Any Washington state homeschoolers here?

Question

What's your opinion of the WASL? I've read it's unreasonably difficult.
have you ever opted for the non-test assessment? what was your experience with it?

thanks in advance for your input.

Answer 1

Me! I love being homeschooled! About the WASL, I took it last year and the year before that. It wasn't unreasonably difficult for me, just tedious. It takes me a really long time to do tests, and when testing four hours a day started interfering with my life, my mom got me out of it before the math, which is a subject I know I wasn't behind in. I'm not totally against the WASL, but I found it extremely long, much longer than I thought it needed to be, and it was really repetitive as well. For example, in the reading section, they had lots of questions and reading materiel that I remember doing the year before last year.

If you want to do it and have a lot of extra time to spend two-four hours a day for two weeks doing it, go ahead. It's good for some people and not for others.

Answer 2

I am in WA, but our homeschoolers have not quite reach the age of the WASL yet...although for my two cents worth, after looking over the test and talking to older children in our neighborhood, I feel that it is a complete waste of time. I will probably not be able to get around making them take the WASL as we are going through Washington Virtual Academy, but I am not happy at all about the test.....I have not heard about the non-test assessment....hmmmm that has got me very intrested.....anything would be better than a test that does nothing for testing a child on anything but what school teachers teach them.......my children learn for intellect....not for a test..