Shorter state level test to replace the WASL is done on computer and does not affect Cheney standards, goes into use next school year
By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
Good news for students of Cheney School District: the Washington Assessment of Student Learning is going away.
The WASL is being replaced after the 2009-2010 school year by two different tests. For grades 3 through 8 the test is called Measurements of Student Progress (MSP). The high school assessment test will be called the High School Proficiency Exams (HSPE) as part of the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction website, Superintendent Randy Dorn is replacing the WASL because he wants the state assessment system to be less complex and have better response time for results, which the WASL does not have.
WASL scores will be released in early September. The assessment tests were taken last spring. Under the new assessment system, results should be available in about two weeks.
Cheney School District assistant superintendent Deb Clemens said the new assessment system will continue to evaluate students in reading and math at every level from grade 3 to grade 10; evaluate science at grades 5, 8 and 10 and evaluate writing at grades 4, 7 and 10.
Clemens said the goal of the state superintendent is to roll out a new system that will be administrated and delivered electronically. The format would mean very little change for the school district because the state level Measures of Academic Progress is already administered thrice yearly on the computer. The new assessment would not require all students take the test on the same day.
“The Cheney School District has the technology to administer a computer-based assessment,” Clemens said, adding that the new computer-based assessment does not require the district to buy any new software. She said the biggest challenge for some districts would be having an adequate number of computers, which is not a problem locally.
“It's not a problem in the Cheney School District,” Clemens said, adding that new computers are being installed in the district as part of the tech levy.
The state superintendent does not expect upfront costs over the life of the five-year assessment contract that went into effect in October 2008. School districts, however, should see ample savings in time and money in regards to administering the tests.
Clemens said the new system will not appear until the 2010-2011 school year. Though some select schools in the state are piloting the program this year, Cheney is not one of them. According to the OSPI website, students would have needed to pass the WASL through the 2008-09 school year. After that, they will not need to pass the High School Proficiency Exams if they passed one or more sections of the WASL. If they've already passed the WASL, they don't need to take the new test.
Clemens expects the transition to the new assessment to be smooth. For students, changes to the twice yearly, statewide assessments are rather minor. She said the school district anticipates shorter assessments, and fewer “extended response” (essay) questions. That doesn't mean the assessment is going to be easier. She said grade level expectations have undergone numerous revisions in Cheney. Teachers know the format and know the test structure.
“None of that has changed,” Clemens said.
David Teller can be reached at dteller@cheneyfreepress.com
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