TRI CITIES -- It's the end of an era for the controversial state-wide test.

Newly-elected Superintendent of Public Schools, Randy Dorn, pulled the plug on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) after more than 10 years, and unveiled a new plan Wednesday to test student learning.

"We're excited for the new test, it's the last year for the old WASL, we're excited to be done," Richland School Board President Rick Jansons said.

Action News spoke with Dorn over the phone Wendesday. He said, the new assessment program promises shorter tests, fewer "long answer" questions and faster scores.

"Students, parents and teachers will get an actual view of how students are doing, what they're strengths and weaknesses are," Dorn said.

The WASL will be replaced by a new system called the Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP). It will be broken down into two new tests: the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and the High School Proficiency Exams (HPSE).

Here's how it will be broken down.

The WCAP will measure students for grades three through eight, and the high school exams will meet the graduation requirements for reading and writing.

"So you can design a better education program for that student and design a curriculum to better meet the needs of students so they will learn more," Dorn said.

The program will begin about a year from now in the spring of 2010.

Taking the test on a computer will save the districts a lot of time. By the spring of the following year, districts can begin offering a second testing date. And three-years from now, all grades should be able to test on the computer.

But what about our kid's math and science requirements?

"Today, I think we are ready to put final touches on what we expect in math and the test but we are not near ready to go to science," Dorn said.

Dorn hopes lawmakers would make science a requirement only after the test is checked out with the changed curriculum.

Teachers say, don't forget about their English as Second Language students.

"We'll be looking at opportunities to expand students of second language students to make it fair," Dorn said.

The test will be offered in spanish and russian, starting next spring.


RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT REACTS

Randy Dorn's plan already has smiles of approval from one of the WASL's most outspoken critics.

The Richland School District argued the test got out of control and wasted millions of dollars. In fact, Jansons said the district led the charge to change the test, working OSPI for more than five years to reform the system.

You might remember, their former Richland School superintendent, Rich Semler, backed Randy Dorn.

"We love it. If Randy Dorn does what he says he's going to do we're going to have better testing for our kids, we're going to be answering a lot of the questions we've had over the past five years that we've been working to get this fixed. This is great," Jansons said.