Frequently Asked Questions about the WASL

Got a question about the WASL? Check out some of the most frequently asked questions about the state's testing system. Still can't find the answer you need? E-mail waslhelp@k12.wa.us

1. What are the state testing requirements?

The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) was implemented in response to the state’s Education Reform Law of 1993, which required that the state create an assessment system to:

• test all public school students across the state, including students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency
• be administered annually in selected grades
• measure performance based on the Essential Academic Learning Requirements, the state’s learning standards
• report on the performance of individual students, schools and districts
• serve as one basis of accountability for students, schools, and districts (for example, grade 10 students must pass the WASL tests as one condition of eligibility for earning a high school diploma)

In addition to meeting the requirements of the Education Reform Law, the WASL tests also fulfill the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. NCLB requires annual assessments in reading and mathematics for students in grades 3-8 and high school. Students also must be tested annually in science in an elementary school grade, a middle school grade and a high school (10-12) grade. This requirement is fulfilled in Washington by testing students in grades 5, 8 and high school.

2. What is tested on the WASL?

The WASL tests are based on the state’s learning standards contained in the Essential Academic Learning Requirements. Students are tested in

• Reading – Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10
• Writing – Grades 4, 7 and 10
• Mathematics – Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10
• Science – Grades 5, 8 and 10

3. What types of questions appear on the WASL?

The WASL includes multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions. In addition to demonstrating content knowledge, students are also expected to apply their thinking skills to solve problems and explain their answers

4. What makes the WASL different from other standardized tests?

The WASL is unlike more familiar standardized tests, which measure students' performance against other students. The WASL measures students' performance against a set of standards, not against their peers. Think of the WASL like the test you take to earn a driver’s license. It doesn’t matter what the average score on the test is or whether some drivers scored above or below you. What matters is whether you can show you have the driving skills and knowledge of traffic laws to “meet the standard” and get a license.

5. Who writes the WASL test questions?

Washington educators helped build the WASL and continue to refine it. They review every question for content quality and its relation to the state’s learning standards.

6. What steps are taken to ensure that WASL questions do not contain any cultural bias?

Every WASL question goes through extensive analysis by a Bias and Cultural Fairness Committee of specially trained educators before inclusion. Before any question “counts” on the WASL, each question goes through review to ensure there is no cultural bias in the exam. Each question also is given a trial run with students to make sure the question does not pose special difficulty for students from different backgrounds.

7. Who scores the WASL?

Hundreds of people score the WASL, including a large group of Washington teachers. All scorers are monitored closely by Pearson Educational Measurement, the state’s testing contractor. WASL scorers who are not Washington educators must have, at a minimum, a four-year college degree. All scorers – both Washington teachers and Pearson personnel – are monitored daily to ensure their scores meet criteria of accuracy and consistency set by Washington educators. Scorers who are unable to score according to these criteria are dismissed.

8. How are student responses scored?

Reading, math and science: All multiple-choice questions are machine scored. Open-ended questions (Short-answer questions worth 2-points each and Extended-response questions worth 4-points each) are scored by trained raters who use scoring guides defined by Washington educators.

Writing: The same scoring guides are used every year for all of the writing questions. Scorers are trained to set aside their own personal opinions about what score a test should receive, so that student responses are scored consistently and according to the criteria determined by Washington educators and Pearson Educational Measurement. Reading, math and science: Washington educators determine the scoring criteria for each short-answer and essay question.