Updated: 4:11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, 2008 | Posted: 3:27 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, 2008

State Superintendent Fails Example WASL Questions

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An embarrassing moment comes at a bad time for Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Terry Bergeson.

Protesters challenged Bergeson to take the test they hate, the WASL -- the Washington Assessment of Student Learning -- and the test she supports.

”I don't care if we call it the WASL; I care if we have a very good measure of the skills that kids need to make a life and be part of the American dream in the 21st century,” Bergeson said.

Bergeson's running for a fourth four-year term and recently answered a few WASL questions given to her by The Stranger newspaper.

Out of three questions given to Bergeson, the answer sheet posted on The Stranger showed that she didn’t answer any of the three questions correctly.

The editorial board of The Stranger opposes the WASL, opposes Bergeson's re-election and was happy to post her answers on the web.

An example question: Tom, Dick and Harry work in a bank. One is the manager, one is the cashier and one is the teller. The teller, who was an only child, earns the least. Harry, who married Tom's sister, earns more than the manager. What position does each person fill?

Bergeson's campaign manager told KIRO 7 that The Stranger surprised Bergeson with the questions, which she had trouble seeing, because she didn't have her glasses with her.

Bergeson is running for re-election in this month's primary. The leading challenger for Bergeson's job is former state lawmaker Randy Dorn, promising WASL reform.

“We have basically a 20th-century assessment system in the 21st century, and I want to bring it to the 21st century,” Dorn said.

A reporter for The Stranger said Dorn got the same WASL questions and didn't do any better than Bergeson. The newspaper has endorsed Dorn, and KIRO 7 has learned his answers will not be posted on the Internet.

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