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-Great Cultural Revolution
Oregon governor signs bill suspending math, reading proficiency requirements for HS graduates
2021-08-10
[FoxNews] Gov. Kate Brown, the Oregon Democrat, signed a bill last month with little fanfare that drops the requirement that high school students prove proficiency in reading, writing or math, before graduation, a report said.

The Oregonian reported that the governor has seemed to avoid discussing Senate Bill 744. Her move to sign the bill was "not public until recently, because her office did not hold a signing ceremony or issue press release." The paper also pointed out that the bill was first signed on July 14 but not added into the state’s database until July 29 due to a glitch in the system.

Brown’s office did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News.

In June, state lawmakers voted to approve the bill that suspended the requirements for students for three years, KATU reported. Foundations for a Better Oregon said in a statement at the time that the bill is intended to "truly reflect what every student needs to thrive in the 21st century." Supporters of the bill insist that considering math and reading essential skills has been an unfair challenge for students who do not test well. The report said the requirement was first suspended at the start of the pandemic.

The KATU report pointed out that Republicans have come out against the bill and claim that it lowers "expectations for our kids." But there was some bipartisan support.

Charles Boyle, the deputy communications director from Brown’s office, told the paper in an email that staff from the governor’s office informed legislative staffers about the bill's signing on the day it was passed. He also said that the new standards for graduation will help benefit the state’s "Black, Latino, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color."

The paper reported that the bill could stay in effect for five years until new requirements.
Posted by:Skidmark

#13  - ISTR that kind of test will leave your business open to a discrimination lawsuit.

It has been demonstrated that doing well on a general intelligence test correlates well with success on the job, no matter what the field. Not too surprising really. Unfortunately, this leads to the dreaded (*thunderclap*) DISPARATE OUTCOME (*reverb*). And there are Federal laws against that. Expensive ones.

You may think you are sorting by intelligence in order to find employees that will do well, but in the eyes of the Justice Department you are discriminating against people on the basis of race.

Restaurant Guy:"Come on, man! I just don't want to spend a month trying to train a guy to operate the dish machine only to fire him because he can't learn the job. It's not my fault that mean IQ differs among ethnic groups. I'm not hiring an entire ethnic group. I just need a dishwasher."
DoJ: "Shut up, you racist hater!"
Posted by: SteveS   2021-08-10 16:55  

#12  The mask of "education" has been thrown on the bonfire.
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2021-08-10 16:23  

#11  the bill is intended to "truly reflect what every student needs to thrive in the 21st century."

What sort of 21st Century are they expecting? One where for some reason literacy and numeracy are unnecessary? This is just insanity. And will put Oregon students at a permanent disadvantage to students in every other state.
Posted by: Tom   2021-08-10 14:44  

#10  So taxpayers who pay for public schools with the expectation that kids will be educated can now ask why should they continue to pay when there is no guarantee that a diploma is worth any more than the paper upon which it is printed?
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2021-08-10 13:48  

#9  Scarecrow principle. "You don't need an education, all you need is a diploma". Wizard of Oz
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2021-08-10 12:56  

#8  Historians will point to this when the collapse of the US is discussed.
Posted by: DarthVader   2021-08-10 11:38  

#7  From the brilliant mind of one our best economists;
Kick the can down the road, its someone elses problem now.
Posted by: Clons Ulating2492   2021-08-10 10:38  

#6  Is this that's called "Acknowledging the facts on the ground"?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2021-08-10 10:21  

#5  NN2N1 -- ISTR that kind of test will leave your business open to a discrimination lawsuit. That's one reason college degrees have become minimum requirements for so many jobs.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2021-08-10 09:48  

#4  The military gave up on the value of HS certificates back in the 70s. They use the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) which if you pass validates the public school paper you show. Something like a third fail.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2021-08-10 08:39  

#3  Where was this guy when I was slogging my way thru Latin IV?
Posted by: Mercutio   2021-08-10 08:02  

#2  

NOTE TO HUMAN RESOURCES DEPT.
Aug. 10th, 2021 - Effective immediately design a simple basic job skills proficiency employment test. This test is to be administered to ALL new applicants regardless of Public,Private School Certifications, and/or claimed College degrees.
Posted by: NN2N1   2021-08-10 06:50  

#1  Gov. Kate Brown, the Oregon Democrat, signed a bill last month with little fanfare that drops the requirement that high school students prove proficiency in reading, writing or math, before graduation. This is what I call the "Scarecrow Principle". You don't need an education. all you need is a diploma.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2021-08-10 06:22  

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