Why are you required to take the WASL?

"I think there's too many standards for us (the class of 2008) to graduate.  I think the WASL is important, just not to graduate." - Emily Burnham, WHS Class of 2008

Back 1983, the U.S. government published a report entitled "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform."  In the study, experts found that public education had been in a state of decline for decades, and that schools needed to place a stronger emphasis on essential skills and high standards.  An educational reform movement began sweeping the nation.

Here in Washington State, educational, political and business leaders came together and worked for the passage of the 1993 Educational Reform Bill, which mandated new academic standards for students and schools.  The Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) was designed to measure these standards as a minimum requirement for graduation.  Since then, the state and school districts have been slowly implementing and refining the exam--a process which continues today.

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).  This national law sets specific educational requirements for states and local school districts.  Under NCLB, school districts that don't make "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) toward state-determined goals in reading and math face required corrective action and possible restructuring.  After the passage of NCLB, Washington State elected to maintain the high standards of the WASL and use it as our AYP measurement tool.  As a result, Washington State now has some of the highest educational standards in the nation.

What's Wenatchee High School's AYP status?   Click here to find out.