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CANDIDATES FOR PUBLIC OFFICE TAKE THE 10TH GRADE WASL

A group of Washington State educators has filed an initiative that requires any candidate running for any local or statewide office in Washington to take the same high stakes test required of all tenth grade students, and to post their scores in the Voter's Pamphlet and on the Secretary of State's web site. The details of the initiative, filed on January 9, 2002, are as follows: Anyone running for any local or state-wide office in the state will take all sections of the tenth grade WASL, (the Washington Assessment of Student Learning) at their own expense. The tests will be offered in proctored sites around the state and will be scored by the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Scores will be posted in Voter's Pamphlets provided before elections and on the Secretary of State's web site.

There are no requirements that candidates must pass all or any sections of the test, but they must post their scores.

The educators filing the initiative (Bob Howard, David Marshak, Doug Selwyn) are taking this step for several reasons: (1) The legislature has defined the WASL as basic education. Passing the WASL is what it means to be well educated and ready to move into the adult world, and it is the only measure of that status. This is true for all students, no matter what their backgrounds, interests, skills, language bases, or any other factors are.

We are asking anyone running for office to be measured alongside the yardstick defined by our state legislature, to see how they measure up against those standards set for basic education, for high school students, for 10th graders, for 16 year olds. If the WASL has validity for the students, it should certainly have validity for the candidates and voters.

If the 10th grade WASL is a measure of what adults need to know and be able to do to be successful in our world, then would this not be the case for elected officials, too? (2) A single test cannot be an accurate, defining measurement of any student's knowledge and skills. There is no single test that can accurately and fairly measure what someone knows and can do. All it can reflect is what the student knew on a particular day, through the limited and inevitably biased medium of a particular test.

We agree that students should have some common knowledge base and some common skills to graduate from high school. However, we believe that given the diverse nature of human beings and the diverse resources that students gain from their families and communities, we need to provide students with a variety of ways through which they can demonstrate that knowledge and these skills.

(3) We know that there are many people in our society who are bright, capable, and gifted people who do not perform well on standardized, paper and pencil tests. We know that there are people with gifts who do not perform well under the kind of pressure created by high stakes tests.

The WASL privileges people who are good test takers and harms those who are not good test takers. But the activity of taking tests has very little value in and of itself in our society. Who makes a living or contributes to society or helps other people simply by being good at taking tests? What remedy do we propose? No single high stakes test. No one measure should determine a person's future opportunities.

An array of assessments that really communicates who a child is and what he or she knows and can do. The assessments should help students, teachers, and parents to know what the student's strengths and weaknesses are, and they should lead to more effective teaching and learning.

Adequate resources and support to meet the needs of each student. Putting educational dollars into the pockets of test makers does not serve the best interests of the students or society. Tens of millions of dollars have gone into the development and implementation of the WASL; this is money that could have been used to better educate our students. Now even more money will be spent on the WASL if we have to give it every year from grades 3-8, as required by new federal legislation just passed by Congress and signed by the President.

The proponents of this initiative are committed to gathering the required 200,000 signatures to put the measure before the voters in November. This is an entirely volunteer effort; volunteers are welcome, and can join the effort by contacting Bob Howard, David Marshak, and Doug Selwyn at WASL@democracy.org (or whatever).

Talking Points for the initiative: CANDIDATES FOR PUBLIC OFFICE TAKE THE 10TH GRADE WASL (1) The legislature has defined the WASL as basic education. Passing the WASL is what it means to be well educated and ready to move into the adult world, and it is the only measure of that status. This is true for all students, no matter what their backgrounds, interests, skills, language bases, or any other factors are. We are asking anyone running for office to be measured alongside the yardstick defined by our state legislature, to see how they measure up against those standards set for basic education, for high school students, for 10th graders, for 16 year olds. If the WASL has validity for the students, it should certainly have validity for the candidates and voters. If the 10th grade WASL is a measure of what adults need to know and be able to do to be successful in our world, then would this not be the case for elected officials, too? (2) A single test cannot be an accurate, defining measurement of any student's knowledge and skills. There is no single test that can accurately and fairly measure what someone knows and can do. All it can reflect is what the student knew on a particular day, through the limited and inevitably biased medium of a particular test.

We agree that students should have some common knowledge base and some common skills to graduate from high school. However, we believe that given the diverse nature of human beings and the diverse resources that students gain from their families and their communities, we need to provide students with a variety of ways through which they can demonstrate that knowledge and these skills.

