The Effects of the Washington State Education Reform on Schools and Classrooms

Abstract

A growing number of states are implementing standards-based school accountability systems in an effort to improve student achievement. Washington state's Education Reform Act is an example of such a reform. It mandated the creation of academic standards, called the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs), a state assessment system, called the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), and an accountability mechanism, which is still under development. Washington policymakers have adopted a gradual approach to implementation, bringing new subjects into the assessment system on an incremental basis over the period of a decade. Researchers from RAND and the University of Colorado, Boulder, are studying the implementation and impact of the Washington reform on school and classroom practices, focusing on the subjects of writing and mathematics. In 1998-99, surveys were sent to a representative sample of about 150 elementary and middle school principals and a representative sample of about 400 writing and mathematics teachers in fourth and seventh grades. These are the grades in which students take the WASL tests. The surveys asked about the respondents' familiarity with the reform and their opinions about it. Principals were also asked about implementation at the district and school levels, including changes to standards, curriculum and assessments. Teachers were also asked about their participation in professional development and changes in their classroom practices in writing and mathematics.