From Spokane, with Love

I just got back from the OSPI January Conference in Spokane and the WASL rumors are true. In Supt. Terry Bergeson’s keynote address, she broke the news that Washington will receive new WASL tests, which include shorter exams for grades three through eight, faster and more comprehensive results and translation into six different languages.

This transition comes at the end of Washington’s five-year testing contract and fast on the heals of the adoption of new standards in math and science.

This won’t happen overnight, though. According to Bergeson, after the state math standards (and accompanying curriculum) are put in place, OSPI’s assessment team will align the WASL to the new standards and begin to include “pilot items” on the test starting in 2009. The new test will likely go into effect in Spring 2010.

Thankfully, Bergeson reassured state educators that during this transition they will receive more sample testing materials for classroom use, so that student test results won’t be a surprise. She also promised that the shorter test will take away less class time.

But wait, there's more! For students learning English, OSPI hopes to translate the math and science sections of the test into the six languages most commonly spoken by students in Washington schools—including Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Somali and Korean—and put them on testing DVDs.

There also are proposed changes for students in special-education programs, such as improving the Braille version of the WASL, and a read-aloud CD for students with dyslexia.

For more information on the WASL and news on its transition, visit OSPI’s website.

Stay tuned for more updates from the OSPI January Conference, right here on the Hall Monitor!