9486 in the collection
Eliminating WASL first step to equality
by Donald C. Orlich
On Jan. 21, as our nation observed Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, many statements focused on his famous "I have a dream" speech. Unfortunately, a dream is all that the majority of minority children have in Washington state. Why? Because of the devastation that the Washington Assessment of Student Learning is having on children of color, standards notwithstanding.
The WASL is administered in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10. The total direct and indirect costs associated with the WASL are over $1 billion. For that tidy sum, let us review the results for only grade 10, a very critical point in high school where students often decide to stay on or drop out.
Data for all 10th-graders - approximately 75,000 - who took the WASL in 2006-07 show the following: The percentages meeting standard - that is, passing an arbitrary score - were 80.8 on reading, 83.9 on writing, 50.4 on math and 36.4 on science.
White and Asian students exceeded those performances in all categories.
But the percentages for black students were 37 for reading, 39.3 for writing, 14.2 for math and 9.2 for science.
Among students with limited English, the percentages passing were 38.3 in reading, 37.7 in writing, 10.7 in math and 2.9 in science.
For American Indians, the corresponding figures were 68.4 in reading, 72.4 in writing, 31.3 in math and 19.3 in science.
For Hispanic students the percentages were 66.1 in reading, 68.6 in writing, 25.6 in math and 15.5 in science.
Low-income 10th-graders receiving free and reduced-price lunches recorded passing percentages of 68.2 in reading, 72.3 in writing, 30.5 in math and 18.7 in science.
A detailed analysis for all grades in which the WASL is administered would show a similar (and most depressing) pattern, although there has been some improvement since 2000. The WASL and the costly nonsense of school reform, including the No Child Left Behind Act, flat out discriminate against poor and minority children and carry more than a hint of institutional racism. Yes, there are isolated instances where schools with large populations of minority or poor children have substantially higher passing rates on the WASL. But those schools are anomalies. Those increased scores cost students their chance for a well-rounded education - dropping art, music and vocational education.
The percentages of 10th-graders meeting the WASL science standard range from 2.9 to 41.4.
Is this an indication of poor science instruction? No. It is a dramatic illustration of a terribly constructed science test. Science is an important subject for our state. Science teachers have been subtly informed to shut up and do the WASL.
School board members have been far too silent on the negative impact that the WASL is having on a balanced curriculum. A small number of brave superintendents are now fighting for changes in the graduation requirement, as are the state Parent Teacher Association and the Washington Education Association. Others have protested the adverse effect that the WASL has on all children, regardless of race, color or creed.
Spokane and several other school districts face severe budget cuts for instruction and elimination of library services. This is in the face of the governor now wanting to waste more than $38 million on a new form of WASL. Take time to stand up and be angry. Dump the WASL and all its trappings.
It is time to end this miscarriage of justice and end the WASL now. Only by eliminating this costly moral and educational blunder will that dream of Martin Luther King Jr. have a chance of becoming a reality. Contact your state senator and representatives to de-link the WASL from high school graduation. Better yet, suggest that the entire WASL reform package be thrown out.
--
— Donald C. Orlich
The Spokesman-Review
2008-01-31
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/opinion/story.asp?ID=229883
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
[1] 2 3 4 5 6 Next >> Last >>
