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By “suspending proficiency requirements” in the name of “equity”:  

An Oregon high school diploma does not guarantee that students who earned it can read, write, or do math at a high school level. Governor Kate Brown dropped the requirement that students demonstrate they have achieved those essential skills by signing Senate Bill 744 into law. She declined again Friday to comment on why she supported suspending the proficiency requirements… Charles Boyle, the governor’s deputy communications director… said in an emailed statement that suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements will benefit “Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of colour.”

You see, having one’s academic capabilities and fitness for employment thrown into serious doubt is now a benefit.

Meanwhile, in the public schools of Baltimore.  

And somewhat related, this. 

Comments

[Jacob]

"The scores we obtained show some students are performing 10 grade levels below their age…"

It's not a school. It's really crap childcare.

[David]

It’s not a school. It’s really crap childcare.

As noted previously, regarding this,

A school that has no discernible standards, academic or behavioural, and which makes no distinction between those who study and those who don’t even turn up, is in no meaningful sense a school. And as an office-hours containment facility for delinquent morons, it even fails at that.

But hey, equity.

[Mags]

🤡

Honk!

[Hopp Singg]

Why do we even need teachers at all, then? Just give the kindergartners a postdated diploma and be done with it.

Plus, it would be equitable.

[Karl]

Here in the UK we are busy proving that pupils get better grades the less time they spend in school...

Nearly 45% of A-level entries across UK awarded top grades

[David]

Nearly 45% of A-level entries across UK awarded top grades

Some people are concerned only with the appearance of things.

[Ray]

will benefit (non whites)

No it won't. It tells employers that non whites probably can't read and write or add up.

[MC]

Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of colour

What on earth is 'tribal'? And who are the 'students of color' who are not any of the previous things.

Mind you I read 'Latinx' all the time (well, via David...) and I have no idea what it means. Come to think of it, why differentiate Latino and Latina?

America's major industry seems to have become the production of deranged toxic bullshit. Although what it will produce once this pedagogic 'thinking' gains more traction, I don't know.

[David]

One more time.

[Karl]

I read "Latinx" as Latinge. As in, people with a tinge of Latin.
I also read "Womxn" as Wimminge. As in, people with a whinge of Wimmin.

Is that wrong?

[Stephanie Richer]

It isn't as if the students of wealthy parents in private schools are better off. Sure, their reading level might be higher but what is it they're reading? Ibram X. Kendi?

[WTP]

She declined again Friday to comment on why she supported suspending the proficiency requirements…

The broader question is why the numerous representatives, a majority supposedly, ever put such an abomination in front of the stupid bint.

[ccscientist]

The evidence from charter schools and religious (e.g., catholic) schools is that black kids can learn and behave. The elimination of requirements and the attacks on charter/private schools by the woke means they have given up even trying to educate POC. They essentially don't believe poc can learn. Tell me, who is racist?

[Governor Squid]

The evidence from charter and private schools is that children of whatever color can succeed if they have parents who care enough about education to put their children into a charter or private school. If you have no idea who your father is, and your mother is too busy working three jobs or too high to care, then you're pretty much screwed no matter how much melanin you're carrying around.

You'd think that the wokelings would recognize an important nuance like this, but they're remarkably blinkered when it comes to inconvenient nuances. Funny, that.

[tolkein]

I've come to believe that all of this is to protect teachers unions. Graduating even without attending or actually knowing anything means that teachers can't be held accountable, so why bother. They don't have to do in person teaching, they qualify for bonuses for graduation, and nobody will be ever be sacked for poor performance. I assume that the leaders, at some levels, understand this, and will send their own children to private schools, who will benefit from lack of competition from all the children that attend public schools. Who would value a graduation certificate from Oregon? It's not just the BIPOC etc (excluding Asians, of course), who'll suffer, but everyone attending Oregon schools.

[semi retired conservative]

They essentially don't believe poc can learn. Tell me, who is racist?

To sum up: The soft bigotry of low expectations. GWB

[Sam]

Wow only pure white kids learn how to read and write in Oregon schools? Jesus that must be the most racist school system in the world! African schools, Latin American schools, and even pacific island schools manage to teach basic literacy. Shame on Oregonians!

[Sam]

Problems with “horseshoe theory” aside, is there a quicker way to demonstrate its merits than by taking the progressive stack and flipping it upside down?

[Darleen]

The evidence from charter schools and religious (e.g., catholic) schools is that black kids can learn and behave.

It's as if the Ruling class has a vested interest in making sure black kids fail.

[Severian]

Reminds me of an old Simpsons joke: studies show even a monkey can remember nine numbers. Are you dumber than a monkey?

Well...ummm....errrr, you see, the thing is...

[Daniel Ream]

I've come to believe that all of this is to protect teachers unions.

I live in Ontario, Canada.

You have no idea.

[Darleen]

but they're remarkably blinkered

I respectfully disagree. They are well aware that an intact, functional, dad/mom family overwhelmingly tips the odds for success in children.

They hate the family more. They actually cultivate an angry "oppressed" demographic as their own cannon fodder, while holding a semblance of traditional values for themselves.

BLM is burning the American flag and pictures of Tucker Carlson in front of Fox studio in New York. I very much doubt they'll so much as make a dissenting statement on Kate Brown's racism.

[aelfheld]

[...] having one’s academic capabilities and fitness for employment thrown into serious doubt is now a benefit.

Well, technically, it is a benefit.

For those intent on re-establishing serfdom.

