Ladies and Gentleman, the Washington Class of 2008

maureen — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:32:33 -0500

Just like the tagline of a cinema epic, the road forged by the class of 2008 has been a groundbreaking one, more than a decade in the making. In the next few weeks, students will graduate as the first class to be better prepared for life after high school, demonstrating their ability to succeed on the reading and writing WASL, complete a culminating project and implement a "high school and beyond" plan.

No one doubts the that process of implementing these new graduation requirements has been difficult, but to the credit of principals, teachers, students and parents, out of 67,000 12^th graders currently enrolled in Washington schools an impressive 91.4 percent of students have met state standards in both the reading and writing and are on track to graduate later this month.

“This is a celebration of over a decade of work. These are our first graduates to have more scrutiny placed on them than almost anyone in the state and they’ve risen to the challenge,” said Terry Bergeson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “But the big picture is that our schools are now delivering more personalized attention than ever to keep students engaged in school and help them achieve high standards.”

It’s important to note that, to date, there are 3,000 students who have yet to take the test. When these students are subtracted from the total population, the number of students who have met standard goes up to a remarkable 95 percent.

A More Meaningful Diploma

The delivery of these results has proven both inspiring and cathartic for students and teachers. Many students took the reading and writing Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) several times to reach state standards, others demonstrated their capabilities through the submission of portfolios, still others used SAT and AP scores to prove their skills. But later this month, they will all receive a diploma that’s more meaningful than any in our state’s history.

Rose Worgum, an academic counselor at Curtis High School, has seen firsthand how the state’s new diploma requirements have helped to better prepare students for the world of college and work.

“One thing that stands out as significant to me is a student that I worked with who transferred here from the Ukraine in her sophomore year, just a few months before the WASL was administered,” said Worgum. “She spoke no English and ended up taking the WASL that year and did not pass. She worked very hard in her classes and with her English language and in her junior year when she took the WASL, she passed with Level 4's (advanced) in reading and writing and also passed math with a Level 3 (proficient).”

The state’s other new graduation requirements including the completion of the culminating project have also posed challenges for students, but significant benefits, as well, as they plan their next step in life.

“When students are invited to stretch their learning in a meaningful and manageable way, they rise to the occasion,” said Molly Berger, an English teacher in the Yakima School District who supported many of her students through the new culminating project requirement.

The Credit Deficiency Culprit

The students who have not yet passed the reading and/or writing WASL still have a chance to meet state standards through either registering to submit a “collection of evidence” portfolio by June 16 or retaking the WASL in mid-August. The decision to allow these students to participate in graduation ceremonies has been left up to individual districts.

In most cases, however, failure to pass the required reading and writing WASL will not be the decisive factor that holds some students back from graduation. According to a 2007 Washington State University study of more than 10,000 students in 13 districts, lack of sufficient course credits will hold far more students back than failure to meet state graduation standards (see chart below).

“The problem of credit deficiency is ultimately a larger challenge for our students than assessment,” said Brian Jeffries, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) graduation policy director. “Thankfully, programs like ‘Navigation 101’ that help students plan for college and careers and tie their courses to their future goals will reduce credit deficiency as a barrier to graduation.”

Strengthening the Graduation Rate

OSPI will not know the total graduation rate for the class of 2008 until early September, after the August WASL retake. But contrary to the fears of some, there is no indication that the dropout rate will increase this year as a result of the new requirements.

“It is unacceptable to assume the WASL will either increase or decrease our state’s dropout rates,” said Larry Ehl, executive director of Partnership for Learning. “While the WASL itself is not a means to fix our dropout rate, it measures whether a student is ready to take that next step in life. We must continue to explore ways to keep students engaged, motivated and supported while also holding them to the high standards needed for college and work success.”

Supt. Bergeson has often noted that, in other states, the implementation of testing requirements have little impact on graduation rates over time. They have, however, been shown to decrease the number of remedial classes students must take when the exit high school and enter post-secondary institutions, which often strengthens the student incentive to finish well.

Looking Ahead

In many ways, the success of the class of 2008 is just the beginning. The classes of 2009-12 will be subject to the same requirements, but will also be expected to build on this year’s achievement as the process for helping students meet standards and finish requirements becomes more clarified and streamlined. Starting in 2013 and 2014, students will be required to pass the high school math WASL or an end-of-course exam to graduate (currently, students who don’t pass math WASL can earn two math credits after 10^th grade to meet standard).

