Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 11, 2004
Contact: Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
“The Achieve study further proves what we already know – that we’re on the right track with education reform in Washington state.
“The study affirms that we have developed good, solid assessments to better prepare our students for the global, high tech, 21st century world that awaits them after graduation.
“We have been very deliberate in our approach to education reform in Washington state, and the Achieve study further validates our efforts. Our efforts are paying off with more and more Washington students meeting or exceeding our tough new academic standards.”
The study expands upon an Achieve report issued in June 2004 that compared difficulty levels of six states’ graduation exams (Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas) to the standards established in the American Diploma Project and the level of rigor used on international assessments. The study released today analyzed the 10th grade WASL administered in spring 2003 and compared the assessment to the other six states. They evaluated the items in reading, mathematics and writing.
In reading, the Achieve study found that the reading passages used on the WASL are those commonly found in “practical every day reading” and that the questions required more advanced critical-reading skills that business and education leaders agree are essential for success in the workplace or in higher education.
In writing, the WASL was rated “exemplary” for its unique and sophisticated approach to assessing writing. Washington is the only state in the study that will require a separate writing assessment for graduation.
In math, the study found that the WASL content is less rigorous than the other states’ exams, primarily because the WASL doesn’t devote the majority of its points to algebra and geometry. Instead, the WASL more evenly balances algebra and geometry with number concepts and data analysis. Achieve found that while other states assessed higher level mathematical knowledge than the WASL, the cognitive demand of the WASL is above that of the other state tests evaluated in the study.
The A+ Commission, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and Partnership for Learning sought the independent review of the WASL to provide additional information to guide the decisions the A+ Commission will be making regarding the level of performance students will need to achieve on the WASL to graduate beginning in 2008, and to provide information to OSPI that could be used to help continue to improve the test over time.
Editor’s Note: For a copy of the Achieve report, contact Kim Schmanke at OSPI: 360-725-6015 or [email protected].
Related Links:
- OSPI
- Achieve
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 11, 2004
Contact: Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Gov. Gary Locke’s Statement on Achieve Study of WASL
OLYMPIA – Oct. 11, 2004 – Gov. Gary Locke today issued the following statement on a study of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) released today by the non-profit education organization Achieve. The results of the study were presented to the Academic Achievement and Accountability (A+) Commission at its meeting in Vancouver:“The Achieve study further proves what we already know – that we’re on the right track with education reform in Washington state.
“The study affirms that we have developed good, solid assessments to better prepare our students for the global, high tech, 21st century world that awaits them after graduation.
“We have been very deliberate in our approach to education reform in Washington state, and the Achieve study further validates our efforts. Our efforts are paying off with more and more Washington students meeting or exceeding our tough new academic standards.”
The study expands upon an Achieve report issued in June 2004 that compared difficulty levels of six states’ graduation exams (Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas) to the standards established in the American Diploma Project and the level of rigor used on international assessments. The study released today analyzed the 10th grade WASL administered in spring 2003 and compared the assessment to the other six states. They evaluated the items in reading, mathematics and writing.
In reading, the Achieve study found that the reading passages used on the WASL are those commonly found in “practical every day reading” and that the questions required more advanced critical-reading skills that business and education leaders agree are essential for success in the workplace or in higher education.
In writing, the WASL was rated “exemplary” for its unique and sophisticated approach to assessing writing. Washington is the only state in the study that will require a separate writing assessment for graduation.
In math, the study found that the WASL content is less rigorous than the other states’ exams, primarily because the WASL doesn’t devote the majority of its points to algebra and geometry. Instead, the WASL more evenly balances algebra and geometry with number concepts and data analysis. Achieve found that while other states assessed higher level mathematical knowledge than the WASL, the cognitive demand of the WASL is above that of the other state tests evaluated in the study.
The A+ Commission, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and Partnership for Learning sought the independent review of the WASL to provide additional information to guide the decisions the A+ Commission will be making regarding the level of performance students will need to achieve on the WASL to graduate beginning in 2008, and to provide information to OSPI that could be used to help continue to improve the test over time.
Editor’s Note: For a copy of the Achieve report, contact Kim Schmanke at OSPI: 360-725-6015 or [email protected].
Related Links:
- OSPI
- Achieve
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