Testing the test. How does the No Child Left Behind Act affect South Whidbey students and teachers? Is the Washington State Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL a fair test of student learning and of district success?

These are questions a panel of experts will discuss this coming week during an education forum sponsored by the South Whidbey League of Women Voters.

The panel includes Greg Hall, assistant superintendent from the Office of Public Instruction; Kimberly Panicek, representing Sen. Patty Murray; Rich Parker, South Whidbey Board of Education; Bernie Mahar, principal of the Primary School; Scott Mauk, former president of the teacher’s union and a teacher at Bayview School; and Cathy Banks, a tutor, teacher, PTA member and a software engineer for 18 years. The group will explain the impact of the WASL and the No Child Left Behind Act during a public meeting 7 p.m. tonight, Oct. 19 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland.

Those opposed to the federal “No Child” law say it is underfunded by billions of dollars, and that the tests are a one-size-fits-all that can label students and schools as failures.

The Washington Education Association, or WEA, says the law is flawed because eventually nearly all schools in the state will be labeled as “failures” by the parameters set by the legislation.

The WASL also has its critics.

Beginning in 2008, high school students will not graduate if they don’t pass the 10th-grade WASL.

The state teachers’ association opposes using the WASL to deny students diplomas.

According to a WEA report, 404 Washington public schools and 87 school districts are not making “adequate yearly progress” toward federally mandated goals. So far, the South Whidbey School District is meeting those standards.

Adequate yearly progress is used to measure student achievement in WASL reading and mathematics. Science will also be added to that requirement.

A requirement of No Child Left Behind is that each district must develop a baseline for students to achieve proficiency as measured by the WASL.

Each year, the state must raise the bar in gradual increments so that by 2013 all students are expected to achieve proficiency in reading, math and science.

Banks, one of the panelists at the upcoming forum, questions the viability of the federal law and the WASL.

“I have lots of concerns about the WASL,” she said. “The stakes are very high for students, teachers and school districts.”

Another concern of many parents and educators is the federal underfunding of the No Child Left Behind Act.

“The federal government is asking school districts to abide by all the rules of No Child Left Behind, but they are not providing the necessary funding to meet the requirements,” Banks said.

School districts that fail to meet adequate yearly progress face a variety of consequences.

After two years of not meeting the requirements, districts must notify parents of their status and develop a school improvement plan.

After three years, the district must offer tutoring services to low-achieving students at the parents request. Four years of failure means schools are identified for corrective action that may include replacing certain school staff, implementing new curriculum, extending the school day or year or restructuring the internal organization of the school.

Several Washington school boards, including Seattle, Tacoma, Kennewick, Snohomish and Spokane, have passed resolutions asking Congress to fix and fully fund No Child Left Behind.