But Supt. Bergeson doesn’t want to short-change this year’s accomplishment.

“To the students, I must say: Congratulations. You’ve met the challenge and you’ve prepared for your future. You will be going into the 21^st century with the skills to build our future and make our country and economy what we truly want it to be.”

Tracking the Class of 2008

This diagram, created by OSPI, shows the progress of the class of 2008 starting in 9th grade.

Resources for the Class of 2008

To learn more about the requirements for the Class of 2008 and the upcoming requirements for the Classes of 2009-2013, visit OSPI’s resource page.

To find out about the alternative methods for students to meet state standards and graduation requirements, visit OSPI’s Certificate of Achievement page.

Key Upcoming Dates

June 3 -- Public release of 12^th grade WASL results

June 6 -- School districts receive individual student WASL score reports from Pearson Educational Measurement, the state’s testing contractor. School districts receive combined score report for assessment for segmented mathematics

June 9-13 -- Individual student results for grades 10, 11 and 12 available for districts to share with students and their families.

June 16 -- Deadline to submit Collection of Evidence and Report to Families: OSPI’s announcement of state-level High School WASL results and progress with graduation requirement in reading, writing and math

June 9-27 -- Registration window for August High School WASL

June 16-20 -- Third batch of Certificate of Academic Achievement/Certificate of Individual Achievement certificates delivered

August 11-14 -- August High School WASL (Counts for 2007-08 school year)

By September 10 -- OSPI releases statewide Spring 2008 WASL performance in all subjects and all grades.

Washington Math Teachers Gear Up for New Standards

With Washington’s new K-8 math standards in place, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is undertaking a series of massive training sessions for more than 10,000 math teachers statewide.

The training sessions will take place in Spokane in late June and in Tacoma in late July and early August. Some Educational Service Districts (ESDs) and school districts are scheduling their own sessions, as well. The state will pay for related materials including copies of the 2008 Washington State K-8 Mathematics Standards for all participants.

“The mathematics standards training is not required,” said Lexie Domaradzki, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning at OSPI. “However, starting in the spring of 2010, math tests at all grade levels will assess whether students have learned the mathematics content contained in the new standards.”

Professional development for mathematics standards in grades 9-12 will be scheduled later this year, following the adoption of the revised standards for those grades.

For more information on — and to register for — OSPI and ESD-sponsored trainings visit https://eds.ospi.k12.wa.us/EventsManager/Public/Calendar.aspx (Events Manager search terms: Revised Mathematics Standards, Math, K-8).

April Update

maureen — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:35:49 -0500

Washington Math Standards Move Forward

It has already been a busy year for those involved with Washington’s new math standards. There have been multiple rounds of edits and revisions. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has held numerous public hearings. And, at the end of the legislative session, oversight of the math standards process was transferred from OSPI to the State Board of Education.

Last Friday, however, the State Board moved the standards one step closer to the finish line. After receiving several rounds of public comment, the State Board approved state consultant Strategic Teaching’s “Edited Expectations” report on the new K-8 math standards with three final requests:

Add more examples to requirements
Provide more explicit language concerning calculator use, and
Give the document a good proofread.

Otherwise, they agreed, the new standards “provide greater clarity about what is expected of students in each grade, give more explicit guidance to educators about what to teach when, and increase the rigor of math to ensure more Washington students succeed.”

In accordance with SB 6534, the State Board now plans to ask OSPI to use Strategic Teaching’s suggestions to complete the revision of the K-8 math standards and begin work on professional development for teachers. This complex process looks to be completed on April 28, when the State Board will decide whether or not to adopt the new K-8 standards set to go into effect next year.

To learn more about Washington’s math standards, please visit the following resources.

The State Board of Education – For updates on the latest standards drafts and revisions from Strategic Teaching.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction – For resources for educators, including podcasts by State Supt. Terry Bergeson on the standards revision process.
The College Work Ready Agenda’s Frequently Asked Questions about Math – For information about why a good foundation in math is so important.

