard and I didn't get them because every little thing had to be explained. For example, they wanted to know "how" I got an answer and while I knew I had the answer right, I wasn't sure how to write it out. I am not that confident with what I did today because the problems didn't look like what I have been learning in geometry this year so far. I was also LATE to the testing because I couldn't wake up and that made me even more stressed out taking the test in the library with all these other kids I didn't know. My cell phone kept buzzing because Mr. V kept calling me to see where I was today. (David Vinson, Wilber's English teacher called in the morning to make sure Wilber made it to school.)

NEW
Day 2: Math
Some of the problems were easier today. Some were like ones I learned in elementary school. But most of them were harder for me than yesterday's. I know I did bad on the problems where I had to explain how I got my answer. I didn't know how to explain the numbers and I couldn't think clearly. Then I started thinking I was going to write the wrong thing and get the question wrong so I wrote less than I probably should have because I didn't want to write too much and get it wrong! I was on time today because my girl called me and woke me up at 5:45 a.m. and this was good because I was able to take my time getting ready, was able to eat breakfast and relax. Science will be gravy baby because it's easier for me to figure out!
(Note: The last two days of 10th-grade WASL testing cover science. Passing the science section of the WASL won't be required for graduation until 2010.)

WASL Reading and Writing
March 13-16

Rickey Combs, Chief Sealth High, Seattle

Day 1
Monday, March 13: "So far the WASL has been OK. I really haven't been stressing it. It was easy this morning. I ate breakfast like a lot of people said to do. I got a lot of sleep. When I woke up I was feeling good, so when I got to school and started doing the test, it was a breeze for me, it really was. On top of that, I really didn't study because there was nothing you could study for to be prepared for this test. I did everything I possibly could to be ready for this test. I'm feeling good about the test and I think I'm doing an excellent job."

Day 2
Tuesday, March 14: "The second day was easier than the first day, and the reason I say that is because the questions about the stories were easy. I was able to comprehend really well and the things that they put on the test were easy for a sophomore to understand. I was expecting something harder. It didn't even have a vocabulary section. At the end of the test, I went back and checked over my work, and I felt I passed without any problems or complications. Tomorrow I just look forward to the writing section. That's my strongest area of out all the sections. A lot of students today for some reason were sick and that's going to affect them, and make most of them have to take the test over in August. A lot of kids, even though they were sick, were trying to be there for the WASL because they don't want to have to retake it. A lot of people were sniffling during the test and coughing. One of my teachers, my language arts teacher, said that's why they (the state) are thinking about different options. One day you might be sick, and you do the test and don't do as well as if you weren't sick. So they're taking that into consideration."

Day 3
Wednesday, March 15: Day Three was a little bit tougher because it was an expository essay, and specific guidelines were to be followed in order to get the most possible points. So I put extra time and effort into writing. I believe I did good. I used a lot of detail in my essay. I hope I pass the writing part, but I feel it was much harder than the first time I took it (in 7th grade.) A lot of the other kids didn't even get to first period and some were still working on it when lunchtime came. I only worked through the first 10 minutes of first period, then I went to class. When I first saw the expository checklist, I was a little bit nervous because there were so many requirements. But I focused and I used my prewriting skills and ideas, and I got through all of the requirements. This day, I would say, of all the other days was the hardest for me, but it didn't stop me from finishing the essay. I feel pretty confident because they provided resources like paper for prewriting and dictionaries to make sure we spelled our words correctly. I wasn't feeling too good today, and my head was hurting a little bit but I was still able to focus on the test and finish because I don't want to have to retake any part of the test in August. So far, I'm hanging in there to do the best I can on the WASL.

Day 4
Thursday, March16: Today I was feeling a lot better so I was able to concentrate more on what I was assigned to do. We had to write a persuasive essay on how we felt if the Seattle School Board required daily homework for every class. I believe I did really good on the prompt because it was an interesting topic that I have thought about before. I finished my test within 90 minutes. I believe I did a fantastic job because today was a really easy day. There were certain things that at first I wasn't sure of because of the checklist (the requirements for the writing prompt), but I worked my way through it. A lot of the kids were late to second period because they stayed until lunch working on the WASL.

I argued against daily homework for three reasons. My first argument was that students who work have a lot of responsibility and sometimes they work after school and having to do homework for every class would take three or four hours, and not everyone has enough time to do that. A lot of students also do extracurricular activities, like myself. I play basketball and it takes a lot of time and energy. And homework from six classes would affect your extracurricular activities tremendously. Third, a lot of kids have three or four classes that they spend three-four hours on already. I said the homework turn-in rate would go down. I really felt proud of myself because I finished the writing part without struggling.

