[Stmonicaparent-list] Support WASL Funding for Private Schools

[St. Monica Parent Email list]

Dear St. Monica school Parents,

The information below may be of interest to you.  Thank you for taking the
time to read it.

Sincerely,

Pam Dellino

Principal

St. Monica School

 

Take Action: Support WASL Funding for Private Schools  

 

A house bill (HB) was introduced this year by Representative Dave Quall, at
the request of the Washington State Catholic Conference, to fund the
Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) for private schools who
choose to administer the test.  Currently the WASL is required in public
schools but not in private schools.  However, private schools may
voluntarily choose to administer the WASL at their own expense. HB 1772
would require that the State pay for the WASL for private schools who choose
to administer it. 

 

Some Catholic schools have chosen not to administer the WASL because they do
not believe that it is a very good measurement of student learning, while
others do not administer it because of the cost.  This bill makes no
judgment on the test, nor does it change the voluntary nature of its
administration.  

 

Recognizing that the WASL is a state requirement for graduation and knowing
that most of their K-8 students will attend public high schools, many
Catholic schools choose to prepare the students by exposing them to the test
in grade school.  The $29 fee per student often strains budgets and is the
impetus for the bill.

 

On February 16th Ms. Kay Purcell, principal of St. Rose Catholic School in
Longview, testified before the House Education Committee in Olympia
supporting HB 1772.  (Testimony is available at
http://www.thewscc.org/legislation/WSCC/wasl-07-02-16-kpurcell.doc ).  The
bill was amended in the committee, voted on and passed.  It is now called a
substitute bill, and has become SHB 1772.

 

To read more about this legislation and to send a letter to your
representatives to support SHB 1772, click on
<http://capwiz.com/wscc/issues/alert/?alertid=9424156&type=ST&show_alert=1>
http://capwiz.com/wscc/issues/alert/?alertid=9424156&type=ST&show_alert=1 .
When you enter this site, you will see an alert followed by a "Take Action"
section.  In this section is a prepared letter for your representatives
which you may edit, if you wish, to personalize your request.  Entering your
home address makes the site automatically direct these letters to the
representatives from your district.

 

 

 

JoAnn St. Pierre

Washington State Catholic Conference

508 2nd Ave. W.

Seattle, WA  98119

ph: 206-301-0556; fax: 206-301-0558

 

 

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<mailto:security at seattlearch.org> security at seattlearch.org  and destroy all
copies of this message and any attachments.

 

 

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