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When Judith Billings and Terry Bergeson ran against each other in 1992, their platforms were so similar the press paid close attention to their personalities. At the time Bergeson was described as outspoken and energetic. Billings was said to be reserved, working behind the scenes. Fast forward 12 years and the differences are undeniable and vast. The deepest divide is over the Washington Assessment of Student Learning Exam (WASL), the test used to see if students are at grade level in reading, writing and math. Dismantling the WASL is Billing’s top priority.
Billings: What we’ve gone back to is sort of the old assembly line, drill and practice, stick the kid in a box depending upon a test score. And as I have listened to teachers and parents, all I ever hear is WASL, WASL, WASL.
Terry Bergeson is fiercely loyal to the WASL and the years of work the state has put into it. Critics of the test say it’s too difficult. Many questions require written answers and strong analytical skills. Bergeson cites competition from overseas as a prime example why the state needs to tough it out under the current system.
Bergeson: Twenty-five percent of the kids graduate from India. But the 25 percent that graduate is more than all the children in the United States of America that graduate, and their diploma is like an international Baccalaureate advanced degree. They’re two years, at least, ahead of our kids. That’s what we as a total state and our young people are up against.
Looking closer to home Billings sees imbalance in the schools. One of her chief complaints is students aren’t spending enough time on art, civics and music. Studies have shown since the arrival of the WASL there’s been a renewed emphasis on reading, writing and math, leaving little time for anything else. According to Billings, there would be more money for these programs if the state stopped spending what it does on the test.
Billings: We have $180 million invested in the WASL and if we don’t have as much emphasis on the WASL, then you do have dollars that have gone into testing available to use otherwise.
Billings envisions teachers assessing students based on a body of work, a portfolio. Under her plan only a sampling of students would take the WASL just to make sure schools were meeting the state’s standards. To comply with the federal “No Child Left Behind” law, students could take a less expensive multiple-choice test. Nebraska is doing this with great success, touting some of the highest college entrance test scores in the country. Other states have tried portfolios and failed. Bergeson points to Vermont.
Bergeson: The more creative people go with the portfolios, the less you had a common, consistent, dependable standard, an objective standard to make sure the kids actually had the skills. And they gave up that experiment.
James Kelly, the President and CEO of Seattle’s Urban League, has great respect for both Billings and Bergeson. He’s enjoying what’s by far the most spirited race for this office in decades.
Kelly: My joke is: I’ve got all my money bet on the white woman. That at least there will be one winner in the whole race.
All kidding aside, Kelly is throwing his support behind Bergeson. His African American constituents have a lot at stake. Minority students have high dropout rates and do worse in school overall compared to white students. Kelly believes the WASL holds the system’s feet to the fire.
Kelly: The bar has been raised; every child should get over it. I think we’re heading in the right direction and I would hate for us to really start all over again. Because we’ve been preparing for this for 13 years.
Just about every major newspaper in the state endorses Bergeson. They use strong language, saying it’s critical and essential to re-elect Bergeson. One organization missing from her list of supporters is the Washington Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union. Judith Billings is their top choice. Charles Hasse, the union’s president, says Bergeson has neglected the concerns of teachers.
Hasse: When she has her big press event each year, what do we hear about but WASL scores. We don’t hear about rates of teacher turnover, we don’t hear about how well stocked school libraries are. Instead you hear the reading of the WASL scores and it sounds for all the world like we’re talking about cattle futures. So when Judith Billings says what we need is an education system, not a testing system, that certainly resonates with our members and with the public.
The reality is, no matter who is elected, no sweeping changes will happen overnight. Revamping the state’s assessment system would have to be vetted by commissions, the governor’s office and the state legislature. While both candidates continue to disagree over testing, they do agree schools don’t have enough money…WASL or no WASL. Both Bergeson and Billings are strong supporters of Initiative 884, which would raise the sales tax one percent to fund schools.
Jennifer Wing, KPLU News