Don't Miss Kati Haycock at the Seattle Public Library

Next week, Kati Haycock, executive director of The Education Trust, will be back in Seattle to present on the power of high standards for all students. Hosted by the League of Education Voters and sponsored by Partnership for Learning and others, Haycock will focus on what Washington can learn from other successful school systems and the policy we can implement to create more opportunities for all Washington students. The event is free, open to the public and one that you won't want to miss!

During her visit last December, Haycock spoke of the incredible turnaround potential of school systems that address achievement gaps, institute rigorous curriculum and ensure that quality teachers are in classrooms. She also firmly cut through age-old policy discussions with advice that, in education, "we need to focus on what we can do rather than what we can't."

A truly inspirational speaker and one of the nation's leading education reform advocates, Haycock will share her thoughts on what is really needed to give all students as many opportunities as possible to succeed in life.

Kati Haycock and Eric Liu
(view the invite)
Monday, April 28 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Seattle Public Library, Microsoft Auditorium
Please RSVP by Friday, April 25th

New College Bound Scholarship Breaks Down Barriers for Low-Income Students

Washington currently ranks 32nd nationally in the percentage of low-income students who participate in postsecondary education, at a time when the state's need for highly educated and highly skilled workers is growing rapidly.But a new scholarship sponsored by the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) hopes to turn this trend around in Washington state with the College Bound Scholarship.

The scholarship will cover the cost of college tuition, fees and books for those who sign a pledge in 7th or 8th grade promising to graduate from high school with at least a 2.0 grade point average and demonstrate good citizenship. Their family income must also remain at 65 percent or less of the state's median income by the time of high school graduation to permit a scholarship award.

There are more than 56,000 Washington students potentially eligible for this scholarship. Are you one of them or do you know someone who is? The deadline for application is June 1, 2008 for 8th graders and June 1, 2009 for 7th graders. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! Visit the HECB website for more information.

Partnership for Learning Announces New Executive Director

We are pleased to announce that Larry Ehl has joined the Partnership for Learning team as executive director. Larry is a seasoned communicator with more than 24 years of experience in strategic advocacy and government relations and, as we're finding out, is pretty serious about his music collection.

Previously the director of government relations for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Larry used to drive 3 ½ hours a day from Edmonds to Olympia and back.

"I have nearly 20,000 songs in my iTunes (including a lot of, um, Grateful Dead). So while the drive did give me time to listen to a lot of music, it's great to now be a part of efforts that will make a positive difference in children's lives and educators' work--and spend more time with my family," said Larry, who has three teenage daughters in Edmonds Public Schools.

As WSDOT's government relations director, Larry established effective relationships with legislators and the Governor's office, assisted in developing department advocacy and communication strategies and helped elected officials and the public better understand good transportation policy. He also represented Washington's transportation interests to Congress as a federal relations manager and secured funding for transportation projects that were important to communities.

Larry's also served six years on the Edmonds School Board, which was named under his tenure as the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) School Board of the Year and given the WSSDA Diversity Award for outstanding efforts to promote diversity and multiculturalism. He also served as a past executive director of the University of Washington's Experimental College.

"Partnership for Learning has a great track record and reputation for working collaboratively in championing education reform efforts to better prepare our children for success and improve support for educators," said Larry. "I'm excited about the opportunity to devote my skills and energy to helping the business community, parents and educators improve our education system."

We're certainly happy to have a fellow music-lover and colleague devoted to Washington public education on board. So please join us in welcoming Larry to the Partnership and look forward to hearing from him soon!

Creating a College-Going Culture

maureen — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:12:00 -0600

The Mary Walker School District is located about an hour outside of Spokane, deep in the heart of rural and rugged Northeastern Washington. The majority of students are poor and many high school students possess more education than their parents.

While many urban schools struggle to help their poorest students with a network of community support, being isolated by geography and population presents an entirely new layer of challenges: Quality teachers are difficult to recruit. Districts often struggle to collaborate. Maintenance of aging facilities often takes precedence over necessary curriculum updates. And, until recently, getting students to think seriously about going to college was more a dream than a reality.

The Panorama Rural Education Partnership, however, has turned these challenges into opportunities by pooling their resources and holding students to higher standards.

In 2002, as a consortium of rural districts, they began to offer and encourage more students to take Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, provide increased access to college counseling and funding and spread the promise of college to earlier grades. And, in Mary Walker, where previously little college-going culture existed, now more than 70 percent of students attend postsecondary education and the number of students entering four-year colleges has increased more than three-fold.

