WASL retakes a smashing failure

Ouch. Sure, 657 students are closer to graduating, having passed the August retake in reading, writing, or both.

August retakes of the high school Washington Assessment of Student Learning pushed 657 seniors closer to graduation, with 84.5 percent of the more than 73,000 students in the class of 2008 now meeting standards in reading and writing.

But 8,239 tested, including roughly 7,000 are seniors, which makes the retake success rate less than 10%. No matter what, over 11,000 seniors aren't on track to matriculate, if I'm correctly reading the numbers.

And I say "if." I didn't have to pass the Math WASL, and neither did you.


Update: Somehow, the P-I manages to spin this as good news. Combined with the low number of students signing up for the alternate portfolio assessment, I can't see it as anything but disaster.