Washington a stressful state for kids

[Moses]

Stakes higher for this year's WASL testing

It's the last class that won't have to pass rigorous state exams to graduate, but high school sophomores still are feeling pressure to score well.

Starting this fall, high school transcripts will include student scores from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL, tests.

For Rosanne Dean, 16, a Granite Falls High School sophomore, that reality adds anxiety.

"I get more stressed out if I'm going to pass, and I'll wonder what colleges will think of me if I don't pass," she said.

However, classmate Josh Chamberlin, 15, doesn't mind.

"I guess it's another way to show what you know," he said.

Three weeks of WASL testing begin Monday. The testing has become increasingly high-stakes since the first exams were taken by fourth-graders in 1997.

The exams are taken annually by fourth-, seventh- and 10th-grade students, but many districts are giving similar exams in reading and math to third- through eighth-grade students on a trial run before they are required by federal law next year.

Just how much weight WASL results will have on high school transcripts is difficult to say.

For example, admissions officials at the University of Washington and Washington State University say the scores will not be a factor in their decisions, at least for now.

"The earliest we would consider WASL in admissions would be 2008," said Tim Washburn, the UW's assistant vice president for enrollment services. "We haven't decided how it will be considered in 2008, only that it will be a consideration."

"Right now, we are not using it at all," said Charleen Taylor, a WSU spokeswoman. "We will collect the data and see how it can inform the admissions process. We need to better understand what it tells us before we start using it in the admissions process."

Regardless, many students don't want to roll the dice.

That's why hundreds of juniors in Washington state have signed up for free retakes of WASL tests to boost scores on their transcripts. The state has sent more than 2,000 retake booklets to Snohomish County high schools.

The most popular retake in the county is in writing, with about 8 percent of juniors giving it a second try. Math was the second most requested retake, followed by reading and science.

It's the first time the option has been available statewide, but retakes will become commonplace beginning next year, when passing the high school reading, math and writing WASLs becomes a graduation requirement.

"I'm doing this so I can get into a good college," said Kyle Clark, 16, a Lakewood High junior who is retaking the math and science portions.

His decision came after talking it over with his parents.

"They suggested I do it," he said. "I was kind of bummed."

The more he thought about it, however, the more he realized it made sense. Only a student's top score appears on the transcript, and Clark said he usually does better the second time he takes an exam.

Janelle Harstead, another Lakewood junior, also will retake the math and science exams.

"A lot of people are like, 'Why are you doing it?'" Harstead said. "I just want to improve my score."

Between transcripts and scholarships tied to good WASL performance, this year's testing has new meaning for teenagers, said James Dean, principal at Cascade High School in Everett.

"That in itself really motivated kids to ... work a little bit harder," Dean said. "More than for the quality of the school and how it's measured publicly, it's individually important now."

And that's why Alisha Burley, 16, is opting out of WASL testing at Granite Falls High.

"The fact that they are turning it against us is just wrong," the sophomore said.

Burley said the WASL testing is a stress on teachers and students. Schools fear federal sanctions if they don't show enough improvement, and that trickles down to students.

Her mother, Pam Burley, plans to be in Olympia Monday for a "Walk Against WASL" protest.

"I don't believe that any one test should have that kind of impact on a child's future," Pam Burley said. "It's a lot of coercion, bribery and threats."

Granite Falls sophomore Taylor Brown, 15, figures the WASL is just one of many of life's challenges he can expect.

"I think of taking it as a preparation test for the SATs, and I have to take big tests like that, and it's just the start of it," he said.

Middle and elementary schools also are adjusting to new WASL wrinkles. The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires reading and math exams for grades three through eight beginning next year, with results shared with parents. To test or not to test is a tricky question for districts, which must balance lost instruction time with the chance to give students more practice with state exams.

Most districts have chosen to pilot the new exams this year, even though schools, parents and students will never see the results.

In Edmonds, Lakewood and Mukilteo, for instance, all elementary schools will participate.

Allen Sharples, Lakewood School District's assessment director, sees several advantages.

"It gives students practice," he said. "It reinforces that they are going to be taking it the next year. It gives more ownership of the WASL throughout the whole school, so it doesn't just seem like it's something just for fourth-grade teachers or seventh-grade teachers to worry about. It isn't. It's all of us."

