In 1993 the state legislature created the Commission on Student Learning and charged it with the job of developing the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and an assessment system to measure student progress. That assessment system became known as the WASL. Further development of the WASL became the responsibility of the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction when the Commission on Student Learning was dissolved in 1999. [1]
The first pilot year of the WASL was during the 1996-1997 school year. Fourth grade students were assessed in reading, writing and mathematics. The following school year, fourth graders and seventh graders took the WASL. In 1998-1999, 10th grade was added. Listening was also assessed during the WASL, but was discontinued after the 2002-2003 school year.
The next major change to the assessment came in the 2002-2003 school year, when science was added as a test. Tenth grade students were assessed in the current four subjects during that year: reading, writing, math and science. In addition, eighth grade students also began testing, but only in science. The following year, 2003-2004, fifth grade students began testing in science, as well.
In 2005-2006, due to updated federal standards as part of the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB), third and sixth graders were also tested. Third and sixth graders were assessed in reading and math. The reading and math assessment were also added to fifth grade and eighth grade.
Alternate assessments were also incorporated into the regular WASL assessment cycle over time. The Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS) Portfolio was added during the 2001-2002 school year for fourth, seventh and tenth graders. In 2005-2006, the WAAS-Portfolio was expanded to all testing grades, 3 - 8 and 10.
In 2004-2005, 11th and 12th graders were allowed to retest the WASL.
The WAAS Developmentally Appropriate WASL (DAW) was also introduced in 2005-2006. The WAAS-DAW allowed a student to take a WASL at a lower grade level (e.g., a 7th grader taking a 4th grade test). After a review by the feds, it was deemed that Washington's WAAS-DAW administration did not meet NCLB requirements, and hence could not be used for any grade used for AYP determinations (grades 3 - 8 or 10). In 2006-2007, the WAAS-DAW was updated so that only 11th and 12th grade students could take it. The test, if passed, would still count towards a student's graduation eligibility in the eyes of the state, but that test could no longer be counted towards a school or district meeting AYP proficiency.
The WAAS-DAW2 was also introduced in 2005-2006. This test allowed a student to take their on-grade WASL, but have it graded on a lower scale. This option was available to all students who have some form of disability. In 2006-2007, the WAAS-DAW2 was renamed to the WASL-Modified assessment. In 2007-2008, it was again renamed, this time to the WASL-Basic assessment.
The 2005-2006 school year also saw the first official retest sessions. Summer retesting and fall retesting were introduced, per Washington state Legislature requirements. Summer retesting occurs in August and is for high schoolers who did not meet standard on the high school (10th grade) WASL previously. WAAS-DAW2/WASL-Modified/WASL-Basic tests can also be taken during summer. Fall retesting is in November and is for special education students attempting to retake the WAAS-DAW or WAAS-Portfolio assessments.
Finally, the 2005-2006 school year also was the first year that allowed ninth graders to attempt the WASL early, but only during the spring administration. This was intended for gifted or advanced students that had already met the educational criteria of the WASL to attempt it and get it out of the way. In 2006-2007 and later, 9th grade students were no longer allowed to attempt the science portion of the WASL early. In 2007-2008, ninth graders were allowed to take the August retest, as well. 9th graders were not allowed to take any portion of the WASL for the 2008-2009 school year due to announced cutbacks in funding.