Questions on home life irritate some parents

PULLMAN – In addition to testing whether children can add fractions and understand what they read, this year’s Washington Assessment of Student Learning is quizzing students on their home life.

The student survey at the end of WASL test booklets has angered some parents who don’t think the state should be asking such personal questions. But according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the questions are not new, they are just being presented in a different way.

The survey questions were developed by the superintendent’s office after it surveyed school districts around the state.

The questions used to be part of the test booklets for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Iowa Test of Educational Development given to Washington students, said OSPI spokeswoman Kim Schmanke. Since Washington stopped giving the Iowa tests, the questions were added to the WASL this year, she said.

The questions include: How many hours a week do you watch TV or play video or computer games? How often is English spoken at home? What is the highest level of education achieved by your mother and father (or guardians)? How often does an adult help you with your homework?

Some parents told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News they were concerned with how long the information would be kept by the state and how it will be used.

Joe Wilhoft, an assistant superintendent of public instruction in Olympia, said he understood the concern, but his department decided to add the questions to the end of the WASL booklet because school districts wanted the information.

“We balance the invasive nature of the questions with their utility (to schools),” he said.