Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL)
WASL resources for parents Convenient and timely information about WASL, WASL retakes and alternative assessment options – also info about testing in grades 3-8.Key features include:
- A complete schedule for this year's WASL assessments, score releases and retakes.
- Straightforward answers in Q&A format about the development and scoring of the WASL.
- Simple tips to help prepare students for the exam.
- Link to a sample WASL test.
- Information on alternative assessments.
- Links to other important WASL information.
Related WASL information
- Frequently asked questions
- Graduation requirements
- PTA brochure 8th grade expectations
- PTA brochure 10th grade expectations
WASL tests are standardized and "on demand," meaning all students respond to the same questions, under the same conditions, and at the same time during the school year.
Reading, communication, and mathematics include a mix of multiple-choice, short-answer, and extended-response questions. The writing tests for Grades 4, 7, and 10 ask students to respond to two writing "prompts" (tasks). For more information about writing assessment, see "Anchor Set Annotations".
WASL tests are not timed; students may take as long as they reasonably need to complete their tests. Accommodations are available for students with special needs.
Students who meet WASL standards will earn a Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA) which will be recorded on their transcript.
Accommodations for some students
A broad range of accommodations means that nearly all students can take some or all parts of WASL.
The state has specific guidelines that schools must follow to accommodate special needs. Those detailed Guidelines for Participation and Testing Accommodations for Special Populations are available in a 28-page document on the state website.
Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS) is one accommodation for Special Needs students on Individual Education Plans (IEP) and who have persistent and severe disabilities. Other options are available for students with Section 504 plans, English language learners (ELL/bilingual), migrant students, and highly capable students.
Test questions - how they are created and rotated each year
Washington State teachers and curriculum specialists helped write the questions. Working with the testing contractor, they aligned potential questions with the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) . They reviewed questions before pilot tests, and reviewed and approved questions after pilot tests. A separate "fairness" committee also reviewed questions for words or content that might be offensive to students or parents, or might put some students at a disadvantage.
The committees developed and pilot-tested hundreds of questions to create a "pool." This pool is used to create new WASL tests each year. Statistical "equating" procedures maintain the same performance standard from year to year and provide longitudinal comparisons across years even though different questions are used.
The large pool of questions gives the ability to vary the kinds of questions from year to year so that a particular question format is not always associated with the same test.
How test results are decided and reported
After the first operational test at a grade level, a standard-setting committee determines the level of performance required for students to "meet the standard." In addition, "progress categories" above and below the standard show growth over time and give students and parents an idea of how far from the standard a student's performance is. School and district performance is reported in terms of the percentage of students meeting standard in each category.
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