Wednesday, February 28, 2007

legislature poised to weaken the WASL?

It certainly seems that way, as the AP reports:
The House Education Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would establish a two-tiered system for awarding high school diplomas.

Students who pass the Washington Assessment of Student Learning or an approved alternative would be given a "certificate of academic achievement" when they graduated from high school. Students who didn't pass the WASL could earn a "certificate of individual achievement" and still graduate.

The Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education on Monday approved a bill that would delay the math WASL graduation requirement for two years and establish many more alternatives for passing the reading and writing sections of the test.
Later in the article the missing piece--Christine Gregoire's requisite signature--is addressed:
Quall said lawmakers are going to have some sorting out to do before they can send a WASL bill to the governor. He predicted the process would take another month or so.

"There will be ongoing discussions and negotiations," he said. "It will take an agreement between the House and the Senate and has to be something the governor can live with."
Indeed it does.

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