Washington House Democrats

Military families: McCoy backs bill giving new students a WASL break

Lawmaker says young tranferees are facing enough challenges already

OLYMPIA -- "Their military parents are putting their lives on the line for our safety and freedoms," says a Snohomish County lawmaker, "so let's lighten up on the young people who are new to our Washington schools."

State Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, is co-sponsoring a measure that would send a testing break to high-school students whose military parents have been transferred to the Evergreen State from other parts of the nation and world.

"When their parents' military service calls on them to move to Washington," McCoy said, "these young students shouldn’t have to pass the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in order to receive a high-school diploma.

"These young men and women already have mountain enough ahead of them in terms of dealing with their folks' military-transfer," he explained.

The proposal contained in the measure would start with the class of 2008.

McCoy said current WASL provisions state that high-school students meeting reading, writing and mathematics standards will earn a certificate of academic achievement.

Terms of the legislation state: "Any student who transfers to a Washington state public school from another state after the ninth grade as a result of the student's parent or guardian receiving an active military duty assignment to Washington state shall not be required to earn a certificate of academic achievement as a requirement for high school graduation."

The measure, House Bill 1109, is awaiting consideration in the House Education Committee.

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