WASL wait: the suspense builds

The impending score release hits The Olympian this morning (thank you, Internet; no thank you, internal alarm clock). Districts will receive the scores June 9, while students will get them around the middle of the month. For those who didn't pass--and no one at this point has any idea how many students this will be--remediation looms large.

Earlier this year, state legislators approved $28.5 million for programs for students who didn't pass the WASL.

The amount each district gets is determined by a formula involving student scores and the district's average salary for teachers, said Joe Willhoft of OSPI. The average amount will be about $120 per student per subject for someone who almost passed, and $330 per student per subject for someone who was not very close to passing, he said.

Districts have until summer 2007 to use the money, he said....

The supplemental money won't cover what districts already have planned to help students pass the WASL, district officials said. The Tumwater and Olympia districts found money in their budgets to subsidize the WASL programs. Information from North Thurston Public Schools wasn't available.

Will the vast majority of students pass? Will $28.5 million be enough? Will I sleep in past 8:30 on a weekend? Stay tuned....