Diploma - Background - Oregon Department of Education

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Background

Oregon has joined with 35 other states to form the American Diploma Project Network—a coalition of states committed to aligning high school standards, assessments, graduation requirements and accountability systems with the demands of college and the workplace. The American Diploma Project (ADP) is a partnership of Achieve, The Education Trust and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. To find out more about ADP visit http://www.achieve.org/node/604 .

The new requirements adopted by the State Board of Education are designed to better prepare each student for success in college, work, and citizenship. We need to ensure that our high school graduates are ready to compete in a global economy. Colleges and employers need high school graduates who are fully prepared for the challenges of college-level courses and the modern workplace. Whether graduates head into college, technical training or directly into the workforce, they need a high level of skills to be successful.

Throughout the decision making process, the State Board reached out to stakeholders for feedback and suggestions. Educators, school board members, students, parents, business leaders, community members - all had the opportunity to weigh in and provide feedback on the Board's decision making process. Over 300 school and community meetings were held around the state to discuss these changes and over 7000 Oregonians completed surveys or provided written feedback on the changes. All of this feedback was instrumental in the Board's final decisions.

Diploma Guiding Principles 06/02/2008 (25.49 KB)
Diploma Requirements - State Board Decision Paper 04/17/2007 (455.26 KB)
Diploma Implementation Task Forces
To ensure successful implementation of the new diploma requirements the Board engaged stakeholders and practitioners by convening implementation task forces. These task forces, established by the Department of Education, addressed issues concerning the new diploma and have made recommendations to the State Board and the Department regarding the diploma.
Bibliography of Diploma Research 06/02/2008 (56.41 KB)
To support the State Board of Education in its discussion of high school diploma requirements, the Department of Education provided the Board with background documents and recommendations to aid their discussion. The documents were prepared utilizing a wide array of research-based evidence, statistical studies and expert opinions.
Oregon High School Diploma Video - 2006
Watch a twelve minute video about the changes being made to the Oregon high school diploma.
West Ed Review of Oregon Standards and Assessment System 12/15/2011 (5.69 KB)
In 2007, the Oregon Department of Education contracted with WestEd for an external review of Oregon’s academic standards. WestEd is highly regarded for their expertise in evaluating standards and assessment tools, methods, and systems at the local, state, and national level. This page includes WestEd's reports, presentations and other resources related to the review.

Diploma Survey Results
The State Board of Education asked Oregonians to respond to a survey on proposed high school diploma changes. They received over 5,000 completed surveys from all around the state. The survey results helped to inform the State Board’s decision.
Oregon Diploma Summit
The Summit held in Salem on March 17, 2009 brought together key leaders and stakeholders from multiple sectors to collaborate on action plans that support and strengthen implementation of the diploma requirements.