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.
Gov. Kate Brown had demurred earlier this summer regarding whether she supported the plan passed by the Legislature to drop the requirement that students demonstrate they have achieved those essential skills. But on July 14, the governor signed Senate Bill 744 into law.
Through a spokesperson, the governor declined again Friday to comment on the law and why she supported suspending the proficiency requirements.
Brown’s decision was not public until recently, because her office did not hold a signing ceremony or issue a press release and the fact that the governor signed the bill was not entered into the legislative database until July 29, a departure from the normal practice of updating the public database the same day a bill is signed.
The Oregonian/OregonLive asked the governor’s office when Brown’s staff notified the Legislature that she had signed the bill. Charles Boyle, the governor’s deputy communications director, said the governor’s staff notified legislative staff the same day the governor signed the bill.
Boyle said in an emailed statement that suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements while the state develops new graduation standards will benefit “Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color.”
“Leaders from those communities have advocated time and again for equitable graduation standards, along with expanded learning opportunities and supports,” Boyle wrote.
Lawmakers and the governor did not pass any major expansion of learning opportunities or supports for Black, Indigenous and students of color during this year’s legislative session.
The requirement that students demonstrate freshman- to sophomore-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.
Proponents said the state needed to pause Oregon’s high school graduation requirements, in place since 2009 but already suspended during the pandemic, until at least the class of 2024 graduates in order for leaders to reexamine its graduation requirements. Recommendations for new standards are due to the Legislature and Oregon Board of Education by September 2022.
However, since Oregon education officials have long insisted they would not impose new graduation requirements on students who have already begun high school, new requirements would not take effect until the class of 2027 at the very earliest. That means at least five more classes could be expected to graduate without needing to demonstrate proficiency in math and writing.
Much of the criticism of the graduation requirements was targeted at standardized tests. Yet Oregon, unlike many other states, did not require students to pass a particular standardized test or any test at all. Students could demonstrate their ability to use English and do math via about five different tests or by completing an in-depth classroom project judged by their own teachers.
A variety of factors appear to have led to the lack of transparency around the governor’s bill signing decisions this summer. Staff in the secretary of the state Senate’s office are responsible for updating the legislative database when the governor signs a Senate bill. Secretary of the Senate Lori Brocker said a key staffer who deals with the governor’s office was experiencing medical issues during the 15-day period between when Brown signed Senate Bill 744 and the public database was updated to reflect that.
Still, a handful of bills that the governor signed into law on July 19 — including a bill to create a training program for childcare and preschool providers aimed at reducing suspensions and expulsions of very young children — were updated in the legislative database the same day she signed them and email notifications were sent out immediately to people who signed up to track the bills.
No notification ever went out regarding the governor’s signing of the graduation bill. That was because by the time legislative staff belatedly entered the information into the bill database on July 29, the software vendor had shut off bill updates to member of the media and the public who had requested them. They cut it off because of a July 21 system malfunction, said legislative information services Systems Architect Bill Sweeney.
— Hillary Borrud
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Doesn’t she realize that they all can’t be hired by Facebook, YouTube etc as “fact checkers”? I don’t believe they have that many openings!
So what else is new? Way back when, during the “affirmative action” era, the university where my husband taught, graduates from the inner city high schools were encouraged to matriculate and the faculty, on their own time, were required to tutor the kids who couldn’t read or write.
AND since they can’t DO those, does that mean NEXT UP, will be eliminating the SAT/ACT requirements to GO TO college?
Forcing companies to HIRE these imbecils, cause they are too dumb?
As long as they vote liberal she couldn’t care less if they can read or write
IF they can’t read, how will they know WHA They are signing/marking, on the voting slips?
LET alone request a form to get filled out?
Not being able to read or write, or more likely comprehend, are the reasons people vote socialist in the first place.
Just how many ways can these traitorous Liberals come up with to debilitate a once strong nation, which used to raise the cream of the human crop, but now thanks to socialist sob sisters of promoted American mediocrity, just fertilize the wild and wooly weeds to outgrow and crowd out the American Amber waves of grain that nurture. Only a dumbed down emotionally driven child can be manipulated into following the flock of feckless freaks whose sole purpose in life is to control others lest they mature to excel, shine, rise above and reveal the socialists to be the weak sisters they really are.
There is no more important job in America to ensure its future, than to ensure that parents and the schools that teach our American young are raising quality human beings, raised worthy to carry on America’s God assigned mission to lead the free world. Apparently with the secular Democrat socialists, quantity alone is better than Quality in their quest and search for mediocrity. Like Motorola, America’s motto used to be that “The quality goes in before the name goes on”. Now it’s all about how the indoctrination and excuses to fail goes in before that country goes down, and the free world becomes led not by American Masters of the universe, but Broadcasters of the Liberal curse.
AND THAT IS WHY i would love to have IQ tests, and the like, to even REGISTER TO VOTE….. TO WEED OUT those idiots!
Just look at Driving tests. IF ONE CANNOT pass the written test, it matters not how good a driver you are, you don’t get your license.. SO WHY SHOULD IT be that way with voting!?
