An Oregon-based parents’ rights group said it was “not surprising” that the Oregon State Board of Education decided to remove the requirement to show evidence of mastery in reading, writing and math through standardized tests to graduate from high school.
“It’s not surprising that they continue to push back on the implementation of new graduation requirements,” Oregon Mothers’ Union President MacKensey Pulliam told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“They always say that the agenda has to do with underserved communities and marginalized students and how the test hurts them.”
Pulliam argued that the tests are designed to serve as checkpoints to make sure students are prepared or to allow them to get extra help if they need it.
“I think the skill rate here in Oregon is dismal, and they’re not getting better,” Pulliam said. He continued, “And part of me wonders is, you know, are they removing these standards to make it look like students are actually doing better?”
The Oregon State Board last week voted unanimously to extend a pause on the requirement for 11th-graders to demonstrate proficiency in the essential skills of reading, writing and math through either standardized tests or portfolio work on top of regular coursework.
Parents aren’t happy after Oregon doubles down on removing core learning requirements for high school students.AP
Students who fail to demonstrate proficiency in essential skills must make up for it in their senior year in order to graduate.
Standardized tests will still be released; however, the Board has voted to eliminate standardized testing as a factor in determining whether students receive their diplomas. Additionally, students who fail to demonstrate proficiency in an essential skill will not be required to make it up in their senior year.
“Let’s be clear: we have not eliminated assessments for Oregon students. What has changed is the insistence on certain test scores for graduation. Our students still need to meet essential skills requirements as demonstrated in their coursework, CTE pathway options and more,” Oregon Department of Education spokesman Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital on Monday.
Oregon says students who fail to demonstrate proficiency will not be asked to make it the following year.Fox News
During the board meetingstate board member Vicky Lopez Sanchez insisted no assessment was released to address the concerns of parents and residents.
“We are not suspending any kind of assessment,” he said. “The only thing we’re putting off is the inappropriate use of how the assessment is being used. I think that’s really in the best interest of Oregon students.
The Oregon Board of Education voted to continue the suspension of graduation requirements until 2027.
This policy was implemented in 2012. Former Democratic Oregon Governor Kate Brown in 2021 signed a bill that froze the requirements during the pandemic.
“They eliminated their requirement in 2021, and they should implement the new graduation requirement, I believe, next year. But instead, they continue to reject it,” said Pulliam.
Board members say the way test results are used affects marginalized students in too big a way.AP
He went on to say, “They’re pushing it for another five years. In fact, they’re basically making the Oregon high school diploma a participation trophy because they don’t require students to be able to prove they can read and do math at the 11th grade level to graduate. “
Additionally, Oregon State Board members cited how the assessment results benefit marginalized students of color and students with disabilities.
Their decision is based on a research report from ODE to the Senate Committee on Education. The report was commissioned when the Oregon legislature in 2021 passed a bill requiring a review and investigation into “the potential inequity impact of current diploma policies.”
ODE’s assistant superintendent of research told KTVL that research shows that academic outcomes can be predicted by race and other traits.
“The way students meet the requirements, the type of diploma they get can all be predicted by race, ethnicity, IEP status, multilingual student status,” said Dan Farley, ODE’s assistant superintendent of research.
“We need to do what we can to disrupt an outcome that is fundamentally racist.”
New graduation requirements are being drafted.Getty Images
Reportedly, the State Board approved the measure because state lawmakers have not yet addressed the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) new graduation proposal they proposed last year.
The recommendation is part of a report sent to the Senate Committee on Education.
Since lawmakers have yet to address ODE’s new graduation proposal, the department is in the meantime asking the state board to extend the current requirement freeze through at least the 2027-28 school year.
ODE is in talks with lawmakers to develop new graduation requirements that will address student needs, according to Siegel.
“Initially, this policy was intended to assist students in pursuing post-secondary opportunities, but research shows that it does not improve first-year college readiness. Therefore, it is important to continue the conversation and decision-making process as we look to policy leadership to approve and create new requirements.”
“The suspension provides an opportunity for the Oregon State Board and Legislature to collaborate and engage more deeply with the community to design and implement policies that better serve our students.”
Pulliam said that parents were “disappointed” by the decision.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
