New Legislation Requires Students Who Fail WASL to Have Individual Learning Plans

June 10, 2004 - Next year's ninth-grade students who failed in one or more areas of their seventh-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) must be provided a learning plan to assure continued progress in academic achievement and to assure that students are on track for high school graduation.

Recently-adopted legislation requires school districts to develop the learning plans that, at minimum, include:

• Students' WASL results
• A list of actions the school intends to take to improve students' skills in any content areas in which they did not meet standard on the WASL, including courses, competencies and other steps needed for students to meet academic standards and stay on track for graduation
• Strategies to help parents improve their children's skills
  Adjustments to the plan are to be made each year, as necessary.

The legislation also calls for learning plans to be developed for all fifth- and eighth-grade students who did not meet one or more standards on the WASL the previous year. Those plans must be produced starting in the 2005-06 school year. The plans must be adjusted annually until the students meet the standards. For the class of 2010 and beyond, learning plans for students who don't meet the WASL standard in science also will be required.

Staff at the state's education office are working with district staff to develop a model plan template that can be used for the plans. Workshops to share the plan template will be scheduled during the OSPI Summer Institutes.