Washington House Democrats

Guest Column: by Rep. Bill Fromhold and Craig Dawson

Focus on learning, not testing

January 16, 2006

The good news from our schools is that more students are achieving at higher levels every year. By establishing clear academic standards and measuring whether students meet them, our public schools are on course to provide a better foundation for every student.

But former Governor Booth Gardner has sounded an alarm because just under half of last year’s high school sophomores passed our state reading, writing and math tests. He’s concerned about this year’s sophomores, who must pass that 10th grade tests in order to earn a high school diploma. He’s afraid they won’t get there.

Gardner’s proposed solution is to change the test requirement. He wants the state to develop alternate ways for students to meet minimum standards in reading, writing and math.

Alternatives are already in the pipeline and supports are being put in place to help students. Students who don’t pass the 10th grade test the first time will have four more opportunities to take it. State law mandates alternatives be available for students who struggle with the format of the test. The Superintendent for Public Instruction is piloting a portfolio of student work and an index of test scores and grades that students can use to show they meet the standards.

These alternative ways for students to demonstrate they’ve met standards will help students who have the skills, but don’t do well on paper-and-pencil tests. That’s the purpose of an alternative.

What the alternative can’t do is address the larger problem of helping students who aren’t achieving the state standards in reading, writing and math. These aren’t high standards. The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) is a 10th grade test. However, by international standards, it measures 8th grade skills, a level well below the skills needed to enter college, work or the military.

Blaming the test is clearly a shoot-the-messenger proposition. The real crisis is learning – not testing. That’s the crisis on which schools, parents, students and legislators need to focus. It’s a much more difficult problem to solve, because it forces us to look at who is passing and who’s not.

There are, to be sure, some middle class white kids who fail the WASL. But the students who don’t meet our modest academic standards are disproportionately low-income or minority students. We know the low-income and minority kids who aren’t passing are as intelligent as their peers. So if they aren’t learning, it isn’t because they can’t – it’s because they aren’t getting what they need to succeed.

What’s missing? A targeted focus on students most in need of help. Struggling students need and deserve accelerated learning that reinforces and helps them achieve – even go beyond – our minimum learning standards.

Summer school, before and after school tutoring, and Saturday school sessions are options that should be considered for struggling students. As more students get the help they need and achieve the standards, resources can be better targeted toward students most in need of academic help.

Governor Gregoire was right to make targeted remediation a priority in her budget proposal. The legislature should follow her lead by appropriating ample funds for this purpose. They should do it quickly so schools can get programs started.

The second change that could make a big difference is a new guidance system that gives students a mentor who stays with them throughout high school. Teacher/mentors help students explore their talents and career interests, meet with parents, and teach students how to get what they need from the education system. Innovative high schools in Granger, Lakewood, Bremerton and Vancouver have figured out how to do this, and the result is education personalized for each student. Every middle and high school in Washington should follow suit.

Schools also need to work harder at connecting curriculum, teaching practices and school climates to the cultures and learning styles of today’s diverse students. If we want students to stay connected to school, schools have to stay connected to students, and that means making greater efforts to be relevant to students’ lives and experiences.

These actions are urgently needed to help students not just pass a test, but actually get an education. The WASL is the most valid and reliable tool for determining if students have achieved the skills we know all they need. Complaining about the test is a distraction, and it’s a disservice to the students who are working so hard.

Preparing students with the skills they need to meet Washington’s learning standards – and go beyond them – should be our single-minded focus.

State Rep. Bill Fromhold is a member of the Washington Learns Steering Committee and is Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and serves on the Higher Education Committee.

Craig Dawson is the president of Retail Lockbox, Inc., a payment and image processing company, and president of Tabor 100, an association of African-American businesspeople and entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest.