Students entering Oregon high schools as freshmen next year will graduate in 2012 with diplomas that mean more than the ones being awarded this spring.
That’s because the Oregon Department of Education has approved new standards increasing the number of credit hours required for graduation, including more coursework in mathematics, science and English or language arts. Diplomas will be awarded only to students who can pass a test or demonstrate by other means that they’ve mastered essential skills.
Higher standards are overdue — Oregon’s current requirement of 22 credit hours is the fifth-lowest in the nation. Raising the requirement to 24 credits will move Oregon to the middle of the pack. Obtaining a diploma is harder than passing through a turnstile, but the fact that colleges and employers report that nearly half of Oregon high school graduates require remedial training or coursework is strong evidence of a need for greater rigor.
Setting high standards, however, is the easy part. Much harder, and more expensive, is ensuring that students are prepared to meet them.
Oregon will have to make sure that its 199 school districts have enough math, science and language arts teachers to provide the added instruction the new standards require. The staffing costs have not been determined, but many districts, particularly smaller ones, will need additional state support.
Some students will need more help than is currently available in meeting the new requirements, particularly in math. The class of 2010 will need three math credits to graduate, up from the current requirement of two. By 2014, the three-credit requirement will have to be met in courses of algebra I or beyond. The job of getting all students to a point where they can absorb geometry and algebra II will have to begin in middle school or earlier.
By 2012, a high school diploma will mean that a graduate has demonstrated proficiency in reading, writing, public speaking, applied mathematics, critical thinking, the use of technology, civic engagement, global literacy and career-related skills. If these expectations are merely loaded onto the backs of next year’s freshmen, Oregon can count on an increase in the dropout rate. Many students will need more intensive preparation than many school districts now can offer — and they’ll need it right away.
The Department of Education has task forces that are working to implement the higher standards, assess their cost and determine exactly how proficiency will be measured. A broader effort involving the entire educational system and the Legislature also will be needed. The addition of full-day kindergarten would help more students get their schooling off to a good start. Lengthening Oregon’s school year — now 165 days, while 34 states require 180 or more — would ensure that students had more time in class to attain the proficiency required of them.
Higher standards can work like magic — when more is asked of students, they simply deliver. But the magic doesn’t work for all students, and its power is limited. Tougher graduation requirements will demand improvements in education at all levels, with financial support to match.
Without such a commitment, many students will be left behind — or the new requirements will become so diluted as to be meaningless. Oregon shouldn’t let that happen.
Copyright © 2007 — The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA
