US removes reading, writing & maths as requirements to graduate High School to empower minorities
Democrat gov of Oregon Kate Brown passed senate bill 744 in which she specified the non-requirement of proficiencies for students.
The new standards for graduation will help benefit the state’s “Black, Latino, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color,” as per Governor Kate Brown’s deputy director Charles Boyle.
The bill, which suspends the proficiency requirements for students for three years, has attracted controversy for at least temporarily suspending academic standards amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Oregonian reported that the governor silently passed the bill and 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.”
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.
While some Democrats asked to pass this bill in all states, republicans came out in protest against the bill saying “this will destroy the futures of our children” as they wont even need to study any further to pass examinations.
“Oregon schools were among the last in the country to reopen to in-person instruction during the pandemic,” an editorial read. “Our legislators should be focused on how to help students regain the ground they’ve lost after a year and a half of distance learning and hybrid instruction – not on lowering our standards.”
