WASLING IN WASHINGTON: PUTTING SCIENCE BACK IN THE CURRICULUM AND EARTH BACK IN SCIENCE

In recent years, K-12 teachers in Washington have been focusing much attention on the reading and mathematics learning of their students. The driving force behind this heightened attention has probably not been the existence of state learning standards (Essential Academic Learning Requirements or EALRs). Rather, it was the institution of the assessment of those standards in the form of the reading and mathematics tests (Washington Assessment of Student Learning or WASL). The state of Washington is now developing the WASL in science to assess how well our students are achieving the science EALRs. This development is a partnership between the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Riverside Publishing, and Washington science educators. The assessment will be given in the spring of grades 5, 8 and 10 with the critical goal of using results to improve student learning. The WASL will thus enable Washington to comply with the new Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act that requires annual yearly science assessment in one grade within three grade levels (i.e. 3-5, 6-9 and 10-12) beginning in 2007.

The science WASL will be a criterion (not norm) reference assessment. Test items will be based on scenarios and include multiple choice, short answer and extended response items. Science educators from K-16 have been developing scenarios and items that will then be subject to content and fairness review before pilot testing in the spring of 2002. Student responses to the pilot tests will be subject to range finding and scoring which will lead to selection of operational items. By 2003, the 8th and 10th grade WASL in science will be voluntary. By 2005, it will be mandatory for all three grades. Sixty percent of the items will assess understanding of scientific process (inquiry and problem solving), whereas 40% will be scientific concept items.

Notable for the Earth Science education community is that, in accordance with the EALRs, Earth and space science concepts will be on par with physical and life sciences in the WASL. The disciplinary concepts in the EALRs are organized by the interdisciplinary concept strands of (1) properties and characteristics; (2) systems and system interactions; and 3) changes in matter and energy. The Earth System Science approach is perfectly adapted to fill this curricular niche.