Steven is a sophomore in high school and he doesn't like math. He's enrolled in Geometry because his district decided that in order for students to pass the WASL, they should be taking Geometry by the sophomore year. He completes all his required work, struggling at times, but never giving up, and by the end of the year, is able to pass the WASL. At this point, he has met his math requirements for graduation, as his district requires two years of math and successful completion of the WASL. But Steven isn't done yet.

He wants to attend a four-year college in Washington, so he continues on in math despite his struggles and displeasure with the subject. As a junior he completes Algebra II with a C and takes the SAT to qualify himself for college. His grades and test score are going to be just high enough to get him into college. Not the school of his choice, but at this point, he's just happy to be done with math.

This is where Steven faces a critical decision, one in which schools have notoriously been deficient in helping students. If Steven opts to drop math for his senior year, then when he takes his math placement test (which as a junior he doesn't even know is coming) for college, he will have been out of math for over a year. Even more, with Algebra the highest course he has completed, his best hope is to test into PreCalculus, the first math course that counts as a college-level (non-remedial) math course. However, having barely scraped by in Algebra, and after being out of math for a year, his skills are not strong enough to get him into PreCalculus, and so he must repeat Algebra in college, earning no college credit, and slowing down his progress toward a degree.

How could this scenario have played out differently? It starts during Steven's junior year. If, instead of being allowed to drop math as a senior, he were encouraged to continue on in math, taking PreCalculus as a senior, let's see what might have happened. For starters, he would likely struggle in PreCalculus. However, in the care of a teacher who understands the value of taking math as a senior, keeping his skills fresh and learning higher-order thinking skills in the process, Steven will be able to take that placement test for college, and place into PreCalculus or even Calculus, which is one course higher. In taking this path, Steven does more than make himself college-eligible. He makes himself college-ready - ready to succeed at doing college-level work, and ready to begin making progress toward a degree from the first day he sets foot on campus.

Senate Bill 5755 looks to hold schools and districts accountable for their preparation of students in math and English beyond simply preparing them to take and pass the WASL, thereby earning the right to a diploma. Without this bill, students run the risk of being forgotten after their tenth grade year. We need to move our students from high school graduation eligible, beyond college eligible, to college ready, and this bill take an important first step. In this state, money speaks volumes, and by requiring districts to pay for the remedial courses their graduates require, the state is demonstrating the importance of appropriate preparation for all students, including the college bound. There IS life after the WASL, and SB 5755 ensures that students will be prepared for that life.

Sincerely,

Tom Robinson
National Board Certified Teacher, AYA-Math