THE COLLAPSE OF AMERICAN EDUCATION; ONCE AGAIN, OREGON LEADS THE WAY.  What is it with that state?  It's such a beautiful place, but its politicians have the maturity of 12-year-olds.  From Fox: 

High schoolers in Oregon won't need to demonstrate basic competency in reading, writing or math in order to graduate for at least five more years because, according to education officials, such requirements are unnecessary and disproportionately harm students of color.

"At some point … our diploma is going to end up looking a lot more like a participation prize than an actual certificate that shows that someone actually is prepared to go pursue their best future," former Oregon gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan told Fox News.

The essential skills requirement has been on pause since the coronavirus pandemic, and last week the Oregon State Board of Education voted unanimously to continue suspending the graduation requirement through the 2027-2028 school year.

Under the requirement, 11th graders had to demonstrate competence in essential subjects through a standardized test or work samples. Students who failed to meet expectations were required to take extra math and writing classes in their senior year — thus missing an elective class — in order to graduate.

Board members said the standards were unnecessary and harmed marginalized students since higher rates of students of color, students with disabilities and students learning English as a second language ended up having to take the extra step to prove they deserved a diploma, The Oregonian reported.

Hundreds of people submitted public comments opposing the move and urging the board to reinstate the standards. Many of the comments were generated from a call to action from Drazan's advocacy group, A New Direction Oregon.

Board Chair Guadalupe Martinez Zapata previously described the opposition as a "campaign of misinformation" and "artistic quality mental acrobatics."

"If only they weren't automatically discredited by the myopic analysis and bigotry that follows them," Martinez Zapata said in a late September meeting, adding that "rhetoric about cultural and social norms being the underlying reason for underperformance on assessments by systemically marginalized students" was reminiscent of "racial superiority arguments."

COMMENT:  Same old story.  Argue for higher standards and you're a racist, a bigot, a fascist, and a capitalist.  What will our country look like in 25 years?  I fear to ask. 

October 23,  2023