Let's just give up since it's tough ...

WASL

Look, I am not a huge WASL fan ... but we are entrenched in it ... WASL has become a fact of life for students in Washington schools. It has taken a good deal of time and resources to get to the point where the test counts towards graduation .... and now that students are continuing to struggle in the Math section ... come 2014 the math section is apparently on its way out ... there are plans to replace it with grade level tests in 9th and 10th grades, but the specifics apparently have not been finalized.

To many this dumping of the Math WASL will be a victory against the evils of standardized tests ... a perspective to which I am very sympathetic .... but that is another argument entirely for another time ...

See now, because it is hard ... and instead of viewing this as an opportunity to focus resources on math so that US kids can catch up and compete ... we are just dumping it ... kids ... you apparently suck and are not salvageable ...

Here's the thing ... this is actually worse and it diminishes the value of the diploma ...

I do not have the solution. I have to hope that the grade level testing protocol helps, especially since my kids will now have post-Math WASL diplomas ...