Kirkland WASL prep tutor house

[arthurhu@comcast.net]

Also front page in the Kirkland Courier. Founder absolutely pro-WASL
but article also mentioned people who hate WASL, so anti-forces are
making a dent finally.


c:\cd\clip\2004\02\acedge.txt
Kirkland firm helps students hone WASL skills
2004-02-07
by Catherine Hawley
Journal Reporter

In a Kirkland classroom, students bend over their worksheets, gripping
freshly sharpened pencils while the teacher paces along a row of
desks, checking their work.

``Make sure you spell the names properly and spell the words
properly,'' says Theresa Piddington, looking down at students' papers.
``Most of the words you need are right there on the page.''

This classroom is not in a school, but in a new business that opened
last month in Kirkland. The Academic Edge is neither a private school
nor a commercial tutoring service but an ``enrichment learning
center'' custom-designed by a longtime educator.

The quartet of fourth-graders in Piddington's class have given up a
Saturday afternoon to hone reading skills in preparation for the
Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the state exam they'll be
taking this spring.

Academic Edge may be the first commercial enterprise in this area--
possibly in the state-- to market test preparation classes
specifically geared to the WASL. Executive Director Jan Link is
betting that her business fills a need now being created by higher
academic requirements at the state and district level.

It's unrealistic, she says, to expect every child to meet those higher
standards without extra help-- and she's offering some.

``There just isn't enough time'' in the school day for teachers to
work with every student in every subject as much as they'd like, said
Link, a retired principal who spent 36 years in Washington and
California schools. She thinks Academic Edge will fill a need for
flexible, focused academic help supporting what children learn in
their regular classroom. Besides giving a boost to struggling kids,
Link also wants to cater to the math whiz or reading star who can
maximize a talent with extra work.

Besides WASL prep courses, Academic Edge offers a drop-in lab for
students seeking extra practice in reading, writing or math. Help with
homework or special projects, and consulting on school-related issues,
such as choosing a school, is also available.

A slate of short-term classes in topics such as phonics or report
writing is in the works, as well as classes to prepare preschoolers
for kindergarten, all taught by Link's hand-picked staff. The center's
lab and classroom materials are aligned with grade-level requirements
set by the Lake Washington School District, and Link says she'll
obtain the written expectations from other local districts, too.

This year's eighth-graders will be the first class required to pass
the 10th-grade WASL to graduate. Some critics say expectations are set
too high, but Link embraces a statewide push to get almost all kids
performing at high levels.

``I don't want to see the bar lowered,'' says Link. ``I want to help
kids reach the bar.''

Toni Benedict signed up her 11-year-old son, Trent Spangler, for a
round of three WASL writing classes. The Mark Twain Elementary
sixth-grader is strong in math, science and reading, but weaker in
writing. ``The writing affects everything else that he does,'' said
his mother.

Already shopping for some sort of tutoring service when she saw
Academic Edge's new sign, Benedict was swayed by flexible lab hours--
no need for an appointment-- and by her conversations with Link. Also,
having paid $30 to $50 an hour for private tutoring, Benedict thought
Academic Edge's rate of $15 an hour was reasonable. The price drops
when students sign up for more than one class.

Benedict said she didn't pay much attention when her son took the WASL
as a fourth-grader. But she's eager to have him do well on future
standardized tests after her older daughter, now 22, had difficulty on
her SAT college entrance exam. ``Let's get better at this whole
testing thing,'' she remembered thinking.

Her son, at first embarrassed by the thought of getting extra help,
now enjoys his time at the center, Benedict said.

Part of each WASL prep class addresses test-taking strategies and test
anxiety, Link said. In Piddington's fourth-grade reading class, she
reminded students to make their answers fit the space provided. On the
board she drew a hamburger to remind them how to structure a paragraph
response: the top bun is the topic sentence, the bottom bun is the
closing, and supporting details are the filling in the middle.

``When it says paragraph, think hamburger,'' Piddington said.

Julie Goldsmith, an assistant superintendent for Lake Washington
schools, said the district was happy to share curriculum materials
with Link-- they're public information-- she said, but district
officials believe students get good preparation for the WASL
throughout the year. ``It's a natural, embedded part of the
classroom,'' Goldsmith said.

When parents ask Lake Washington assessment director Dan Phelan what
they can do to help their child on the WASL, Phelan tells them to talk
to the teacher, who knows a student's strengths and weaknesses better
than anyone. Some schools hold WASL nights, where parents and students
can try out sample questions. ``I don't think the commercial stuff
hurts,'' said Phelan, but it's hard to teach what students need to
know in a short session.

Link says Academic Edge is designed to supplement the classroom, not
supplant it. ``I really believe that a lot of children just need more
practice,'' she said.

Catherine Hawley can be reached at
catherine.hawley@kingcountyjournal.com or 425-453-4247.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Academic Edge

12600 N.E. 85th St.

Kirkland

425-827-8137

www.TheAcademicEdge.org

Academic lab: grades 2-7

Classes: pre-kindergarten to grade 7

WASL prep: grades 3-10




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