Editorial

Scary thought — an inaccurate WASL

WASHINGTON state education officials were appropriately inquisitive and demanding on their recent visit to the Iowa facility at the center of a national SAT scoring debacle.

State officials heard explanations by Pearson Educational Measurement of how more than 4,000 college-entrance exams were erroneously scored. They received reassurances that similar mistakes will not happen when it comes to the company's job scoring the Washington Assessment of Student Learning tests. Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson's team listened. Then they informed Pearson it must pay for an outside review that will examine Pearson's test-scanning and test-scoring processes to ensure the company is up to the responsibility of the WASL.

Excellent call. Halfway through a five-year contract, this state is poised to continue a business relationship with Pearson. But Bergeson and her team correctly understand they need to demand oversight of the company's performance.

More than half-a-million students statewide are taking the WASL. About 84,000 are 10th-graders who need to pass the test to graduate. The thought of Pearson mishandling the WASL is unacceptable, even in theory.

The company blamed part of the mishap on moisture on the answer sheets, and on students who filled in bubbles with handwriting too light for computers to detect. It has pledged to improve technology to deal with those issues. That's a no-brainer.

Education reform is at a critical juncture and there is little room for avoidable errors. Tests have become the major measurement of educational progress. Parents and students must be confident of their accuracy.

This is a delicate stage for the WASL. Critics of the test will wrongly point to the errors as reason to diminish the central role the WASL plays. We can't let that happen.

The WASL cannot afford a misstep like the SAT-scoring incident. Our educational officials are right to insist on guarantees.

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company