The practice run is more to test the test itself - finding out which questions prove too confusing or which ones don't measure the right skills, said Brian Fitch, principal at Jackson Elementary School in Everett.

Even though the school won't know how its students scored, it still will give teachers and administrators a good idea of the vocabulary children need to be aware of, Fitch said.

"For example, one of the words often used on the reading test is 'selection,' like 'read the selection below.' Well, that's not the way an elementary teacher is going to speak in class," he said.

Marysville and Arlington left it up to schools to decide. Some are participating, and others aren't. That way, the district can learn some of the challenges schools can expect next year while not disrupting classrooms elsewhere.

A few districts, such as Granite Falls and Lake Stevens, chose not to participate in the practice exams at all.

---

— Eric Stevick and Melissa Slage
The Daily Herald
2005-04-17

[Moses]

To the editor

From Don C. Orlich

Published in numerous Washington papers (04/18/2005)


The week of April 18-22 is Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) week--a state sanctioned "child abuse week." The WASL has no scholastic merit of note.

However, this letter is written to parents and guardians of children who do take the WASL to examine your child's actual test booklets. If you are not allowed to view your child's WASL the day it is taken and again when it is corrected in October, then your civil rights are being violated.

Supporting the above is the memorandum from the U. S. Department of Education's Family Policy Compliance Office relating to parent's rights to have access to test protocols. On October 2, 1997, LeRoy S. Rooker, Director, Family Policy Compliance Office issued a memorandum titled: "Access to test protocols and test answer sheets." In part he cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) stating: "FERPA is a Federal law which affords parents the right to have access to their children's education records . . . ." In sum Mr. Rooker noted that a parent has the right under FERPA to examine both the test question booklet and the child's test answer sheet. You may access the full document at the following URL:

www.fetaweb.com/04/ferpa.rooker.ltr.protocols.htm
If any public school official denies you the right to view your child's WASL immediately call the US Office of Civil Rights. Do not sit back and allow your precious children to be psychologically trampled by advocates of a mindless test.

[Moses]

Students Protest WASLs


Their handmade signs read "Honk if you hate the WASL" and "WASL washing away student learning."

About 25 Kulshan Middle School students demonstrated Wednesday morning, before heading into school to take the Washington Assessment of Student Learning exams being given across the state this week.

The protesters gathered on the sidewalk of Lakeway Drive, about two blocks from Kulshan. They chose the location because the previous morning their protest along the driveway between the school and Kenoyer Street was stopped by the principal.

Seventh-graders Steven Baker and Marcus Moran, who organized the demonstration, said they'd be back on Lakeway Drive with signs at about 7:30 a.m. today.

Gigi Morganti, Kulshan's principal, said she had asked students who were demonstrating on school property Tuesday morning to come inside because she didn't want them to be late and because school safety rules require students to come in as soon as they're dropped off.

"They have every right to have their opinions," said Morganti. "We're using it as a learning opportunity. We told them they can write their state and federal legislators." ["Can" or "May", Principal Morganti?-- and Principal, is this supposed to be an exercise in futility, like the tests themselves? Letters from kids who can't vote yet, and who don't have PACs?]

Marcus said WASL tests are a waste of time and money.

"WASL overfunded, teachers underfunded," read one of the boys' posters.

"We spend the whole year taking WASL practice tests," Marcus said. "The community should be concerned, whether they have kids in public schools or not. They're funding it."

Steven said lots of kids freak out about WASL tests.

"A lot of kids are just learning to pass the WASL instead of learning to get an education," he said. "It's a waste."

---

— Emily Weiner
Bellingham Herald
2005-04-21
news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20050421/TopStories/241147.shtml

[Moses]

Fourth Grader Suspended For Not Answering A WASL Question[/size]

komotv.com/stories/36813.htm


May 12, 2005

By Keith Eldridge

ABERDEEN - A fourth grader has been suspended for a week because he refused to answer a question on the statewide test known as the WASL. Opponents of the test say it is proof the WASL has gone too far.

Tyler Stoken is 9 years old and his mother says he's good at taking tests. But when it came to the recent Washington Assessment of Student Learning, one question stumped him. He was asked to write a short essay about a make-believe situation and his principal.

Tyler paraphrases the question saying, "You look out one day at school and see your principal flying by a window. In several paragraphs write what happens next." He's asked, "So why didn't you answer that question?" He says, "I couldn't think of what to write the essay without making fun of the principal."

