WASL Test Costs May Double In Washington

EDUCATION 

By Austin Jenkins

Olympia, WA  February 29, 2008 2:06 p.m.

Washington State lawmakers are experiencing some sticker shock. The cost to administer mandatory statewide achievement tests to public school students may soon double.

The jump in price comes as the state receives bids for a new testing contractor. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

Pearson Education has the contract to write and score the WASL, the test Washington public school students take to graduate. But Pearson’s contract is up and lawmakers have been warned the new contract may cost an additional $25 million a year – more than twice what it costs now.

Kathy Haigh: "It’s disturbing."

State Representative Kathy Haigh, a Democrat, chairs the education budget committee in the House. She says the cost of testing is going up across the country, but a doubling in price is difficult to accept.

Kathy Haigh: “I’m hoping that we can get a little leaner and more efficient and do some pretty tough bargaining on the bidding process and see what we come up with. But we’re pressed. We’ve got to have a test.”
 
Haigh confirms that the state’s relationship with Pearson testing has soured of late.

One issue: the time it takes to get test results back. The state does hope to save a large chunk of money by shortening the WASL.

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© 2008 KPLU