Let’s give the Oregon legislators an A-plus in stupidity; happy I don’t have kids or family in that Marxist state.
Since our Government seems to be incapable of reigning in Big Tech censorship, it is equally probable that the ineffective Government under almost any Democrat administration would be unable to force these corporations to their will in the area of hiring policies.
The new normal in hiring, particularly for low-level positions, should require candidates to take and to pass a GED exam as a condition of employment wherever a reasonable argument can be made that such knowledge would be unrelated to the job. Jobs not requiring basic English and mathematics literacy might include ditch-digging, toilet-cleaning, and other menial jobs that do not require reading, reading comprehension, or practical mathematics. But then, I cannot think of many jobs that would not require such literacy. Even janitorial positions require the ability to read and understand instructions on the bottles of cleaning compounds or basic practical mathematics such as what is needed when calculating dilution of concentrated chemicals frequently used together. What happens when an illiterate janitor mixes concentrated ammonia with bleach think the combination will make a stronger cleanser but only results in the release of Chlorine gas into the day care center.
Otherwise known as the ‘Portland ANTIFA Education Act’.
Damn—just when I think I have seen the worst of it all, something worse comes along. There is no end to the idiocy.
“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.”
“Boyle said in an emailed statement that suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements while the state develops new graduation standards will benefit “Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color.” Benefit how??? Since when did rewarding incompetence become a benefit to anybody? This dismisses the whole purpose of going to school in the first place—to learn what you don’t know and to gain at least basic skills that are necessary for Life. Dumbing down everything for everybody is not creating equity. And this is coming from people who should know better and have more sense.
If this idea catches on, our educational system is doomed.
Maybe these “graduates” will receive participation trophies that they can use instead of “THE THREE R’s”
SCHOOLS Stopped being places of learning years ago.. THEY ARE NOW nothing more than indoctrination centers..
Sounds like she is saying Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color are too stupid to learn, therefore this will benefit them. The rest CAN read and do math so it is of no benefit to them, who ever they are.
“…our educational system is doomed.” Too late that ship sailed a decade or more ago.
Yea. IMO IT started mid 90s, right at the start of the whole “You can’t mark their test papers in RED ink ,as that is offensive/demeaning”, and the “WE must give everyone participation trophy’ nonsense..
That’s why we have a income gap. Some can read and write, some can not. Democrats want them dumb , so they will vote for them. We’re becoming a third world country.
This is just more insanity promoted by the Democrat Party rule.
This just proves that the dumbest creatures on earth are Democrats.
Democrats don’t have to attend class.
Democrats don’t have to learn anything.
Democrats don’t have to Read.
Democrats don’t have to Write
Democrats don’t have to know how to do math.
Dumb Democrats are sure a bunch of useless thugs. 😯
not quite useless scruffy they will be demoncrat votes.
AND they want them dum, to SWELL THE WELFARE rolls…
“Leaders from those communities have advocated time and again for equitable graduation standards”. In other words, Oregon is raising our next generation of blm and antifa. The I hate America groups of communists.
Hmmm…..I thought all public schools passed this 20 years ago. There are a lot of students of all colors with a HS diploma who can’t read, write or do simple math.
If you value your children do what you have to do to educate them in a charter school, a private school or do it at home. Public schools are worse than worthless.
Most of the ones who could fathom simple mathematics went into the drug business. And to think they say math is racist!
THIS IS why i support PAYING NO PROPERTY Taxes anymore.
WHY pay for schooling, WHEN SCHOOLS ARE bloody useless!
Parents, get your kids out of public schools. What is it going to take? Without your kids in the schools they will have no one to brainwash and ruin.
They have been “graduating” them this way for decades. It’s about time they legalized it!
There is nothing equitable about this sullying of education. It’s unfair to all students and makes diplomas worthless pieces of paper. Of course, the left and its agenda does not require educated people who might raise questions, they have enough trouble with today’s conservatives and Christians that they don’t need future generations to produce more headaches for them!
Bur Quid Pro Quo Joe said minority kisds are just as smert as white kids. all teses “equality” pushres are runenin thes coubtrey! Yes, I gradutate frum Oregan Hy Skool!
Iz, godd me an ejamacatin.. Iz is gonna gradeate..
It looks as if you must be one of Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, or/and students of color.
The Chinese must be laughing their heads off at us!
guess who else is laughing – satan!
Black workers sitting around the fire after work would often cook treats of flour and water to toss to the barking dogs saying “hush Puppy.” This is nothing more than that. The ruling class tossing scraps to the commoners. For their own good of course. Dickens would be aghast. From Great Expectations to No expectations. Just don’t bother to apply for a job in my company if you graduate HS in Oregon. Race to the bottom. “We don’t need no edjucation” do we?
>> “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.” <> Just don’t bother to apply for a job in my company if you graduate HS in Oregon. <<
It's time you companies get in line and understand what we progressives want.
I wonder, how quickly the companies, will start just HIRING FROM OUT OF STATE!
Democrats say that blacks, latinos, indigenous people, and pacific islanders are too stupid to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic — or to get an ID to vote, buy a prescription, open a checking account, ….
How eager is that constituency to prove that Democrats are right by continuing to vote Democrat?
WITH THe large # who STILL VOTE DEMS< even after decade upon decade of being told :YOU ARE TOO STUPID", they seem VERY EAGER to keep Proving it…
well they are described as “stupid”
This is not unexpected. After all, the democrats must have a constituency that requires many who are ignorant that can be used by the elitists and be reliable serfs. The collectivist society cannot survive a population that has an ability to recognize facts and think and act appropriately. In fact, as we know this is the reason for the open borders campaign by Moron Joe and his apparatchiks. It’s so disgustingly obvious.
I think that’s what aggravates me the most — the obviousness of it all; are these Democrats completely blind?
blinded by hate… YES>
Let me translate the liberal foreign goop into understandable language: We liberals / democrats believe that people of color/etc have a lower mental ability than others. Therefore, we will tell them we are equalizing their place in society when in fact we are giving them a loophole to pass this level so they can go into the next and fail even more miserably. This will insure they will vote for us since we scooted them through and also they will be ill-equipped to compete or succeed in the world they are entering making them even more dependent on government handouts and freebies. And all the snowflakes and less intelligent applaud and thank them for the pass. And we wonder why our new generations have no clue of how they are being conned, lied to and corrupted with the only goal – to destroy America in it’s core. And our children are being subjected to and implanted with evil and hate by the left no different than the hitler-like tactics before them. In my on family, I see the wreckage – it is heart breaking – a cancer within that must be cut out and destroyed .
This women is a real piece of work.She has just setup a bunch of kids to fail.What kind of an educator are you anyway.
SHE ISN’t one.. She is an indoctrinator!!!
has to be a democrat-need lots of dummies to vote in 2022 and 2024
So, exactly how does this help them at all. If you can’t read, write or do math, how do you apply for anything or do all the normal things in everyday life? It would appear your teacher’s union and the teachers they represent have failed these children. And this is your fix, another poor decision!
AND THESE GRADUATES WILL QUALIFY AS POLITICIANS –MIGHT EVEN BE THE NEXT BIDEN IN there somewhere-lol-
definitely dozens of school teachers-all dumazz democrats for sure
You can BET Your last dime, they will TRY TO push to make a # of those so-called graduates, into the next batch of teachers.. I mean indoctrinators.
The dumbing-down of America, to create more Democrat voters, continues apace.
ITS been going on, for a good 40 years now. No need for them to stop..
after 100 days and nights of letting antifa and blm-burn -loot- and murder-what else could we expect from oregon –
the dumbest somehow found a way to get dumber-
Now the dumb old female dog has told us that Oregon is run by stupid worthless *****. At least that explains why the state is a septic tank that’s in desperate need of being pumped out.
OR flushed, right into the pacific ocean!
It’s mind-blowing that voters are stupid enough to put these commies in places of power, from a city council seat to a mayoralty to a governorship to a senator or representative all the way to a VP or President. OMG-the US is already in the 3rd worid and doesn’t know it yet!
They don’t vote, most of them anyways. California has perfected the election results for years now. How else would Jerry Brown win four terms as guv. of Gutter CA. And now the recall of Newsom is a republican grab at CA? Well I hope so and it’s about time. Or maybe, WE the People are finally fed up with the high TAXES and FEES and the LIARS in charge. They couldn’t get our guns so they made it almost impossible to get ammo here. What’s next? It will happen here then Oregon will follow then it will spread like the plague across the USA. Just like the last elections.
Goodbye, American can-do and Know-how—hello, Idiocracy. What’s the point of graduating? If they can’t use the English and do the math, a diploma isn’t going to help.
When they fail the finals, just show them out the door and wish them good luck. Save a bunch of money on paper and printing of meaningless documents.
Boyle said in an emailed statement that suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements while the state develops new graduation standards will benefit “Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color.”
As the mother of Latina students I find this statement incredibly insulting. What Mr. Boyle is stating is that since my daughters are of Hispanic heritage they are not able to be proficient in reading, writing, or math. For the record Mr. Boyle, my high school sophomore read the entire “Divine Comedy” by Dante, her freshman year she read Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” in middle English (which she taught herself), in 8th grade she read the complete Beowulf. My middle school child is studying advanced astronomy with the focus being on joining the NASA program one day. Their being Latina has NOT created any gap in their ability to be proficient in reading, writing, and math.
Sounds like you are at least twice blessed. I can tell you are very proud of them, which you should be. Please tell them I said, it really is an incredible world they are preparing themselves for, and I wish them a wonder filled trip. God bless you all.
The schools have to teach children to be that dumb. Kids are NOT dumb by nature (regardless of race). Parents allow their kids to be taught stupidity. satan can not do one dam thing that we don’t allow. So take a bow America & accept your idiot meaningless awards
Hey Oregon Bill, If my car is going sixty miles per hour, how much farther along will we be one hour from now?
Gee, I dunno.
Come on Oregon Bill,
I gots a A in unglish an caulculus two in Salem High.
Damn, Great grades kid! Congratulations.
Yuh. Joey Oregon gots a C. They wants em to runs for governator.