Me Fail English? That’s Unpossible!

It’s back to school time, and as a parent of children in our public school system, I’m shocked and dismayed by the “Not the WASL” test scores just released by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  And the most disturbing thing is not the performance of our kids, but the behavior and beliefs of the ‘adults’ running the show.

 So, pop quiz.  Don’t worry, it’s open book, and you can find all of the answers in this article in the Tacoma News Tribune.  First, why did the state elect Randy Dorn to the post of Superintendent of Public Instruction?  Answer:  because he promised the teachers union that he would ‘reform the WASL’.  Congratulations, Randy, you followed through on your campaign promise.  The WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) is now completely replaced by the MOSP (Measurement of Student Progress).

Second, why did the teachers union want the WASL reformed?  Answer:  because they were concerned that state testing was taking up too much instructional time.  In the new MOSP test, reading, math and science tests were shortened to one-day tests, while writing remained a two-day test.

Third, what are some of the possible reasons given for the decline in student performance?  Answer:  the tests were new, and students weren’t used to them.  Also, the reading test is still ‘too long’.

Finally, what is the solution to the problem?  Superintendent Dorn’s answer:  shorten the reading portion of the test by the next round and for heaven’s sake, don’t cut funding!

Now comes the bonus question:  What in the hell are you people thinking?  You don’t like the test scores, so the answer is to change the test?  Has it ever been more obvious that we need to loosen the bureaucratic stranglehold on our public school teachers and at the same time reward those who actually do a good job?  The teachers union isn’t comfortable with the WASL, not because it is bad for our kids, but because it provides a tool for measuring and comparing performance.

But how can you intentionally sever any and all connection between performance and pay, and then with a straight face suggest that increasing (or cutting) pay will have any effect on performance?  Talk about missing the point!  The test isn’t the problem, and neither is overall funding.  The problem is that we refuse to try to motivate individual teachers to do better.

I am in the fortunate position of being able to pull my children from public school and send them to a school that does reward teachers for a job well done.  But this is because I can afford to pay for both the public and private school systems, and in the interest of my children I may choose to abandon my ongoing investment in our public school system (taken from me in so many little ways by our tax collectors).  But not everyone can vote with their feet the way I can.  We owe it to all of the children in our state to stop trying to find a test that they can pass DESPITE our education system, and start reforming our system to help them pass any test.