Rossi education plan gets rid of the WASL

• Published August 08, 2008

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Almost got out the door without posting this little item.

Dino Rossi has released his big plans for education on his campaign web site. The GOP candidate for governor has joined the growing bandwagon against the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

Rossi gave a few clues to his position on his video voters guide statement, posted on tvw.org, but his nine-page education proposal goes into much greater detail. He wants Washington to import the testing systems used other states that had success establishing high achievement standards.

That doesn't sound too different from what I've heard some lawmakers from both parties advocate.

But it keeps him on a collision course with Gov. Chris Gregoire and state schools chief Terry Bergeson, who both have argued for keeping the WASL. Bergeson, who is facing a challenge by WASL critic Randy Dorn, and Gregoire relented in the last year on math standards, requiring that kids keep taking the high-stakes test as sophomores but not requiring a passing score to get a diploma on the math portion for another couple of years.

Presumably that gives the K-12 school system more time to get its act together on mathematics instruction.

Rossi's plan says he will “work with the state board of education to replace the WASL with America’s best standardized test, using the following tests as models: the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, the Indiana Graduation Qualifying Exam and the California.”

Despite the objections harbored toward the WASL by teachers in the Washington Education Association, Rossi said the state’s standards were “completely put together by the education establishment … Why can’t we adopt something someone else has that’s working?’’

Other highlights of Rossi’s plan: He would use standardized tests to measure the entire school system and pay more to teachers and principals who “consistently succeed”; give more power to principals to remove “underperforming teachers”; let schools pay extra to qualified math and science teachers.