Important Information on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning

2009 WASL TESTING & CLASS SCHEDULE

The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) is a state mandated, tax-funded test for all sophomore students. The WASL is part of the graduation requirements for the class of 2008 and beyond.  Demonstration of meeting state standards is achieved by a minimum score of 400 on reading, math and science sections and a score of 17 on writing sections. A passing score in Reading and Writing is required for the Class of 2008, as well as earning math credits and taking the math WASL annually.

This year the WASL will be administered on:
Reading - March 16& 17
Writing - March 18 & 19
Math - April 13 & 14
Science - April 20 & 21

At PTHS the WASL is administered in a classroom setting with small student groups of 10-15 students.   There is no time limit on the test, allowing students to put their optimum effort into the test without a penalty.

Each student will have five opportunities to pass the WASL (one initial test and up to four retakes).  Students will only be required to retake the sections on which they did not meet mastery.  Although the WASL is optional for 9th graders, taking the test as a ninth grader does count as one of the five opportunities to pass the test. We encourage 9th graders to take the WASL early only if they are extremely confident in their academic abilities.   Additionally, current 11th graders may retake any section of the WASL in an attempt to improve their score. Advance, on-line registration is required.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is in the process of working out options for students who are unable to demonstrate their skill and knowledge through the WASL test.  These options will mainly apply to special education and English as a Second Language learners.  However, the state is also exploring alternative means of demonstrating mastery that may be available to other students after two attempts on the WASL.  Currently, transfer students, or students who have taken the WASL at least once, may be able to substitute scores from the ACT or SAT college admissions tests.

WASL Review

Many parents are curious about helping prepare their child to be successful on the WASL.  Research shows that the best preparation for meeting standard on the WASL is for students to be active, engaged learners, focused on solid academic core classes.  The WASL measures skills students learn in and out of the classroom all year long, over several years.  Skills like reading, writing and critical thinking develop over time with help from teachers and parents.  The best WASL preparation is several years of challenging core classes like English/language arts, reading, math, science, social studies and the arts.  While earning an A or B in a core subject class does not guarantee a student’s success on the WASL, grades are a reflection of effort, class participation, homework, attendance, behavior and academic skill.  These important measures of learning are a tremendous benefit for WASL preparatory activities.

At PTHS, teachers incorporate classroom strategies to prepare students for the format of the tests.  Here are a few examples of current classroom activities that will be a benefit to students as they work towards mastering skills they will need for the WASL:

• In geometry, teachers begin class with a ‘daily opening activity’ on the overhead projector.  This activity involves not only solving a math problem, but may also require them to construct written explanation of the steps used to solve that problem or draw a table or pictorial data to support a written answer.  Written or pictorial explanations are an important skill that is required on the WASL.

• During freshman English, students evaluate their writing using the scoring rubric that is used by those who grade the WASL.  In other classes, students also compare their scored writing to writing samples from other Washington students (through the use of WASL released test items) that have been scored using the WASL rubric as well.

• Students in sophomore level English learn how to identify and evaluate a writing prompt (expository, persuasive, etc.) so that they will become proficient in how to organize and write the relevant details that each type of writing requires. 

Additional WASL Resources

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) releases test items from previous WASL tests for examination and a sample test is available on their website: www.k12.wa.us/assessment/WASL/Grades9-12.aspx

We are aware that commercial publications are available.  We do not, however, have any information or data regarding their value as actual WASL prep materials.