“We’re really just a good story about the power of high standards for ‘average kids,’” says Jerry Dyar, Mary Walker’s college counselor and a strong advocate for the Panorama Partnership. “Teachers want to teach AP classes and students want to take them. They want to get ahead. So when we gave them the tools, we started seeing results.”

Dyar’s modesty hides the incredible amount of work he and others have done to unite the Panorama Partnership and bring together nine rural districts (Stevens County, Curlew, Cusick, Inchelium, Mary Walker, Northport, Republic, Selkirk and Wellpinit) under the mission that all students should be prepared for postsecondary success education.

“There has been some pushback from the community and some staff who think not all students are going to college,” said Mary Walker Superintendent Kevin Jacka. “But this is a place to start a discussion—the idea that college is limited to four-year programs is not the case. We stress that the skills and knowledge that make you successful in a university help you through technical programs, as well.”

Through the Panorama Partnership, Dyar and Jacka’s efforts to create a college-going culture in rural schools have included a scrappy, but highly effective, blend of the state’s college-readiness resources. Due to the high-poverty levels of their districts, the Panorama Partnership was able to qualify for a GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant that allows them to take middle and high schools students on college visits and put on an array of parent financial aid nights.

The highly successful Navigation 101 program—which challenges students to create, present and stick to a high school and beyond plan—has also become an essential part of the Panorama Partnership’s efforts to engage students and their families in academic, career, and college planning.

“We try to connect all existing resources to create this culture,” said Jacka. “We will be promoting the College Bound Scholarship Program (which promises full four-year tuition to low-income middle school students who pledge to graduate high school) to our 7th and 8th grade families during student conference week. The great majority of our students will qualify for the scholarship and will know before they even get to high school that college is affordable. We also give all of our 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students the PSAT at no charge.”

Though the addition and expansion of AP coursework in Panorama Partnership schools has been just one of the elements that has increased college-going rates, Dyar says that is an important one.

“AP classes aren’t the only answer, but they are an external validator—a tangible piece that tells students that they can go to college and succeed.”

Currently, almost 50 percent of Mary Walker students have enrolled in an AP class upon graduation—an amazing feat considering the districts only received AP materials through the Panorama Partnership in 2002. They have also begun to add pre-AP curriculum at the middle school level to improve AP readiness.

With the help of the GEAR UP grant, the Panorama Partnership recently dug deeper into its schools to mine the college aspirations of middle school students. In a Spring 2007 survey, they found that approximately 90 percent of 5th- through 8th-graders planned to go to college.

“The numbers are good, but the most encouraging thing is the variety and specificity of the career plans. Some examples: mechanic, architect, engineer, game designer, plumber, pharmacist, detective, linguist, orthopedic surgeon, x-ray technician. Very few of the obvious choices for this age group,” Dyar said.

For their efforts to improve college readiness, in 2007, Mary Walker High School was selected as one of the top 500 high schools in the nation (and awarded a silver medal) by U.S. News and World Report. Four other Panorama Partnership districts—Curlew, Northport, Republic and Selkirk—won bronze medals for being among the top 1,000 schools in the nation.

“[The ranking and awards] are adjusted for poverty, which we have an abundance of—so what it says is that we are outperforming our demographics. It’s good thing, but it doesn't mean our kids are on a level playing field with kids from affluent districts. That's our goal: give students the same chance as students in Bellevue. The recognition is nice, but bittersweet,” said Dyar.

In the future, Jacka and Dyar want to continue to build the richness of the consortium’s AP and college-readiness curriculum and to be identified, not just as a group of rural schools, but as a place known for rigorously preparing students for college.

Math and Science Teachers Study Receives Funding

Last week, the Senate appropriated more than $140,000 to HB 2809 - a bill that seeks to quantify the number of math teachers we need, accelerate recruitment programs and introduce financial incentives to attract math and science teachers.

Nearly half of recent high school graduates attending community college in our state need remedial math before they can begin credit-bearing work. This is not only unfair to students, but wastes millions of dollars of taxpayer money every year. Improvement has been stymied due to a shortage of qualified teachers, which is projected to increase. Accurate data is the foundation needed to work toward solutions.