Randy Dorn, the incoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, is keeping his Wednesday morning announcement about the future of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) exam under wraps. Dorn, who defeated three-term incumbent Terry Bergeson, has previously supported working to get rid of the test and replace it with a shorter, lesser-expensive exam.

State Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, chair of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee,
said she expects Dorn will announce his support for a bill introduced today that would revamp the student assessment system. McAuliffe said the state cannot completely ditch the controversial exam, because of guidelines set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, but said she and other lawmakers would like to "tailor" the test so it is just one part of "a balanced system to measure student growth."

"We want to maintain high academic standards but have a statewide academic system," McAuliffe said today. ""You can't use one test and expect it will be a tool for learning and it will give you accountability for schools"

McAuliffe calls for an assessment system that would give students, parents and teachers a better of idea of where students stand. McAuliffe said the Senate bill is based on recommendations that came out of a legislative WASL workgroup that she led. Details of the workgroup's findings were revealed before the Early Learning & K-12 Education committee on Monday.

According to the bill, the assessment system would be broken into three parts:

• The first would measure student growth throughout the year "in a manner that allows instructors to monitor student progress and have the necessary trend data with which to improve instruction."


• The second component would be "a state-administered summative achievement assessment that can be used as a check on the educational system."


• The third part would focus on regular "classroom-based assessments."

McAuliffe says the WASL is unacceptable because it is a challenge for disabled, minority and students for whom English is a second language.

"To put a test in front of a child that they can't read or comprehend is morally and ethically wrong," McAuliffe said. "We need an assessment that responds to individual students learning styles."