Washington State LASER West Valley Study Results

The Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform Program (LASER) has been implemented in Washington State since 1999 in order to bring a systemic inquiry-based science education program into the state educational system. The study compared the number of modules the students experienced and their performance on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

In both 2004 and 2005, there was a significant positive relationship between students that had experienced science modules and the number of students who met WASL standard beyond what could be accounted for by school ethnicity and enrollment in special education. These results support the assertion that the more inquiry-based instruction students experience, the more likely they are to meet the science standards assessed with the WASL.

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