Chapter 18: Take this Test and . . .: Doing Unto Policy-Makers What They Do Unto Students

In response to the nationwide wave of educational reforms during the 1980s and 1990s, the State of Washington passed legislation, House Bill 1209, to create new curriculum standards and a new assessment system. HB 1209 required that the state test all students at the end of fourth, seventh, and tenth grades, with the tenth grade test serving as an absolute gatekeeper to graduation. Students had to pass all sections of what came to be called the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in tenth grade or they could not graduate, no matter their grade point average, teacher recommendations, involvement in service projects or school activities, other school achievements, or test scores on other exams (e.g., SAT). This was true for all students, including those in special education, English Language Learner programs, students whose families moved often, and students who were homeless.