By BRIAN BECKLEY

Reporter Newspapers

Testing-standards and school funding were the two main topics as the candidates for state superintendent of public instruction sat down Tuesday at Kent-Meridian High School to make a final pitch to voters.

Incumbent Terry Bergeson and challenger Randy Dorn had been debating the issues all over the state before their south King County appearance.

The forum, sponsored by the Equitable Opportunity Caucus and the Minority Executive Directors Coalition, was attended by about 15 voters, many connected in some way to the education field.

During the nearly two-hour forum, the candidates answered questions from voters about the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), closing the achievement gap for minority students and special education.

Bergeson and Dorn were polite and respectful to each other, often agreeing on larger issues, such as what they said is the need to change the federal No Child Left Behind Act and adjust the state funding formula. The candidates also highlighted the differences in their backgrounds and emphasized the different ways they would approach the job.

Bergeson, seeking her fourth term in the state’s top education office, said she wants to continue to reform education laws, including the WASL.

Dorn, a former teacher, principal and state legislator, complimented Bergeson for the work she has done, but said it’s time for a change and that he would best be able to work with the Legislature. He claimed 54 legislators back his candidacy.

From the start, the WASL dominated the discussion. Both candidates said the state-mandated test needs to be reformed.

Bergeson highlighted her work to shorten the exams. Though the WASL is a “very good measure” of basic educational requirements, it burdens teachers by putting too much emphasis on the test, she said.

“The goal has never been to pass the WASL,” Bergeson said. “The goal is to have the skills.”

Dorn agreed that too much emphasis is put on the test and the state is “narrowing our curriculum too much” in an attempt to simply get kids to pass the test.

Dorn also was more forceful in his critique of the WASL exams, saying “we’ve gone off track.” He was especially concerned about the math exam, and added he would like to remove some of the writing requirements and refocus the math test on computational skills. He also said he would rather the tests be more diagnostic instead of assessment, stating that the current exam simply says whether or not a student is at grade level and doesn’t indicate what changes may need to be made or how better to help a student.

“I believe you can have a test system that is diagnostic,” Dorn said, a concept with which Bergeson disagreed.

On the achievement gap for minority students and ways to adjust the WASL to be more conducive to minorities, both candidates agreed the roots of the gap are continuing racism in the system and the need to make sure minority and foreign pupils are treated with respect and given additional resources. The candidates also spoke of removing students with special needs from the aggregate scores of the tests, in order to get a more accurate representation of student achievement.

Dorn also called for removing the writing portions of the math exam because it’s unfair to non-English-speaking students who may have the math skills but don’t understand the writing.

On how the state doles out money to individual school districts:

• “We have to change our funding structure,” Bergeson said. “I will fight like a dog for that.” Dorn agreed, saying the state isn’t living up to the promises and responsibilities of the state constitution, which states it is the “paramount duty” of the state to educate children. Dorn said that in recent years, Washington has gone from 25th among states in per-pupil spending to 42nd.

• Bergeson said it’s necessary to adjust funding-formulas so that districts aren’t trapped tapping levy dollars to pay for cost-of-living increases to teachers hired from funds outside of the state formula. Dorn agreed.

After the debate, several audience members said they hadn’t made up their mind on who to vote for in the general election Nov. 4, though the forum helped.

“I have a better understanding of what I should be considering when I vote,” said Mandelin Carlson.

Linda Novak, a parent and paraeducator, said she was intrigued by Dorn, especially his stance on making sure funds flow to where they are most needed instead of evenly throughout schools. Novak also said the candidates’ stands on changing the funding formula were important.

“We don’t fund real basic education any more,” she said. “We fund a portion of it.”

Information about the candidates is available at http://terrybergeson2008.com and http://www.randydorn2008.com.