Oregon Reiterates Decision to Drop Essential Skills Requirements for High School Graduates

A student taking her high school exam. The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) results were released on Tuesday, revealing an increase in performance in middle school and high school students. Fethi Belaid/Getty Images

Oregon high school students are exempt from showcasing fundamental competence in reading, writing, or math until 2029, as per the state Board of Education’s unanimous vote on Thursday, per Oregon Live. This decision aims to support students from marginalized communities and those with a history of poor academic performance.

The vote, originally scheduled for September, was delayed due to opposition from Oregon community members concerned about lowered learning and graduation standards.

In 2021, Oregon Governor Kate Brown quietly signed into law Senate Bill 744, which eradicated the prerequisite for students to prove their mastery in reading, writing, and math on an essential skills assessment as a graduation must-have. The bill prolonged the suspension of the fundamental education requirements that were implemented amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The extension of the pause on the requirement has sparked mixed responses in the Democratic-leaning state.

Backlash from Republicans

Critics, most of whom are Republicans, argue that the dumbing down of education requirements denigrates an Oregon diploma and emphasizes the need to reinstate the benchmark.

In an email statement sent in September, Republican Representative Tracy Cramer condemned Gov. Brown’s suspension of graduation standards as “a disservice to Oregon students.” She says the Democrat’s decision “erodes trust” in parents who expect their children to receive a comprehensive education in school.

“If the current standards are not working as intended, let’s replace them. Having no standards turns our diplomas into participation trophies,” Ms. Cramer wrote. “As we have seen an inching up of our graduation rates in the last few years, we have seen a corresponding decline in achievement.”

Speaking to Fox News, Oregon House Minority Leader Christine Drazan criticized Gov. Brown’s decision, calling it “a bad decision” and accusing Democrats of neglecting our kids.

“We have Democrat leadership in our state that has taken our state in the wrong direction. Now they are adding our kids to that. They’re not holding them to the standards and providing them certainty when they get all of high school we can be assured they can read and write and do math,” Ms. Drazan said.

Proponents Justify The Bill

Supporters of Senate Bill 744 argue that the state’s proficiency requirements pose an unnecessary challenge for non-native English speakers or students with disabilities, robbing them of the opportunity to take an elective. There’s also lack of evidence that extra academic tuition would benefit them in their workplace or college.

Furthermore, these essential skills do not necessarily result in notable improvements or changes in post-secondary education, a 2021 analysis conducted by Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission points out.

“In short, the required demonstration of essential skills in reading, writing, and math in high school do not appear associated with stronger outcomes in college and university,” the study concludes.

The Oregon Education Association also threw its weight behind the bill, citing the detrimental impact of the Essential Skills test on students’ ability to graduate.

“Senate Bill 744 presented the Oregon Department of Education with an historic opportunity to connect with community and education partners whose voices have not been meaningfully involved in prior policy development in the interrogation of current graduation policy and practice,” the association said in a statement.