House GOP: New graduation rates misleading

Oregon House Republican Leader Christine Drazan
Press Release,

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) released the following statement regarding Oregon’s 2019-2020 high school graduation rates released by the Oregon Department of Education, which showed a nearly 3% graduation rate increase:

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of all Oregonians, especially for our students as classrooms remain closed. The high school graduation rate released by the Oregon Department of Education do not accurately reflect the negative impacts that closing schools has had on our students.

When schools closed in March 2020, the Oregon Department of Education drastically altered its graduation standards which included canceling standardized tests and changing academic grading. Simply put, this graduation rate is misleading. Specifically, they calculated the misleading graduation rate by using unreliable attendance figures and used credit granted in March instead of traditional grades earned through the entire term.

I urge the Governor to work with local communities to safely re-open schools, allow our students back into the classroom and to receive the quality education they all deserve and our future demands.”