He refused to answer the question even after his mother was called to the school. Tyler's mother Amy Wolfe says, "And he said he didn't know the answer. He just didn't know what to write. And they were telling me to make him answer the question."

He still didn't, so Tyler was given a 5-day suspension. In the letter that went home to mother, the principal writes, "The fact that Tyler chose to simply refuse to work on the WASL after many reasonable requests is none other than blatant defiance and insubordination."

Amy and her son were shocked. Just then the phone rang. It was the superintendent calling to apologize.

"Because I think a mistake was made and over reacting to Tyler's refusal to complete the test," said Aberdeen school superintendent Marty Kay.

He says it points to the bigger issue of how much pressure is placed on students and staff to do well in the WASL.

"The situation highlights the stress that both students and staff are put under in a high stakes testing environment and I think under those situations mistakes are more likely to be made both by students and by staff members," Kay said.

The fact that Tyler didn't answer that question lowered his score and the overall score of the school.

The superintendent wants Tyler immediately re-instated at school. But Tylerís mother says the damage has been done. Mom tells son, "Well, nobody will scream at you again. I promise you that."

Tyler wants to go to another school. And after being a supporter of the WASL, Tylerís mother has joined the ìanti-WASLî movement.

WASL opponents also believe the principal and teachers broke the law by interfering with the WASL test.

[Moses]

In a letter to Ms. Wolfe, the principal of Central Park School, Olivia McCarthy, states that the consequence of the student's "decision" not to answer the WASL task is a "particularly egregious wound" to other students and the school.



Ms. Wolfe states that her son "is a very good student and has never been in trouble before. He gets very good grades and is above his fourth grade average."



"This situation is one more demonstration of WASL insanity. The test has taken over our schools and has, unfortunately, done away with good sense on the part of many administrators," said Juanita Doyon, organizer of Mothers Against WASL and director of the newly formed nonprofit Parent Empowerment Network. "I am so glad Ms. Wolfe has found our organization. It is time for parents to join together and rise up against these appalling violations of student and parent rights that are taking place around the state."



Ms. Wolfe previously asked to see her son's completed WASL test and was denied her parental right to do so. She has now cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and has formally made the request to see her son's WASL test.

---

Central Park School
601 School Road
Aberdeen, WA 98520





May 6, 2005

Dear Ms. Wolfe:

After much thought and after carefully weighing several factors, I have reached the following decision: Tyler is suspended from attendance at Central park school for a period of five (5) days beginning Monday, May 9, 2005 through Friday, May 13, 2005. This decision has been reached for the following reasons: Tyler refused, on six separate occasions, to comply with a reasonable request made by his teachers, myself, and even you, his parent. In schools, when a teacher or other staff member gives a direction or a request to perform, a student is expected to do so. [/color]In other instances where students have simply refused, consequences have been imposed. The fact that Tyler chose to simply refuse to work on the WASL after many reasonable requests is none other than blatant defiance and insubordination. Therefore, a reasonable consequence is a short-term suspension.



Unfortunately, the consequences of Tyler's decision do not end with this disciplinary action. Not only will his achievement be misrepresented on the highest stakes measure of academic performance he has met to date, but the scores of his classmates will also be invalid. As he chose NOT to perform, he will get a zero on that section, which will be averaged with the scores of all of the other students in his class: in this case, 10 other children. Obviously, a '0', when averaged with only 10 other scores, can drastically impact the 'average'. Thus, he has compromised the representation of what his peers know and are able to do. Their scores will be reported as a group, not as individuals. Additionally, this extends to the whole fourth grade, as our school score, the one that is reported to the state and the media, is an average of all fourth grade students. Thus, his choice impacts Tyler, his classmates, his grade mates, and his school. As we have worked so hard this year to improve our writing skills, this is a particularly egregious wound.



You have the right to an informal conference with me concerning this suspension, pursuant to WAC 180-40-280. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at 538-2170.