Mandy Schendel, Hazen High School, Renton

Day 1
Monday, March 13: "When I walked into the room where I would be taking the WASL test, I walked in with confidence, as well as a stomach full of a great food. When we (my class) went into the classroom we sat in alphabetical order (so that the process of picking up our packets was more brisk). We were then read the instructions and then we began. The stories we read were soooo dull. (Who created these tests anyway? I think they need to work on their creative writing!) I know that the job of the stories is to see if we're 'educated' but why not go for some entertainment value at the same time? The test in itself was quite long and boring but I survived ... better than some. One of the girls in my class fell asleep while reading one of the stories! When I finished my test I felt very confident that I did well. I looked over my work, checked for errors, and breathed a sigh of relief: One part of the test done. I still had around forty-five minutes left so I read another book while the minutes ticked away. I feel like today was a very successful day — Oh, if only my math testing could go this well ... but I have until April to worry about that one."

Day 2
Tuesday, March 14: I got into class and started on the second part of our reading test for the WASL and it felt very easy. I didn't feel stressed about this test at all. I think it helps that I like language arts so much. After I finished, I had 45 minutes left to read other books, so all in all it was a very relaxing time. The majority of the students I talked with said they felt it was relatively easy for them, too. I don't know if it's a sign of my abilities and skills or a sign of the testing material being too easy, but I'll take it either way. Tomorrow is the writing test. Let's hope for another easy day!

Day 3
Wednesday, March 15: OK I have decided that I officially and totally dislike the WASL. The test today asked my "opinion" on something. Huh? And what exactly does that have to do with my education? How does the question or my answer help prove my intellectual side? I'm just not seeing it here. I don't feel confident whether I'll pass or not because how do they grade my opinion? I didn't see any instructions on what writing structure they wanted so hopefully my teacher gave us the right directions beforehand. I am really thrown off by how lacking the test was in probing my mental "database." Instead they ask me about my opinion. The test felt very elementary. What does that say about me if I fail? I don't have good opinions?

I hold myself to higher standards than Washington state holds me to and that really disappoints me. The whole WASL thing is disappointing because we don't all fit into a neat little box. I will never be the type to fit into someone's box. Thank goodness lots of creative people are like that.

If someone really wants my opinion, I would tell them it's not helpful for students like me who are doing tons of things outside of school and already have enough other stress with homework, play rehearsals, cheer practice and zero-period choirs to really enjoy this whole WASL thing. It's more like a HASL.

Day 4
Thursday, March 16: When I walked into the testing room this morning I was already exhausted. I stayed up last night until 11:30 pm trying to finish all of my math homework. (Tip for the teachers next year: NO HOMEWORK DURING WASL WEEK, please!) It was very hard for me to concentrate and stay focused. We had to write a persuasive letter today and unfortunately most of the sophomores I spoke with didn't know how. At the time, I felt pretty good about my own letter; however, looking back now there are things I would have changed. When I finished I still had 45 minutes left – thank goodness – because I was able to SLEEP.

I think the tests should be done on the computer, not hand written and definitely not with pencils. (I hate dull pencils!) Last week I hurt my wrist in cheerleading practice so it's been slightly painful to write all week. I don't know of any job that wouldn't require us to have computer and Internet knowledge. How come the WASL testing doesn't include that? Seems like they are worried about some areas of education that we won't necessarily use in the future, but other areas are being completely overlooked. Maybe Bill Gates should set the WASL standards. At least then we would be preparing to compete in the real world.

Wilber Romero, Federal Way High School, Federal Way

Day 1
Monday, March 13: "It's the first day of WASL, man! I felt confident with what I was doing because it seemed easy and I could tell what was the right answer because I read the story well. Part of it was kind of hard (a question on evaluating) because it confused me. But writing can't mess with me especially after what Mr. V taught me. (Editor's note: David Vinson is Romero's language-arts teacher.)

Day 2
Tuesday, March 14: "The second day of WASL seemed easier to me. My friends are feeling comfortable with how we're doing because it doesn't seem as hard as everyone said it would be. We have been prepared and so the way the questions are written aren't a surprise and I'm used to looking for details in all of my work. I'm only concerned about the writing now because I hope I like the topic."

Day 3
Wednesday, March 15: Man, I was late today and I know Mr. V is going to be mad. I had to write my hardest today. The writing part of the WASL was easy and I felt good about it because I know how to do this type of writing. My friend told me that she thinks she's going to fail because she didn't write enough. I wrote five paragraphs, man. I kept hearing Mr. V saying, "Why, Wilber? Why?" Also, my friends think the WASL is easier than some of the assignments we had to do in class before the WASL.

Day 4
Thursday, March 16It's the final day of the WASL. Today was difficult because I didn't like the topic they gave us. It would have been easier if I would have known what to write. Plus, today I was not thinking good. I was distracted and not thinking good. I was thinking about soccer and getting my grades up in my classes. I was looking at the time.

The time kept telling me that "time was running and you haven't done anything." I was worried and wondered if I was going to get it done or not. It was hard today and I'm glad it's done.