What is the WASL?

The WASL (pronounced wah-sul) is a series of tests that focus on basic skills and complex thinking in four areas:

• reading,
• writing,
• listening, and
• mathematics

The tests contain multiple-choice questions, and also require students to:

• complete short answer questions,
• provide extended writing responses, and
• complete tables or charts.

The WASL is one of several tools for evaluating student learning. Other forms of evaluation include other formal assessments, classroom tests, grades and your child's homework.

The WASL was designed to provide a more complete picture of what our students know and can do. It asks students not only to choose the right answers, but also to explain how they got their answers. It measures their ability to apply their knowledge to solve complicated problems that reflect real-world situations.

The tests are aligned to state standards taught by teachers in our school, relying heavily on the advice and expertise of Washington teachers. Each standard represents what students should know and be able to do in each grade level.

The tests are scheduled for a portion of each day for seven school days. Testing will take approximately 50-105 minutes per day.

If you have any questions, please contact your child's school principal or Federal Way Public School's Director of Assessment, Pat Cummings, at 253-945-2004.

What can I do to help?

Parents can do a great deal to help their children do their best on the WASL. Make sure your child comes to school well rested and fed so that they are ready to do their best on this assessment. Do your best to keep your child from being absent or arriving late to school during the testing period.

Throughout the school year, stay in contact with your child's teachers and school. Discuss your child's homework assignments with your child and his or her teachers; ask questions about what they are doing in the classroom.

If you have questions about the WASL, its scoring, or the administration of this exam, the publication Reaching Higher: A Parent's Guide to the WASL, can be very helpful. For a free copy of this guide to our state's student assessment, call your school's principal. Copies are available at the district's Community Resource Center in SeaTac Mall, located near Sears. Or call the state's toll-free hotline at 1-888-59-LEARN.

The staff and students of Federal Way Public Schools appreciate all you do to help all students achieve high standards. Thank you for helping make learning a priority in your home.

Resources

OSPI Assessment: The OSPI Assessment office in Olympia can be reached from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at: 360.725.6333.

Special education and the WASL: For information about the assessment of special education students, visit the OSPI Special Education Assessment page at: http://www.k12.wa.us/specialed/altassessment/altassessment.asp or call Nancy Arnold, program supervisor, at 360.725.6089.