‘My WASL is a huge monster that eats children and gets stronger from their fear.”

That was the assessment of one fourth-grade boy at Wilson Elementary School six years ago. It probably brought some chuckles at the time, because his class had eight more years before graduation. Surely there was plenty of time to get teaching and learning aligned with a test that would determine whether students could get a high school diploma.

It hasn’t worked out that way. The class of 2008, the first to experience the WASL from start to finish, was recently given a reprieve by Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and the state Board of Education after it became apparent that a high percentage of students wouldn’t be able to pass the math portion of the test.

Now the math target shifts to the class of 2011. Many educators think that will also be unrealistic and that an extension will be needed for science testing, too.

Does this signal the end for the Washington Assessment of Student Learning? It depends on your viewpoint. The original WASL regime was designed to assess teachers and other educators and hold them accountable. From there, a graduation requirement was added to make sure students took the test seriously. Then as scores failed to meet expectations, retakes and alternative testing were introduced.

In short, the original WASL has been dead for some time. What’s important is whether the test remains useful in preparing high school graduates for productive lives in a fast-changing world. On that score, the WASL still has a chance, and flexibility will be a key.

Though the math requirement looks like it will be postponed (pending the approval of the state Legislature), that doesn’t mean the state should ease up. The Washington Roundtable, an influential business group, is calling for an increase in the number of required math courses. Currently, the state requires two years of math. Many states mandate four. An increase would boost WASL scores and lower the number of students who are forced to take remedial math classes in college.

Fortunately, the state Board of Education agrees, noting that a WASL reprieve without a change in math requirements would signal a full-scale retreat.

Strong supporters of the WASL lament the postponement of the graduation requirement for the class of 2008, but the state had little choice. Nearly half of the juniors have been unable to pass the math test. Clearly, the system they’ve learned under has failed them.

At this point, the state must alter its course while keeping its eye on the ultimate destination of preparing students for the modern world. If that means reassessing the assessment itself, so be it. Parents need to become more committed to education, too, by reinforcing disciplined study habits at home. Teachers can do only so much without their engaged support.

No doubt, the WASL can seem like a monster, but an even scarier prospect is an education system that flees from a challenge.