Sincerely,



Olivia McCarthy, Principal

CC: Marty Kay, Superintendent

Tita Mallory, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Barb Jones, Fourth Grade teacher

Shawn Sanford, Fourth Grade teacher

[Moses]

NOTE THAT THE NEOCONS IN BOTH PARTIES HAVE SUBSTITUTED A PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT OFFERS TO TEACH CHILDREN WITH SLAVE LABOR CAMPS WHERE CHILDREN ARE PUNISHED FOR NOT "PERFORMING", AND PARENTS ARE SUBJUGATED TO THIS SYSTEM AND FORCED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUNISHMENT OF THEIR CHILDREN. IT GETS WORSE-- BUSH AND CONGRESS HAVE INITIATED GRANTS THAT IDENTIFY "PROBLEM CHILDREN" AND FORCE DISCREDITED BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROGRAMS ON THEIR FAMILIES!!

WE ARE BACK TO THE CHILD LABOR MODEL, BUT THEY AREN'T EVEN PAID!!!!!!!!!!

AND WHO BENEFITS FOR THE FREE ENFORCED LABOR OF CHILDREN? THE PAID BUREAUCRACY, AND THE SUBCONTRACTORS, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO BENEFIT FROM THE SUBJUGATION OF THE US POPULATION!!!!

[Moses]

Superintendent calls boy's suspension a mistake

By Paula Horton - Daily World Writer

Friday, May 13, 2005 11:16 AM PDT


DAILY WORLD / KEVIN HONG Tyler Stoken, 9, was suspended from Central Park Elementary School for refusing to complete the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. He is pictured with his mom, Amy Wolfe, who maintains the boy didn't refuse, he said he couldn't finish the test.

A fourth-grade student at Central Park School was suspended for five days this week for not completing a portion of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning test.

Nine-year-old Tyler Stoken said he completed the reading and math portions of the annual assessment test, and answered one question on the writing test, but did not know what to write on the second essay question.

"It was never an issue of he didn't want to, it was that he couldn't," his mother, Amy Wolfe said. "He said 'Mom, I tried. I didn't know what to write.' They can't force him."

School officials, however, characterized his "refusal" to complete the test as "blatant defiance and insubordination." In his suspension letter, Principal Olivia McCarthy also said a "0" score by Tyler will "drastically impact" the school's average scores, and is a "particularly egregious wound" because the school has worked hard this year to improve the writing skills.

Aberdeen Schools Superintendent Marty Kay says it's unclear to him whether Tyler refused to take the test or was just unable to answer the question. Regardless, it was a "mistake" to try to make him take the test and to issue a suspension as a punishment, he said.

"As a result of Tyler's refusal or inability - whichever way you look at it - he ended up receiving a five-day suspension," Kay said. "In my judgment, that puts an inordinate amount of pressure on a 9-year-old boy to perform well. I'm not sure that's really how we want to get the best performance out of students by putting that pressure on them.

"In a high-stakes testing environment, both students and staff can make mistakes," the superintendent added. "This is a mistake. It's a mistake that's correctable and we'll correct it and make sure it won't happen in the future."

Principal McCarthy said this morning that Central Park staff hold their students to "a very high standard of behavior and academics and when they come to school, we expect them to do their hardest and try their very best.


"We nurture them and encourage them and help them to be the very best they can be in all areas," she added. "It's unfortunate that the WASL has been the focal point of this situation. This was an issue of student conduct and the disciplinary action was related to the student's refusal to comply with reasonable directions."

Couldn't answer
Tyler says he just couldn't answer the question.

On the writing portion of the fourth-grade test, there are typically "prompts" that set up a situation and tells the student to write what happens next.

In this case, Tyler said the "prompt" was "you see your principal fly by the window, write three paragraphs about what happens next."

His teacher saw him not working and told him to "get back to work," Tyler said. He was then pulled out of the class. He was also given a chance to complete the test during the WASL makeup week but didn't, Superintendent Kay said.

That should have been the end of the story.

"We want to be invitational ... and not make it a have-to situation," Kay said. "The WASL is as much for the (student's) benefit as it is the school's benefit. It's really an indicator for what students know and can do.

"... We certainly want (Tyler) to take the test, but ultimately we can't make him do anything."

Wolfe said she learned about the suspension last Friday, just before Tyler was due to get home from school. However, she's upset that he was pulled out of class and left in the office all day Friday and told that he was not allowed to participate in any extra activities at the school for the rest of the year.

Missed fun day
Friday was supposed to be a fun, free day - sort of a reward after the WASL testing. There were pancakes and students were going to watch the movie "Lemony Snicket's," Tyler said.

But Tyler didn't get to do any of that.

