Cloaked in HB 2868 on accelerated college credit program, Representative Paul Evans (D-Monmouth) buried a hit on virtual schools and homeschooling.

High schools offer accelerated courses to give students the opportunity to earn college credit in an “accelerated learning” program. Accelerated learning courses are typically taught on a high school campus by a high school teacher. These programs are categorized as either:

• Dual Credit: In Dual Credit courses, the high school teacher is determined qualified by their partnering post-secondary institution’s content departments to act as a proxy faculty member.
• Sponsored Dual Credit: In Sponsored Dual Credit courses, a high school teacher partners with a sponsoring faculty member at a college or university to offer the course.
• Assessment Based Learning Credit: In Assessment Based Learning, students are provided an opportunity to earn college credit by demonstrating they have achieved a course’s learning outcomes.

HB 2868 exempts the dual credit programs and career and technical education courses, so it is focused on Assessment Based Learning Credit. Completing the course doesn’t automatically give a student college credits. The student must pass a college level exam. Oregon College Board offers testing both in-school and at-home.

HB 2868 requires teachers of accelerated college credit program to complete or have equivalent of a minimum of 27 quarter hours of graduate level course work relevant to the course. It applies to teachers of courses that are provided to:
(A) Students of the school district, including students of public charter schools; and
(B) Students who otherwise are taught by a parent, legal guardian or private teacher as provided in ORS 339.030.

Besides prohibiting homeschooled students from receiving Accelerated Credits, it is unclear whether it prohibits students from challenging Advanced Placement tests for college credits. If it doesn’t affect AP testing, the bill has no purpose.

The 2017-19 Oregon Accelerated College Credit Program Grant provides funding to Oregon public school districts, Oregon Education Service Districts, regional consortiums, and Oregon public postsecondary institutions to encourage, support, and facilitate accelerated learning options in regions of Oregon with the highest need. Preference is given to those regions with high poverty rates and large underrepresented student populations, and schools that received less than a $350,000 allocation for the High School College and Career Readiness Act of 2016.

This bill takes a big step backward, discouraging students with initiative and natural aptitude to advance themselves, especially through homeschooling or virtual schools.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-02-27 09:23:06

Last Update: 2021-02-25 18:34:00