{"id":2075781,"date":"2023-10-22T12:28:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T16:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-drops-essential-skills-requirements-to-graduate-high-school-citing-harm-to-marginalized-students\/"},"modified":"2023-10-22T12:33:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T16:33:52","slug":"oregon-drops-essential-skills-requirements-to-graduate-high-school-citing-harm-to-marginalized-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-drops-essential-skills-requirements-to-graduate-high-school-citing-harm-to-marginalized-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon eliminates Essential Skills requirements for high school graduation, citing harm to marginalized students."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Foregon-drops-essential-skills-requirements-to-graduate-high-school-citing-harm-to-marginalized-students%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2075781&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Business owners, beware of students with high school diplomas from Oregon.<\/h2>\n<p>They\u2064 may\u200c not be able to read or do basic \u2064math.<\/p>\n<p>According \u200cto <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opb.org\/article\/2021\/01\/21\/oregon-high-school-graduation-rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oregon Public Broadcasting<\/a>, in 2020, \u2063the Oregon Department \u2064of Education suspended the \u201cessential skills\u201d requirement to accommodate students who had fallen behind because of school \u2063shutdowns and online learning \u2014\u2064 or so they said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Oregon schools suspended testing requirements for high school<br \/>\nstudents \u2064to graduate. This ceasing of testing \u2062students\u2062 will only<br \/>\nhurt them, passing them through the \u200csystem even if they have not acquired the knowledge \u200cto succeed in life in general. Read more and \u200dsupport in our bio! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EUiPMOh5FF\">pic.twitter.com\/EUiPMOh5FF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Friends of Lowell \u200d(@FriendsofLowell) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FriendsofLowell\/status\/1426369984704368641?\">August 14, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The state changed letter \u200bgrades to\u2063 a pass-incomplete system. There were little to no \u2063attendance requirements, and\u2064 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oklahoma-attorney-general-sues-to-stop-first-public-religious-school-in-united-states\/\" title=\"Oklahoma AG sues to halt first US public religious school.\">essential skills requirements<\/a> \u2064were suspended, according to OPB.<\/p>\n<p>Although the suspension was supposed to end in 2021, the Oregon board has decided to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oregonlive.com\/education\/2023\/10\/oregon-again-says-students-dont-need-to-prove-mastery-of-reading-writing-or-math-to-graduate-citing-harm-to-students-of-color.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> extend the \u200bpause<\/a> on the essentials skills test until at least 2029 because of \u2014 you \u2063guessed it \u2014\u200c racism.<\/p>\n<p>Leaders in the Oregon Department of Education and the state school board say\u200d that requiring all students to pass standardized tests or create teacher-judged in-depth assignments as graduation requirements are\u2064 \u201charmful hurdles\u201d \u2062for \u201chistorically marginalized students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/oregon-pushes-idea-math-racist-encourages-teachers-dismantle-white-supremacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">math and reading are racist.<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Oregon Board of Education says competency assessments in reading, writing, and math harm students of \u200bcolor.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dTofxjYwOK\">https:\/\/t.co\/dTofxjYwOK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KATU News (@KATUNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KATUNews\/status\/1715359509005115555?\">October 20, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The state DOE says state-mandated \u2064tests will still be given\u200c to the students \u2014 they just won\u2019t be used to determine whether the students \u200dhave the skills to graduate, which makes the tests\u2062 as pointless as a \u200cweathervane in a hurricane.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Oregon Dept. of Education is defending a controversial decision to continue a pause on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-key-policy-areas-where-the-democratic-leadership-and-black-voters-disagree\/\" title=\"4 Key Policy Areas Where The Democratic Leadership And Black Voters Disagree\">high school graduation<\/a> testing \u2064requirement for another six years, saying the state still has some of the nation\u2019s toughest\u2063 requirements for \u200da diploma. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GN6mnAe4mO\">https:\/\/t.co\/GN6mnAe4mO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KTVZ NewsChannel 21\u200d (@KTVZ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KTVZ\/status\/1715892874410181019?\">October 22, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to the Oregon DOE, a higher number\u200d of students of color, \u2062students learning English as a second language and students with \u200cdisabilities had to take intensive writing and math courses \u2064in their senior year to prove their eligibility\u200b for \u200da diploma, and \u201cthere was a lack of evidence the extra academic work helped\u200d them in the workplace or at college.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dan \u200cFarley, ODE\u2019s assistant superintendent of research\u2064 said the outcomes of the testing \u200ccould be \u2064predicted by \u201crace, ethnicity, [learning disability] status, multilingual learner status.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe \u2062have to do what we\u200d can \u2062to disrupt those basically racist\u200d outcomes,\u201d Farley said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/katu.com\/news\/local\/oregon-board-of-education-continues-suspension-of-essential-skills-graduation-requirement#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KATU-TV<\/a> in Portland.