State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn of Eatonville says he wants another four years to continue his work of education reform.

Dorn’s biggest campaign promise when he ran in 2008 – unseating incumbent Terry Bergeson – was to replace the old Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

Dorn said the system he developed – the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) for students in grades three through eight and the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) – offers better, fairer tests. The state also began phasing in an online testing system during Dorn’s term.

Dorn said he pushed for reforms that …

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Spanaway resident Don Hansler announced this week that he’ll make another run for the state office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The retired teacher also ran for the office in 2008. Incumbent Randy Dorn won that race. Dorn also announced this week that he’ll seek re-election to the post.

Hansler said he spent most of his teaching career in the Bellevue School District. After retiring in 1982, he wrote a textbook on teaching and used it in his work as an adjunct professor for several years at Seattle Pacific University, he said. He has also worked in retirement as a …

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University of Puget Sound professor Dexter Gordon and former Tacoma mayor Karen Vialle have picked up the endorsement of state schools chief, Randy Dorn.

Gordon and Vialle are running for the Tacoma School Board. Gordon is vying to fill the seat being vacated by Jim Dugan, who opted to not run for re-election. Vialle hopes to replace current school board member Kim Golding, who did not garner enough votes in the primary to advance to the general election.

Both Gordon and Vialle were the top vote-getters in last month’s primary election.

Bills in both houses of the Legislature are responding to state schools chief Randy Dorn‘s request to delay from 2013 to 2017 the requirement that state students pass math and science assessments.

Today, however, Gov. Chris Gregoire said she is not interested in delaying the graduation requirement for four years.

“We’re letting our kids down,” Gregoire said during her weekly press conference. “When we say we haven’t been able to get our programs up and running enough to meet the needs of our students, that’s us, it’s not our students.”

Gregoire was referencing concerns that new assessments called end-of-course exams …

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Schools chief Randy Dorn posted this response on an earlier item about his apparent change of heart on the issue of electing the state superintendent of public instruction.

Dorn had supported such a move during the 2008 campaign but now opposes it. First, here’s the video from TVW of the forum in which Dorn endorses a constitutional amendment. His current statement follows.

A statement from Randy Dorn:

“This was not an issue I campaigned on. I was asked a question

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It was during a debate before the Association of Washington Business in September, 2008. Challenger Randy Dorn said he would support eliminating the very job he was running for – the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Here’s what I wrote from Semiahmoo after the debate (I was one of the questioners, along with C.R. Douglas).

One interesting revelation from Thursday’s debate between Randy Dorn and Terry Bergeson is that Dorn, the challenger, said he would support a constitutional amendment to eliminate the school superintendent as an elected office.

Dorn said the top schools job should be appointed, perhaps by

…

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Maybe it is because he found out about it the same time the reporters did.

Maybe it is because he would become a department head serving under an appointed Education Secretary who is, in turn, appointed by the governor.

Whatever the reason, state Superintendent of Public Schools Randy Dorn expressed opposition to a plan announced this morning to completely restructure the state’s public and higher education organization.

Here is Dorn’s statement, hurt feelings and all…

In a press conference this morning, Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed creating a state Department of Education that would oversee the many “silos” that make up our entire education system, from early learning to K-12 to higher education.

I’m pleased that the Governor is focused on education, and I have worked closely with her on many issues. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to streamline some of the processes.

I’m concerned, first of all, that I heard the proposal the same time as the media did. Read more »

Gov. Chris Gregoire is announcing a major proposal to shake up the state schools establishment, creating a new Department of Education to govern preschool through college education.

The move, which is being announced this moment at the Capitol, would abolish the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction but retain Superintendent Randy Dorn‘s role as elected leader of the K-12 portion of the new agency.

The move could require a constitutional amendment.

The proposal comes on the heels of Monday’s report by Gregoire’s task force on education, which called for greater tuition …

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