OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire and Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Terry Bergeson on Monday said they will ask the Legislature to give graduating seniors a temporary alternative to passing the math component of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

Gregoire and Bergeson propose that students who have not passed the high school WASL continue to take rigorous math classes until they graduate or pass the test. Taking the test or an approved alternative would be required annually. The option of allowing students to graduate without passing the math WASL would remain in place for three years – for the graduating classes of 2008 to 2010.

“I want to let students and parents know that we are listening to their concerns and we believe this plan promotes math skills without penalizing responsible, hard-working students and teachers,” Gregoire said in a press release. “Students who graduate [from] high school without meeting competitive standards show up in remedial math courses in our colleges and universities and we end up paying for math education twice. We owe it to these students to prepare them before they graduate [from] high school.”

“We have a comprehensive plan to improve math teaching and learning in our schools,” Bergeson said. “Teachers, students, parents and government leaders must all share responsibility for making education work andassuring that Washingtonhas aworkforce that cancompete.”

This comprehensive plan includes clarifying and prioritizing state standards, adjusting the WASL accordingly, identifying a limited menu of curricula, diagnostic assessments and intervention materials aligned with WASL standards and tests and creating a new and better system to prepare teachers and provide them with the professional development they need to improve the teaching of math at all levels.

In its final report, the Washington Learns committee made recommendations to improve math and science and provide more accountability in the educational system, including the development of a menu of math curricula that will meetstandards necessary to compete globally.

Students in the class of 2008 are the first class to benefit from the assistance opportunities funded in Gregoire’s 2006 supplemental budget. More than $28.5 million is available to school districts to help students succeed in meeting standards. The opportunities school districts offer include summer math courses, tutoring and refresher assistance.