Oregon suspends requirement for grads to meet proficiency in basic skills

Oregon high schoolers will not need to fulfill an essential skills requirement in order to graduate for at least the next five years. The Oregon Board of Education on Thursday voted unanimously to pause a decade-old requirement that students show additional proficiencies in reading, writing and other skills on top of taking regular courses in those subjects. The essential skills requirement will be suspended through the 2027-28 school year. The decision sparked criticism from Republican lawmakers, including a group led by former gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan, who said the requirement...