On this day, July 27, 2020, the mayors of Portland, Oregon, and five other major US cities appealed to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized agents to cities that don't want their presence.
Also on this day, July 27, 2020, US agents declared an unlawful assembly, and just after 1 a.m., confronted protesters on the street and worked for hours to clear the area. Several people were seen being detained, but it was not immediately clear how many may were arrested.
Also on this day, June 27, 1859 US General William S. Harney sent troops to San Juan island -- in what is now Washington State -- to face the British in the Pig War, which was a dispute started by a British pig eating potatoes out of an American farmer's field.
“We see a dramatic decline in academic achievement”
State Representative Tracy Cramer (R-Gervais) is calling on the State Board of Education to remove consideration of suspending the Essential Skills Learning requirement for another four years. In a
letter to the Board, Cramer outlined concerns about public input, lack of accountability, and using the consent calendar to rush through such a controversial policy.
Item 3A on the Board’s September 21, 2023 agenda fast-tracks the suspension of the Essential Learning Skills assessments through the 2027-2028 school year. These assessments measure students’ ability to read, write, and do math before graduation.
“At the same time we see graduation rates inching up, we see a dramatic decline in academic achievement,” Representative Cramer said. “Our schools should be educating our kids, not just credentialing them without setting them up for future success. What good is a diploma if you can’t read at grade level? Repealing graduation standards was a disservice to students in 2021, and it still is today. Parents are already pulling their kid public schools at a record pace, and these kinds of back-room decisions continue to erode their trust.”
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
In 2021,
SB 744 suspended the Essential Skills Learning Requirement through the end of this school year. It also gave the Oregon Board of Education the unilateral authority to suspend them in the future or even require them at all.
The State Board’s Policy Manual states that “items may be placed on the consent agenda upon the recommendation of the superintendent.” The Governor is the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The staff summary of item 3A acknowledges that the move to suspend graduation requirements for another four years “may also result in less student accessibility, public transparency, and comparability.”
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2023-09-18 18:26:31 | Last Update: 2023-09-18 18:39:10 |
