Gov. Kate Brown signed a law to allow Oregon students to graduate without proving they can write or do math.
This is insane. t.co/mYrkyuVbLl
— Vic DeGrammont (@votedegrammont) August 10, 2021
For the next five years, an Oregon high school diploma will be no guarantee that the student who earned it can read, write or do math at a high school level. Through a spokesperson, the governor declined again to comment on the law and why she supported suspending the proficiency requirements.
The graduation requirement that students demonstrate freshman level skills in reading, writing and, particularly, math led many high schools to create workshop-style courses to help students strengthen their skills and create evidence of mastery. Most of those courses have been discontinued since the skills requirement was paused during the pandemic before lawmakers killed it entirely.
Democrats in the legislature overwhelmingly supported ending the longtime proficiency requirement, while Republicans criticized it as a lowering of academic standards. A couple lawmakers crossed party lines on the votes.