"They said I don't deserve to be at any party," he said, adding that he was told he ruined things for everyone at the school.

That gets to the heart of the matter for Tyler's mom and Superintendent Kay.

Each individual student's WASL scores reflect on the teacher, the school and the district as a whole. There are state bench marks that each school has to meet and schools and districts are tracked on whether "adequate yearly progress" is made.

"The question is 'Is my son being punished because it reflects poorly on the school?' " Kay said, admitting that there was an "overreaction" by school staff.

The superintendent says he just wants to work with Tyler's mom to get him back to school and on his way to learning.

The two were supposed to meet on Monday, but Wolfe said she was "advised" to cancel the meeting until she could get more information about her rights and the law.

She said she got in touch with Juanita Doyon - who unsuccessfully challenged state Superintendent Terry Bergeson in the last general election - after coming across her Mothers Against the WASL Web site online. Doyon told her to contact Seattle news stations with her story, Wolfe said.

A meeting for Wednesday was also canceled. Superintendent Kay and Wolfe were supposed to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, but Wolfe said she was simply going to present him with a letter detailing her issues and wants a formal, written response.

Not going to Central Park
Kay said his intent is to get Tyler back in school as soon as possible. Wolfe, however, says Tyler doesn't want to go back to school and is requesting a tutor for him for the rest of the year.
"He's not going back to Central Park School. I've lost complete faith in the system," she said.

And while she won't be out picketing against the WASL, she does say it needs to be pulled from the schools.

"If there's enough pressure that teachers are tormenting kids, it needs to be taken out of schools until it's better," Wolfe said. "I just want them to be accountable. ... It should be known about the school and what's going on. I'd hate to see it happen to anyone else's kids."

Superintendent Kay said there were other ways to deal with either the refusal or inability to complete the WASL and he'll be working to make sure nothing like this happens again.

"As schools try to change and as we try to become more accountable, we are going to find places where we need to improve," he said. "I think this is a great learning experience for all of us, myself included, but our adult learning should not come at the expense of children."

Principal McCarthy adds, "It's time to put this behind us and continue to work in the best interest of all students."

[Moses]

See also: Why Principals S*ck

[Moses]

UNION ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO SEE WASL

SOME SAY TEACHERS SHOULD GET ACCESS
Seattle Post-Intelligencer -- May 26, 2005
by Jessica Blanchard and Lewis Kamb

Education officials and experts are lauding the state's surprise
decision to allow parents to see their children's WASL tests, and some say teachers should have that right, too.

The head of the state teachers' union said yesterday that he hoped many parents will take advantage of the opportunity.

"There can only be good from this information being more public," said Washington Education Association President Charles Hasse, whose group has been critical of the test and its growing influence on school curriculums.

Ending eight years of secrecy, state Education Department officials told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer this week that they had incorrectly interpreted a federal law that requires limited public access to standardized tests.

The Washington Assessment of Student Learning is required for high school graduation starting in 2008. Scores are included on transcripts and can be viewed by colleges.

It was unclear yesterday how many parents have called the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction -- the agency that will now process the requests -- to demand WASL access. The agency's entire assessment team was out of the office attending a meeting, according to spokeswoman Kim Schmanke.

A wave of parents is expected to demand access to their children's exams in coming weeks, and state officials have already scheduled a meeting tomorrow with a Skagit Valley man to view his child's WASL.

Since the WASL was adopted in 1997, state officials had flatly refused to let parents see their children's test booklets, saying the strict security was needed to protect the sanctity of the exams and control costs.

The change came after one parent appealed the state's non-disclosure policy to the U.S. Department of Education. Officials with that agency recently advised the state superintendent's office that the test was an educational record that could not be withheld from parents.

With two daughters enrolled at Montlake Elementary, father Steve
Widmayer said yesterday he was thrilled to hear that parents can view WASL exams -- what he called "a valuable tool."

"It's a great idea from a checks-and-balances standpoint," he said. "It allows us to determine whether our kids' education is being geared specifically toward the WASL exam, or whether they're getting a more well-rounded education."

Widmayer's eldest daughter -- a fourth-grader -- took the WASL last month, and he now intends "to get her results."

"Every parent should look at (the test) to at least (see) what our kids have to go through," he said. "So much has been made about the WASL, it behooves us to see what the big deal really is all about."

Not all parents agree.

