The Oregon State Board of Education, in an unanimous decision, has chosen to suspend a policy that requires high schoolers to prove a proficiency in math, reading, and writing skills to graduate.
Historically, Oregon’s high schools have operated under a policy that mandated students to demonstrate competency in math, reading, and writing to earn a diploma. Competency was determined through state-standardized testing, requiring students to meet specific benchmarks on these tests in order to graduate.
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted this requirement due to the impracticality of standardized testing during widespread school closures. But now, the Oregon State Board of Education has opted to maintain this suspension for an additional five years.
The board’s unanimous decision is part of a broader movement across the country to move away from standardized testing requirements. One board member, Vicky López Sánchez, voiced her support for the suspension, stating, “The only thing we are suspending is the inappropriate use of how those assessments were being used.”
While some see this change as a progressive step towards a more nuanced approach to evaluating students, others fear it may lower academic standards and potentially hinder students’ preparedness for college or the workforce.
Oregon’s decision to eliminate benchmark requirements is a striking instance of education administrators embracing what could be called a “soft bigotry of low expectations.” By removing reasonable standards for graduation, students are shown that their educators have given up the commitment to hold them to a higher standard.
As Oregon extends its suspension of graduation test requirements, the state finds itself at the center of a broader national debate about the role of standardized testing in education. While the decision originally aimed to address the specific challenges posed by the pandemic, it now raises important questions about what measurements are used to assess a student’s education level.
