WASL and children’s learning at Pathfinder

[davidj]

“I believe finally, that education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction of experience; that the process and the goal of education are one and the same thing.”

From My Pedagogic Creed

John Dewey’s famous declaration concerning education. First published in The School Journal, Volume LIV, Number 3 (January 16, 1897), pages 77-80.

On the WASL

I believe that whatever you and I (the adults in our community) believe about the WASL is not as important as the potential learning that happens each day with our children. Great Teaching is noticing those learning moments, planning with children to take a look at what is possible and following it to its deepest (feasible) understanding. Learning by doing what is in front of us.

To be clear, I don’t believe that the WASL is an effective tool to understand or judge whether a school is doing a good job, or that any particular child is learning at an “acceptable” rate. My preference would be for a more comprehensive assessment approach for children, for teachers and for schools. This could be done and has been, by many educators and organizations that value education and democracy.

I wish that schools and states could be more open to the kinds of assessment that are guided by the individual development and the strengths and needs of each child. I wish that schools could be more democratic and open themselves up to stakeholders (parents, community members and SPS staff) to conduct an annual self-assessment of their effectiveness. I wish the standardized testing craze were over and/or that Parents revolted against the WASL and any new high stakes test.

For me, at this time, none of that is the point. I am wondering about what children learn as they gear up, train on test taking and submit themselves to two weeks of testing?

Let’s just say that the state (via the federal government), is forcing the Seattle Public Schools staff to use this test, to plan for it, help children practice it and administer it. I assume that most of the Teachers are well intentioned and care about kids, supporting them to do their best and working to minimize anxiety or stress.

Does all that mean that Teachers and Parents should just expect, cajole or coach children into accepting those terms? Or, do we have the right, as citizens in our democracy to ask, why? What does this accomplish? Does it work? Are there other ways?

Now imagine if the Pathfinder school and its staff posed some of those questions (and asked for others), with children, with parents and amongst themselves. What if the school encouraged children to review the WASL and the many perspectives that people have concerning it? What if the Teachers opened up this lesson on the WASL with the children and parents and asked how they felt about it, how the school is affected by it, what the goals of it truly are?

This is why I wish we were past the high stakes testing era, because this is the piece missing; the critical inquiry, collective sense making-democracy in action. Teaching our children how to live and facilitate democracy. I would bet that after experiencing the WASL, many of the children taking this test would experience less anxiety and might just do it for the sake of the school.

There is some real danger here; more kids might say no, more parents might say no, questions could be asked of principals. Would our teachers bear the wrath of an accountability bureaucrat at the district level? But, this is so in any change process, that things are uncertain, we are not sure what would happen. In a democracy, we create what seems to be the best solution, we try it, see how it works, fix it if needed. We should recreate it on a regular basis.

In the absence of any truly critical look at this test by the school, we opt out our child from taking it. We do this is the face of a pro-WASL Parent body and overt coaching on the part of teachers and the principal to do it for a variety of pro-WASL reasons: 1. if you don’t, it negatively affects the school, 2. you’ll be testing your whole life, so this is good practice, 3. just because it is hard doesn’t mean you should not persevere.

Each of these is understandable and has merit, but each also has a counter point, equally valid and yet unrepresented at Pathfinder. How will children learn to think and act in a democracy if they are not asked what they think and not given an experience of democracy? How can this happen for our children at Pathfinder?

Also, any Parent can opt out their child from the WASL. Its’ easy, just send a note to the principal.

David Johnson

Parent at Pathfinder School

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