[WTP]

To sum up: The soft bigotry of low expectations. GWB

Ackshully...that predates GWB by a couple of decades. For quite some time I thought that was a Daniel Patrick Moynihan quote. As I understand it, it came from his 1966 report The Negro Family: A Case For National Action". Now I am quite certain I searched this out a few years ago and it was quite easy to find. Something to the effect that Moynihan was paraphrasing an academic who wrote the report. I am 99.3% sure that I saw Moynihan make this statement himself back in 1983/4 on some news show that I was watching. I do still see a number of references to it being a Moynihan quote even today. Just nothing definitive. The link I provided is a pdf of a photo copy which was not searchable. I skimmed through the likely sections looking for the quote but I could not find it. Either way, that report pretty much had the problem nailed over half a century ago. Under a Johnson (Democrat) administration. During the height of civil rights unrest in the US. It's worth skimming over. One interesting point that was understood even then was that when blacks entered the male-dominated world of the military, they did much much better in later life than those of similar no-father backgrounds. It certainly is a window back to much saner times of race analysis. Which is probably why it must now be disappeared as much as possible.

[Governor Squid]

I've come to believe that all of this is to protect teachers unions.

Was that ever in doubt? It's obviously not intended to benefit students, no matter how many paper-thin assertions they throw around like so much chaff. And they know damned well that their lies aren't fooling anyone, hence the two-week delay in posting the new law to the database (blamed on the absence of a staffer), and the convenient service outage of the system that informs the public of new laws, and the refusal of Gov. Brown to answer any questions about it now that it's finally come to light.

These creatures don't know shame, but they certainly know how to hide from unpleasant situations, which sometimes looks like much the same thing.

[Darleen]

I've come to believe that all of this is to protect teachers unions.

Was that ever in doubt?

"When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing school children." ~~ Al Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers

[David]

[ Finishes compiling tomorrow’s ephemera. Considers rewarding self with large glass of red. ]

[Cloudbuster]

"There might have been one deluded fool left who thought a high school diploma meant something. We had to put a stop to that."

[Squires]

I look forward to them pitching the idea that public education should last 16, then 20, then 24 years.

[Steve E]

"There might have been one deluded fool left who thought a high school diploma meant something. We had to put a stop to that."

The one's who believe undergrad degree in Arts or Business or anything ending in Studies are the real delusional ones. Here (in Canada) the pathway to employment starts with a 4-year University Degree followed by a two year stint in a Community College (programs are more job oriented than Uni). So six years before entering the workforce. Meanwhile anyone from the great unwashed who bypasses the six years and starts work out of high school in a trade is miles ahead economically after the same six years.

[Richard]

Benefit - You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[Jay Guevara]

suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements will benefit “Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of colour.”

Clearly indicating that the powers that be think these demographics are stupid. If only we had some evidence bearing on this.

[Karl]

suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirements will benefit “Oregon’s Thickxs"

Only if prospective employers can devise no other means of screening out illiterate and innumerate applicants.
Given that such companies must normally compete in the private sector it's unlikely they will be as jaw-droppingly fuckwitted as these legislators, whom you have to suspect must be the products of their own appalling education system.

[WTP]

Given that such companies must normally compete in the private sector it's unlikely they will be as jaw-droppingly fuckwitted as these legislators

Sure they will. Just as soon as those legislators tell them they must. When dealing with people who believe that laws make the world, relying on the real world to correct legislators' mistakes is folly. They simply make new laws to "fix" what they broke with the previous law. Until the Gods of the Copybook Headings show up. The problem is that the GotCH generally don't get interested until society has run through all of the Other Peoples' Money.

[Literally, the tallest womxn in the world]

A local HBCU (Historically Black College or University) just announced hiring a Diversity and Equity Manager. Her (of course) focus will be on "serving" the Latinx (sic) and International (viz Chinese) student communities from which there is a small handful of students enrolled at present.

This foretells an influx of DOE money to recruit Latinx and International students into a town of 8,000 that is currently 81% black, 18% white, less than 1% Latinx, and 0% Asian. That must mean they expect an influx of Latinx and "International" migrants to settle there, too.

Follow the money...and the ideology.

[Wanda Bett]

Re: Steve E and the trades:

Locally, I've recently seen several TV ads for training/certifying young people in: Welding, Cybersecurity, Truck driving, Diesel mechanics, Mechanical/Electrical controls, Medical records, and even river barge crewing.

The ads emphasize the brevity and intensity of the training - for example, barge crew training is 6 weeks/24 hours a day without cell phones - and the near guarantee of immediate employment paying $16 to $24 per hour on graduation and the potential for earning above $100,000 per year within 5 years.

Hmmm...Gender Studies for 4 years at $45,000/year and telemarketing/customer service at $12/hr afterwards, or learn Welding for 6 months for $10,000 followed by employment at $45,000 plus overtime. I dunno. I really want that "college experience."

[Cloudbuster]

I look forward to them pitching the idea that public education should last 16, then 20, then 24 years.

That's what the push for free college is.

[MC]

One more time.

I'm afraid that is no help at all. I know it's something wankers say, but so is all of it...

[ComputerLabRat]

Do hispanic liberals even say "Latinx"? I thought that was something the white BLTGQWERTY++ crew came up with, since Latino and Latina are - horrors - gendered male and female. I've seen folx too, but that one I don't get because folks is already nongendered.

The whole hispanic latino/a bit seems a bit contrived anyways, since half the time they themselves think they're white, and the rest get lumped into white if there's so much as a whiff of right-of-center thinking, or lack of TDS. Same with Asians.

This governor bint is woefully clueless about Asian cultures, which generally hold success and hard work in high esteem, and would likely be insulted that they would need to have standards removed so they could "succeed".

This whole thing is so racist - in the real meaning of the word: they actually think black people are too stupid to learn to read, write and do basic arithmetic and have proudly said so to the world. And the world complements the Empress on her new clothes.

[aelfheld]

I really want that "college experience."

Is it the sneering pietism of the mentally aberrant or the vomiting in the herbaceous borders that most catches your fancy?