<\/p>\n<p>It would be interesting to know what \u201cevidence\u201d was used to measure whether having essential skills like reading\u2064 and math helped students in their\u2063 lives after high school.<\/p>\n<p>How\u200c are kids who have never \u2064had the pressure of \u200dstudying for tests or keeping a required\u200b grade average supposed to handle the pressures of college and competing with students from other schools who\u200c have had these experiences?<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\" class=\"one-half\">\n<div class=\"firefly-poll-question\">Do you support\u2062 Oregon\u2019s plan?<\/div>\n<div id=\"pollFormBox\" style=\"display: none\">\n<p>\t\t<label>Yes<\/label><br \/>\n\t\t<label>No<\/label><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-poll-disclaimer\">\n<p>\t\tCompleting this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge via email. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/about\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/about\/terms-service\/\">Terms of Use<\/a>.\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results\" style=\"display: none\">\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results-yes\" style=\"width: 0%\">\n<p>\t\t\tYes: 0% (0 Votes)\n\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results-no\" style=\"width: 0%\">\n<p>\t\t\tNo: 0% (0 Votes)\n\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\tfunction ffp_getCookie(cname) {<br \/>\n\t\t\tvar name=cname + &#8220;=&#8221;;<br \/>\n\t\t\tvar decodedCookie=decodeURIComponent(document.cookie);<br \/>\n\t\t\tvar ca=decodedCookie.split(&#8216;;&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\tfor(var i=0; i <ca.length i var c=\"ca[i];\" while if return c.substring c.length function ffp_setcookie cvalue exdays d=\"new\" date d.settime expires=\"expires=\" d.toutcstring document.cookie=\"cname\" window.ff_poll_voted=\"false;\" voted_cookie_name=\"firefly_voted_3505453\" ff_poll_submit event event.preventdefault fireflypoll=\"jQuery(\" fireflypollcontainer=\"jQuery('#firefly-poll-container');\" pollformbox=\"jQuery('#pollFormBox');\" ffp_getcookie fireflypollcontainer.addclass to assign url here as it was defined only in firefly. firefly_ajax_url=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" posting=\"jQuery.post(\" jquery event.target the datalayer window.datalayer=\"window.dataLayer\" window.datalayer.push poll vote posting.done response response.success yes_el=\"document.getElementById(\" no_el=\"document.getElementById(\" yes_el.style.width=\"response.data.percents.yes\" yes_el.innerhtml=\"Yes: \" response.data.percents.yes response.data.votes.yes votes no_el.style.width=\"response.data.percents.no\" no_el.innerhtml=\"No: \" response.data.percents.no response.data.votes.no fireflypoll.remove pollformbox.hide document.getelementbyid fireflypollcontainer.removeclass else emailfield=\"document.querySelector(\" input emailfield.required=\"false;\" emailfield.style.display=\"none\" border: solid padding: margin-left: margin-right: margin-bottom: width: float: left background: border-radius: margin-top: padding-top: padding-bottom: padding-left: background-color: border-color: cursor: pointer lightgrey white-space: nowrap .firefly-poll-question font-weight: bold font-size: .firefly-poll-disclaimer max-width:><\/p>\n<p>Dozens of Oregon residents, including Christine Drazan, a former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/surprising-event-2022-gop-may-win-governorship-dem-bastion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Republican gubernatorial candidate<\/a>, submitted \u2064public comments pointing out that extending the pause on\u200d essential standards \u2062would lower the value of an Oregon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/male-masquerading-girl-wins-homecoming-queen-missouri-high-school-parents-appalled\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high \u2064school<\/a> diploma but the \u2064measure still passed, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/philomathnews.com\/oregon-students-wont-have-to-show-added-proficiency-in-basic-skills-through-2028-to-graduate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philomath News<\/a>, an online news outlet in Philomath, Oregon.<\/p>\n<p>It seems to me \u2063that the way to counter the inequities of perceived\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-uk-police-refusing-conduct-armed-patrols-department-accused-racism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">racism<\/a> is not\u2064 to tie the hands of students \u200cbehind their backs by sending them out in the world less skilled and less able to cope \u200dor find \u200bwork.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the reason \u2063for this extension may be that Oregon test scores \u2064in 2023 were abysmally lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kgw.com\/article\/news\/education\/oregon-students-test-scores-2023\/283-358d191e-b409-4bc9-9821-c3524da3b091\">KGW-TV<\/a> in Portland.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe the pressure that teachers\u200d were\u2062 concerned about was more related\u2063 to the expectations placed on them to uphold standards rather \u200dthan concern\u2064 for students\u2019 wellbeing.<\/p>\n<p>Board Chairwoman Guadalupe Martinez Zapata said, \u201cWe are unable\u2063 to ethically \u2062make\u200d a different decision at this point. It is also unethical for us to continue to require this when we\u2062 know \u200dit can \u200bcontinue to cause harm \u200band has had no change in how students are performing,\u201d according to KATU.<\/p>\n<p>Which sounds like a nice way of\u2062 saying, \u201cWe haven\u2019t been able to change it and now we\u2019re not even going to try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But to be\u2062 fair, making detailed worksheets about vital topics like gender pronouns must take away a lot of\u2063 time from frivolous\u2063 subjects like math and English.