The legislators were clearly moved by the passionate, knowledgeable commentaries from teachers and counselors at the meeting, which included Gordon Hedeen and Jason Kowalis from Lindbergh High School and John Schmitz and Gene Smith from Dimmitt.

Kowalis explained that although the goal to fully educate every student is laudable, the reality is children are individuals with very individual needs and cannot all be expected to perform at the same level.

“We’ve built an entire education system on a ‘no cookie cutter’ model,” Kowalis said. “Now we present this one test [WASL] as a way to measure their competence.”

Hedeen asked if an alternative test or other form of assessment could be considered for students who could not pass the WASL. In 2008 high school students will be required to pass the WASL before graduating. Hedeen noted that, for students who do not pass the test in the 10th grade, teachers in 11th- and 12th-grade classrooms would have to spend all their time helping them meet that goal. That, said Hedeen, could cause districts to restructure curriculum and possibly exclude subjects important to those students who did pass the test.

Reflecting on the first-hand information regarding WASL testing, Senator Steve Johnson R-Kent, Chair of the Senate Education Committee said, “We don’t get this story in Olympia. We just keep hearing from [businesses] that we should ‘hang on, it will get better.’”

Representative Dave Quall, D-Mount Vernon, Chair of the House Education Committee, spoke about his respect for the work being done by teachers, saying he visits his grandchildren’s schools.

“When I go into schools, I see the amazing amount of hard work being done by teachers,” Quall said. “When people tell me ‘I wish we could go back to the good ‘ol days,’ I say the stuff these kids are learning today is far superior to what I was learning at their age. The good old days weren’t that good.”

The meeting was successful in that it brought the classroom to the legislators who soon will go back to work making decisions that affect education.

Another legislative meeting is planned for September 29, with invitations sent to local, state and federal legislators.

Superintendent Gibbons wrapped up the meeting by asking those in attendance today to think informatively about the decisions they will make in the coming legislative session.

“It took our country 170 years to become inclusive,” Gibbons said. “We should work hard to not let this [legislation] divide us.”

In attendance from the state legislature were Senator Steve Johnson R-Kent, Chair of the Senate Education Committee; Representative Dave Quall, D-Mount Vernon, Chair of the House Education Committee; and Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, House Majority Whip and member of the House Education Committee. Also in attendance were Robert Butts, Policy Coordinator and Legislative Liaison at the state’s Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) and Renton Education Association president Phyllis Silling.