Claire Powers, mother of a Nathan Hale High School 10th-grader, doubts that simply viewing the exam will help parents improve their child's academic performance.

"Personally, I would rather see a math test with comments written on it, or just meeting the math teacher on parent-teacher night," she said. "That's meaningful to me."

Seattle Council PTSA President Lisa Bond said she could understand why parents are interested in seeing their student's tests. But it's just not for her.

"I think I have a pretty good indication by looking at my children's
classwork," she said. "I've never really felt the need to go check my children's test."

One expert hopes the developments this week will pave the way for educators to gain access to the tests -- and possibly adjust their teaching methods.

"A responsible teacher needs to know what the target is," said Doug Selwyn, an education professor at Antioch University who previously taught in Seattle schools.

Selwyn criticized the state superintendent's office for continuing to
bar teachers from seeing the tests, and for enacting strict security
measures for parents who view the exam.

"Why are they treating this like the secrets to Hanford?" he asked.


seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/225914_wasl26.html

[Moses]

From the Seattle Times
Thursday, May 26, 2005, 12:00 a.m. Pacific


seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002289088_wasl26m.html
Some parents allowed to see kids' WASLs

By Jolayne Houtz
Seattle Times staff reporter


Some Washington parents have been granted permission to see their children's WASL exams in recent weeks, the first time parents have been allowed to see students' work on the state's high-stakes test.

Critics of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) say they hope more parents will follow suit now that state education officials - under pressure from parents - are reinterpreting the rules and allowing closely supervised access by parents and guardians of test-takers.

Until the past few weeks, the completed WASL was off-limits to parents. Those who asked were permitted to view a blank WASL test until 2003, and state officials recently have been releasing 30 percent of test questions to the public each year.

But parents who wanted to see their children's actual work were turned down. State officials cited copyright law and a state law that prohibited the test from being shared with the public.

Recently, state officials realized that a federal law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act - defining the exams as educational records that parents and students age 18 and over have a right to see - may trump the state's law, said Kim Schmanke, spokeswoman for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

This spring, a school-district assessment director e-mailed OSPI asking what to do about a parent request to see a child's exam. That request cited a memo prepared by federal education officials that defined completed tests as education records subject to parental disclosure, Schmanke said.

That helped prompt state officials to reconsider their rules about WASL access, she said.

For now, parent requests to view the WASL are being handled case by case while OSPI works with the state Attorney General's Office to resolve the conflicting legal interpretations.

Amy Wolfe of Aberdeen is one of two Washington parents who has seen her child's WASL test since the rule change.

Wolfe said her 9-year-old son, Tyler Stoken, was suspended for five days this spring because he didn't finish one of the WASL writing questions. The school said the boy was being defiant, but Wolfe said Tyler was confused by the question.

Wolfe spent an hour looking over the test in the Aberdeen superintendent's office this week with an OSPI official and another district employee in the room. She had to sign a nondisclosure agreement stating that she would not disclose any WASL questions, and she was not allowed to take notes.

"It didn't help me understand why this test was so important that it led to this situation with my son," she said.

At least two other parents say they have been granted permission to view the tests in coming weeks, including Nanette Meratinia, a resident of Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood who has two sons, in the eighth and ninth grades.

She had sought access to the exams off and on for years and was denied until this week.

"What do you do when your student's scores don't match their classroom performance?" Meratinia asked.

With the WASL now a high-school graduation requirement, "the stakes are too high to leave it to chance," she said.

OSPI says Meratinia will be able to see the exams within the next couple of weeks.

Juanita Doyon, a Spanaway woman who founded a group called Mothers Against WASL, hopes many parents will take advantage of their new access.

"Anytime one test is used for high stakes ... there's a corruption factor that takes place," said Doyon, who ran unsuccessfully for state superintendent of public instruction last year. "The test is taking over the system."

Schmanke said the state never intended to hide the WASL from parents. "If we didn't want people to know what was in the test, we wouldn't release actual test items every year," she said.

Parents who seek access to their children's tests may have to wait weeks. Districts had to send the test booklets out by this week to out-of-state scoring centers.

Tests can't be recalled until the scoring is completed in the summer, Schmanke said.

Parents who want information on viewing their child's WASL exams may contact OSPI assessment coordinator Paul Dugger at 360-725-6348.

Jolayne Houtz: 206-464-3122 or [e-mail]