This is the first year that sophomores have to pass the WASL to graduate. The state ed dept. and districts have implemented incentives, for example .25 credit for each section passed, hoping that by June 1st 50% of 10th graders haven't dropped out of school (will there be an initial spike?)

Anyway the Seattle Times has a nice article today about the buildup and pressure of the test on many fronts:

Twenty sophomores sit in twos and threes, huddled over math problems. A few months ago, they were in drama class, or P.E. or other electives at Chief Sealth High. But when the West Seattle school offered a course to help them pass the exam they need to graduate, they signed up.

They switched because they're nervous about the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), their parents are nervous, or both. After 13 years, more than $100 million in testing costs and lots of debate, Washington sophomores are 30 school days away from the biggest test of their lives.

We'll take the test earlier this year so reslults can be ready by early/mid June and kids and parents can plan summer accordingly.

A good friends father at the center of the creationist vs evolution debate in Cali.

El Tejon school Supt. John W. Wight said in a written statement Tuesday that it had been "very difficult" for the school board to make its decision to halt the class. Neither the school board nor its employees "have promoted any religious belief in any academic setting," Wight said. "The idea was to have an open discussion of the different points of views on the origin of life, a philosophical exercise in critical thinking.

What is wrong with classes like this? It is an elective after all.

Is this really a good idea:

High school seniors who fear they won't pass Utah's new accountability tests in time for graduation this spring can breathe a little easier -but only a little.
The Utah Board of Education on Thursday decided students who fail the tests can receive real high school diplomas, not just certificates of completion. But students still have reason to stress over what those diplomas will say because they must state whether students have passed the reading, math and science portions of the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test (UBSCT).

Fear!? And will the school determine who is afraid and who isn't Why have the test?