The Washington Assessment of Student Learning and Blakely School
The Washington Assessment of Student Learning [WASL] is part of a comprehensive assessment system used by all schools statewide to measure student achievement of academic skills and knowledge. The state tests are designed to measure student achievement of a clear and challenging set of standards or Essential Academic Learning Requirements [EALRs]. The WASL measures the application of skills to problem-solving tasks and practical situations. In addition to multiple-choice questions, the WASL requires students to complete short-answer questions, draw graphs, compare and contrast information and write short essays. This assessment is based on individual student performance compared to a state standard and is the cornerstone of Washington State's School Improvement effort that began in 1993. Starting in May 2005, third-through eighth-grade students will take two or three state tests annually. Tenth graders already take state tests in reading, writing, mathematics and science.
The WASL uses a variety of questions to test an entire range of important skills and knowledge from basics (math computation and grammar) to more complicated skills (such as writing essays and using math skills to set up equations and solve problems). Results are presented as a score that shows student performance relative to a high and fixed level of achievement. These academic standards [EALRs] were developed by teachers, parents and community members and spell out what students are expected to know and be able to do as they advance through school. Students in the Class of 2008 must earn a Certificate or Academic or Individual Achievement to graduate from high school.
Each school in Washington is accountable for improvement and to demonstrate progress over time in the number of students who meet the state's academic standards in the WASL. All schools must demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The Blakely staff is proud of our student's success as it reflects a solid educational experience throughout their elementary years and the fact that we have capable students who work hard at school.
Blakely had established a positive trend of success in terms of the number of our students [listed as percentage] meeting standard: * The Listening test was eliminated in 2004. The following scores are for 4th grade students.
2001 |
2002 | 2003 |
2004 | 2005 | 2006 | ||||
| Math | 76 |
84 | 77 |
84 | 90 | 80 | |||
| Reading | 91 |
95 | 91 |
96 | 99 | 91 | |||
| Writing | 80 |
90 | 84 |
83 | 97 | 81 | |||
| Listening | 92 |
89 | 89 |
-* |
-* |
-* |
The following scores are for 3rd grade students.
| Math | |
| Reading |
The Blakely staff has worked diligently to align our curriculum and instructional strategies with the Essential Academic Learning Requirements [EALRs] established by the state and tested by the WASL. The value of the WASL is that it does challenge our staff to address specific learning targets, for all grade levels, and it does provide information that will help us do a better job in teaching specific skills and assisting students with specific skill deficits.
As we move ahead with commitment to help each student meet standard, a couple of cautions are worth mentioning. One is the danger of using the WASL scores to make comparisons between grade levels within a school or between schools. The WASL tells us how individual students performed against the standard and it is important to recognize that each class and grade level within a school in comprised of different and unique students. Scores may vary slightly each year, simply as a reflection of the mix of individual students that comprise the grade level. A more valid comparison will be to compare the same students as they take future assessment in their seventh and tenth grade years. What we would hope to see is improvement for each individual student over time and that would mean a corresponding improvement for each school in the district.
The second concern would be for a school to become so invested in test results that the breadth of learning experiences becomes limited due to a narrowing focus on test achievement. An educational program must strive to help each student stretch and grow in all aspects of learning. Students must be provided positive and challenging learning opportunities in all academic areas as well as music, art, physical education and technology. We must never lose sight of our goal to foster life-long learners.
Blakely School is committed to provide the best learning experience possible for all students. Part of our responsibility is to make sure our students are prepared to successfully meet the challenges of the WASL and to be positively challenged in every aspect of their education. Additionally, we are committed to provide support and accommodation for our students with special needs as they strive for success in school and the WASL. A balanced and thoughtful perspective will be our best path to meet these goals.
A website that provides a great deal of information on public education is made available by of Office of the Superintendent of Public Education - www.k12.wa.us. You will find information on the Essential Academic Learning Requirements, sample WASL questions and specific information on all four learning goals.