It is a fact that local educators have different problems to address than some of their counterparts in other parts of the state. The area's high poverty rate and high numbers of children who don't speak English or move in and out of schools every year are obviously contributing factors to low test scores. But they are factors that are being addressed and dealt with through remedial help. The low scores should never be an excuse for lowering the standards or delaying WASL itself. We all knew from the get-go that it would take time for the reforms to be fully implemented and adjustments would have to be made along the way.
State schools are now only in the first step of implementing the reforms.
It won't be until 2008 that a passing score on all four sections of the WASL will be required to graduate. Bergeson offered some solid advice on her swing through the Valley. It's a paper and pencil test. But it is a good tool for assessment, and schools need to see how they are doing and be accountable for it, she said. As for students, she emphasized they should concentrate on whether they have the skills more than what their scores are.