In a recent development in the field of public education, the Oregon Department of Education has made the unprecedented decision to no longer require basic reading, writing, and math skills for students to graduate with a high school diploma.
Before the passage of Senate Bill 744 during the 2021 session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the state’s “Assessment of Essential Skills” was straightforward for high school graduation. It mandated students to “read and comprehend a variety of text, write clearly and accurately,” as well as “apply mathematics in a variety of settings.” These competencies had to be demonstrated by achieving or surpassing a designated cut score on the Oregon Statewide Summative Assessment test.
However, Senate Bill 744, attributed to the effects of COVID-19 school closures, led to a review of “requirements for high school diploma options.” In response to the learning loss experienced during the pandemic, the bill resulted in the suspension of Oregon’s essential skills proficiency requirement until the 2023-24 school year.
In the previous month, Oregon’s State Board of Education voted unanimously to extend this suspension until the 2027-28 school year. Board members, along with the leadership of the Oregon Department of Education, contended that requiring standardized tests placed a “harmful hurdle for historically marginalized students” and constituted a misapplication of state testing.
The Oregon Education Association (OEA), representing over 40,000 teachers across the state, shares a similar perspective on standardized testing. The OEA denounces standardized tests as being inaccurate, inequitable, and inadequate in measuring student learning and growth. Additionally, it labels tests like the Oregon Statewide Summative Assessment as “instruments of racism and a biased system.”
Considering this, the OEA’s involvement in the development of Senate Bill 744 is unsurprising. The OEA Special Education Committee played a role in its development and passage during the previous legislative session. Furthermore, the union boasts of member support for SB 744 in 2021 due to “several equity concerns” surrounding Oregon’s essential skill requirements.
Since Oregon abandoned its essential skill requirements for high school students, graduation rates have seen a substantial increase. The class of 2022 achieved a graduation rate of 81.3 percent, marking the second-highest four-year graduation rate ever recorded in the state. However, these graduation rates do not accurately reflect student proficiency, with only 43 percent of students proficient in English and less than 31 percent proficient in math.
The OEA’s mission statement highlights its commitment to ensuring quality public education for students in Oregon. However, by advocating for policies that no longer necessitate basic language and math skills for graduation, the OEA, in partnership with the State Board of Education, has placed Oregonian graduates at a significant disadvantage while potentially lowering the quality of public education.
The declining membership rate of the OEA, down 4.4 percent from 2020 to 2022, suggests that teachers in Oregon are beginning to recognize the detrimental impact of teachers’ unions that prioritize ideology over the well-being of both teachers and students.
As Oregon contemplates further changes in public education, parents and teachers must hold the state accountable while closely monitoring groups like the OEA, which may contribute to the uncertain future of public education in their state.
