Washington Readies for High School Exit Exam

State already enacted various alternatives to passing exams.

Sophomores who take the Washington Assessment of Student Learning this week will be the first who must pass the state exam to graduate.

The long-awaited testing has caused anxiety across the state, as hopes that Washington will enter a new era of educational accountability are balanced by fears of turmoil if large numbers of 10th graders are unable to pass the tests.

The students, members of the class of 2008, will get more chances to meet the requirement. State law allows up to five attempts on each test section: reading, writing, and mathematics. Students...