After voting to cut school funding by $300 million, today House Democrats voted in favor of SB 744 which lowers graduation standards in Oregon. “I worry that by adopting this bill we’re giving up on our kids,” said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby). “This proposal abandons students who fell behind last year because of government-mandated distanced learning and does nothing to give them an opportunity to recover.”

Section three of the bill describes the removal of a requirement of proficiency in Essential Learning Skills:

Notwithstanding any rules adopted by the State Board of Education, a student may not be required to show proficiency in Essential Learning Skills as a condition of receiving a high school diploma during the 2021-2022, 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 school year.

The bill has no sponsor, but it was introduced as a committee bill by the Senate Committee on Education, which is chaired by Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland). It passed the House mostly along party lines, with most Republicans voting no.

In March, President Biden’s Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, said that student data obtained from standardized tests was important to help education officials create policy and target resources where they are most needed. Lowering graduation standards now will make it even harder to improve the quality of Oregon’s education for the future.

The gap between public school students and private school students will be even wider, as most private schools operated uninterrupted during the COVID-19 epidemic.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-06-14 14:51:09