Mothers Against WASL activities update

[Jedoyon@aol.com]

Dear Friends,

Here is a schedule of upcoming WASL events.  We have 3 WASL Information 
Nights scheduled.  I will be presenting:

Monday, April 5th, 7:00-8:30 pm, Kirkland Library: 308 Kirkland Ave., 
Kirkland, WA

Tuesday, April 6th, 6:30-8:00 pm, Vancouver Public Utilities Building, 1200 
Ft. Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA

Wednesday, April 7th,  7:00-8:30 pm, Snohomish Library, 311 Maple Ave., 
Snohomish, WA

Please join us!  We will have buttons, flyers, stickers, etc... available to 
take with you for word spreading in your own communities.  Last year in Lake 
Stevens, there were 20 parents in attendance from 5 different school districts! 
 So, feel free to attend whichever meeting is within driving distance.  

The Tacoma area Mothers Against WASL will be having a garage sale this coming 
weekend to help them pay for the hundreds of flyers they've been handing out 
and other materials.  They will also have anti-WASL materials available at the 
garage sale (for free)
Friday, April 2nd and Saturday, April 3rd, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm, Sunday, April 
4th, 12:00-4:00 pm,  425 East 65th, Tacoma

April 19th, 10:30 am, we will gather on the Capitol grounds in Olympia for a 
Walk Out Against WASL!  We will walk to the Office of Superintendent of Public 
Instruction to call for a halt to WASL testing.  Parents, kids and teachers 
are coming from as far as Spokane, Vancouver, and Marysville.  Please join in 
to make a crowd of a statement!

Many of you have been corner rallying and getting those opt out forms turned 
in.  Some of you have experienced a little backlash or a few threats from your 
schools.  Below, you will find my statement to overzealous school officials, 
who seem to think opting out is not our right or that they should threaten 
sanctions or promise "positive rewards" (which always have negative consequences 
for those who opt out of WASL).  Feel free to quote this or use it as is.  
Hopefully, most teachers and principals realize that our goal is to free our 
schools of this abuse of power called WASL, and that a zero to the school can 
easily be disaggregated by the state.  We don't trust the scoring of WASL in the 
first place, and now that the standard is being reset, this fall's scores 
should at least be really interesting-- if not valid and reliable.  

Please contact me, Jedoyon@aol.com , join the Mothers Against WASL listserv 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mothers_Against_WASL/ or refer to the MAW section 
of my website  http://www.juanita2004spi.com/mothersagainstwasl.html, if you 
need help of any kind in dealing with WASL issues.  Thank you all for getting 
involved to save our children and our schools!

WASL Buttons are now (or soon) available in: 
Spokane Area from Shelley Anderson-- 509-326-9295 royann5267@msn.com and 
Lake Stevens area from Michelle Derus-- 425-397-7287 nowasl@hotmail.com 

WASL Reasoning
 
As a leader in the growing revolt against the Washington Assessment of 
Student Learning (WASL), I have counseled parents and students, throughout the 
state, concerning their right to opt out of the test.  Many schools are very 
reasonable and simply accept a parent-signed note and provide alternative activities 
during testing times.  Unfortunately, a few districts have found it 
appropriate to use coercion, scare-tactics and outright lies to get students to take 
the test and parents to change their minds about opting them out.
 
At the request of frustrated parents, I have developed a short position 
statement.  Supporting evidence can be found in books and articles on testing, and 
in the public records concerning WASL itself.  However, the following should su
ffice to quiet even the most obstinate school official:
 
The WASL is a wasteful, invalid, unproven, abusive experiment.  My child is 
not your data or the state's guinea pig.  There is no law stating that s/he 
must take the test.  There is no program that recognizes WASL scores for 
admittance or placement, and if this school is utilizing them in this manner, perhaps 
a lawsuit will take care of that.  The legislature has not certified that the 
WASL is appropriate for any use other than the development of an 
accountability system for schools.  I do not trust the questions; I do not trust the 
scoring; and until the state decides that it is my right to view my child's scored 
test, I will not allow my child to take part in this secret assessment.
 
Juanita Doyon
Mothers Against WASL
The test stops here!
Jedoyon@aol.com
253/846-0823