At the start of the pandemic, less than 74% of these students were on track to graduate in four years. But last year, nearly 82% graduated on time, the second highest in state history, according to data released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education.
“Students and staff overcame all the obstacles that COVID-19 threw in their path,” Oregon Department of Education Director Charlene Williams said in a news release. “We are seeing results, but we know much more needs to be done so that every child is set up for success, not only to find their path to graduation, but to thrive in their educational experience.”
While Oregon lauds itself for graduating kids by any means necessary, test scores have plummeted. What could account for this discrepancy? Could it be that we are just passing kids along, regardless of aptitude or attendance? Could that explain the low test scores and high graduation rate?
(Spoiler alert: The answers are yes and yes.)