Most High School Seniors Pass WASL

06/04/2008

91 percent of high school seniors in Washington State have passed the required sections of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL. The high school class of 2008 is the first that must pass the WASL in reading and writing in order to graduate. KUOW's Phyllis Fletcher has more.

TERRY BERGESON IS STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. SHE BEAMED AND ACCEPTED FLOWERS FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE URBAN LEAGUE OF METROPOLITAN SEATTLE–THE CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION. THAT WAS AFTER SHE ANNOUNCED THAT EVEN KIDS WHO ARE TRADITIONALLY ON THE BOTTOM OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP PASSED THE WASL IN LARGE NUMBERS.

BERGESON: "There've been many people concerned that ethnic minority students would not be able to achieve these standards. That we would be really setting back the cause of kids with other challenges in their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth."

STILL, MOST ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS DID NOT PASS AT THE SAME RATE AS WHITE STUDENTS. AND FOR ALL SENIORS WHO DIDN'T PASS, THEIR GRADUATION WILL BE DELAYED.

THE NUMBERS DON'T INCLUDE THE MORE THAN 10 PERCENT OF THE ORIGINAL CLASS OF 2008 THAT DROPPED OUT, AND ANOTHER 10 PERCENT THAT WERE RECLASSIFIED INTO ANOTHER GRADE–EITHER PROMOTED OR HELD BACK. BERGESON SAYS HER OFFICE IS WORKING ON PROGRAMS TO HELP RETAIN KIDS AND KEEP THEM ON TRACK TO GRADUATE.

AS FOR KIDS WHO DIDN'T PASS, SHE MENTIONED TWICE AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TUESDAY THAT THEY SHOULDN'T GIVE UP, JUST BECAUSE THEY WON'T GRADUATE ON TIME. MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL HELP STUDENTS RETAKE THE WASL OR FULFILL OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS OVER THE SUMMER, OR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. PHYLLIS FLETCHER, KUOW NEWS.

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