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This questionnaire was put out by\u2064 an Oregon teacher \u2064in the Tillamook School District. Whether endorsed by the school or not, asking a child\u2063 to have their teacher hide secrets from their parents is completely inappropriate! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/F9CW52KJDM\">pic.twitter.com\/F9CW52KJDM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rep. Real Diehl (@Real_EdDiehl) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Real_EdDiehl\/status\/1701681773346971950?\">September 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As one parent said, according to KATU, \u201cOregon is suspending the test for political reasons. They have put a lot of activism into the curriculum. They don\u2019t have time to teach basics anymore because\u200b they are substituting in new language arts articles, new \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-drops-essential-skills-requirements-to-graduate-high-school-citing-harm-to-marginalized-students\/\" title=\"Oregon eliminates Essential Skills requirements for high school graduation, citing harm to marginalized students.\">tribal history ethnic studies<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Public schools, especially in left-governed states have completely lost the point of their existence, which is to give students an education and prepare \u200bthem for the workplace \u2014 nothing more, nothing less.<\/p>\n<p>But Oregon\u200d students don\u2019t have to worry.<\/p>\n<p>They can probably find permanent jobs with\u2064 no \u2062requirement to produce any results\u2013 as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/director-speaks-teacher-shows-4th-graders-bloody-horror-film\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teachers<\/a> in \u2064the Oregon Department of Education.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/oregon-drops-essential-skills-requirements-graduate-high-school-citing-harm-marginalized-students\/\">Oregon Drops Essential Skills \u2063Requirements to Graduate High School,\u2064 Citing Harm to &#8216;Marginalized Students&#8217;<\/a> appeared first on\u200c <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What impact could the lack of fundamental literacy\u200c and numeracy skills in students graduating\u2063 from Oregon high schools have on the workforce and overall economic growth of the state?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  To succeed in college, \u2064pursue higher education, or enter the workforce? How will they be able to\u200d compete with\u200c students from other states who have received a proper education and have the necessary skills?<\/p>\n<p>The decision to suspend essential skills requirements\u200b for high school graduation in Oregon is deeply concerning for business owners. Employers rely on high \u2063school diplomas as a minimum qualification for job applicants. However, with the current state of education\u2062 in \u2062Oregon, it is no \u200dlonger a reliable indicator of a candidate&#8217;s \u200dabilities.<\/p>\n<p>It is alarming to think\u2063 that students graduating from high schools in Oregon may not possess fundamental literacy and numeracy\u200d skills. Reading and basic math are essential skills that are needed in almost every profession. Without these \u200dskills, students will struggle to perform even the most basic tasks required in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u200c the justification for the suspension of essential skills requirements, citing racism \u2063as the reason, is\u2064 puzzling. It is important to address and overcome educational disparities\u2063 and ensure that all students have equal \u2062opportunities to succeed. However, lowering academic standards and allowing \u200cstudents to graduate \u200cwithout demonstrating proficiency in crucial subjects \u2064is \u200dnot the solution.<\/p>\n<p>By removing essential skills requirements, the Oregon Department of Education and the state school \u2062board are doing a disservice to students. Rather than equipping them with the skills necessary to thrive in \u200dthe real world, they are setting them up \u2063for failure. This decision undermines the value of education\u2062 and devalues the hard work and dedication of students who have put in the effort to achieve academic success.<\/p>\n<p>Business owners need to be diligent \u200cin assessing the qualifications and abilities of job applicants\u2064 from Oregon. It may be necessary to implement additional screening processes and assessments to ensure \u200dthat prospective employees have the necessary skills\u200d for\u2063 the job.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200bconcerned citizens, it is crucial to hold educational \u2063institutions accountable for the quality of education they\u200d provide. \u2063It is\u2064 unacceptable\u2062 for students to graduate from high school without being proficient in reading and basic math. The long-term consequences of\u2064 this decision could be detrimental to the future success of these students and the overall economic growth of Oregon.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion,\u200c business owners must be aware of the consequences of the suspension of essential skills requirements for high school graduation in Oregon. Students graduating from \u200dOregon high schools may not\u2063 possess\u200b the basic literacy and numeracy skills necessary for success in the workplace. It is \u2062imperative that steps are\u2062 taken to\u2062 address this issue \u200cand ensure that students receive a \u2062quality education that prepares them for the challenges of the real \u2063world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business owners, caution: Oregon high school graduates may lack reading and math skills. In response to pandemic disruptions, the Oregon Department of Education waived the &#8220;essential skills&#8221; requirement in 2020. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that students struggling with remote learning may have gaps in their basic abilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2329,"featured_media":2075782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2075781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2329"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2075782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}