The WASL privileges people who are good test takers and harms those who are not good test takers. But the activity of taking tests has very little value in and of itself in our society. Who makes a living or contributes to society or helps other people simply by being good at taking tests? So What Do We Want? No single high stakes test. No one measure should determine a person's future opportunities.

Initiative Relating to Requiring All Candidates for Public Office to ake the Washington State Assessment of Student Learning (wasl) AN ACT RELATING to requiring all candidates who desire to have their name printed on the ballot for election to an office other than president or vice-president of the United States to complete all sections of the 10th Grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) prior to filing for office and to list their WASL scores on their declaration and affidavit of candidacy, amending RCW 29.15.010 and adding new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: POLICIES AND PURPOSES NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.

The State of Washington has determined that mastery of the State's Essential Academic Learning Requirements is needed by high school students if they are to succeed in adult life, both in terms of economic competence and effective citizenship. Such mastery is demonstrated by passing all sections of the 10th Grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

The 10th Grade WASL provides accountability for high school students. The citizens of Washington require similar accountability from candidates for public office. Since the 10th Grade WASL measures knowledge and skills required for adult success, the citizens of Washington State want to know whether or not candidates for public office in Washington have mastered the essential learnings measured by the 10th Grade WASL This act will make this information available to the citizens in relation to all candidates for public office in Washington State.

REQUIRING ALL CANDIDATES FOR PUBLIC OFFICE TO COMPLETE ALL SECTIONS OF THE 10TH GRADE WASL AND LIST THEIR SCORES ON THEIR DECLARATION AND AFFIDAVIT OF CANDIDACY.

Sec. 2 RCW 29.15.010 is amended to read as follows: Declaration and affidavit of candidacy.

A candidate who desires to have his or her name printed on the ballot for election to an office other than president of the United States, vice-president of the United States, or an office for which ownership of property is a prerequisite to voting shall complete and file a declaration and affidavit of candidacy. The secretary of state shall adopt, by rule, a declaration of candidacy form for the office of precinct committee officer and a separate standard form for candidates for all other offices filing under this chapter. Included on the standard form shall be: (1) A place for the candidate to declare that he or she is a registered voter within the jurisdiction of the office for which he or she is filing, and the address at which he or she is registered; (2) A place for the candidate to indicate the position for which he or she is filing; (3) A place for the candidate to indicate a party designation, if applicable; (4) A place for the candidate to indicate the amount of the filing fee accompanying the declaration of candidacy or for the candidate to indicate that he or she is filing a nominating petition in lieu of the filing fee under RCW 29.15.050; (5) A place for the candidate to list the scores that he or she has received through completion of all sections the 10th Grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

(6) A place for the candidate to sign the declaration of candidacy, stating that the information provided on the form is true and swearing or affirming that he or she will support the Constitution and laws of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the state of Washington.

The secretary of state may require any other information on the form he or she deems appropriate to facilitate the filing process.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.

In the year of every general election and at least three months prior to deadlines for filing a candidacy, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall offer administration of the 10th Grade WASL to potential candidates at no less than 10 (ten) locations throughout the state on at least two separate dates. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall provide proctors for the exam to ensure compliance with testing procedures and safeguard the integrity of the WASL scores.

For any other election of new officials, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall offer administration of the 10th Grade WASL at least at one location in Olympia and one in Spokane at least three months prior to the deadline for filing. For these administrations the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall also provide proctors for the exam to ensure compliance with testing procedures and safeguard the integrity of the WASL scores.

Every candidate for office who takes the 10th Grade WASL under the terms of this initiative shall pay for the cost of administration and scoring his or her test. This cost shall be set at the same amount as the cost for administering and scoring the test for 10th graders in that fiscal year.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall cause the 10th Grade WASLs completed by candidates to be scored within 2 (two) weeks of their administration. The Superintendent shall deliver the WASL scores both to the candidates themselves and to the Secretary of State.

Every candidate must complete all sections of the 10th Grade WASL prior to filing a declaration and affidavit of candidacy and must list all of his or her scores accurately on the standard form. Any falsehood listed on the declaration and affidavit of candidacy in relation to the WASL scores shall be subject to prosecution under penalty of perjury.

The Secretary of State shall list all candidates' WASL scores both on a web site established for this purpose and in every edition of the Voter's Pamphlet.

Authors/ Organizers: Robert Howard University of Washington Tacoma David Marshak Seattle University Doug Selwyn Antioch University Seattle Institutional affiliation listed for identification only If you'd like to help make this initiative the law in Washington, send your name, phone number, mailing address, and email address to:

WASL@democracy.org