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Oregon City School District advances draft graduation policy changes; civics and higher-education planning added
Summary
District leaders presented a consolidated graduation policy that aligns diplomas with Oregon Department of Education requirements, adds a civics requirement, and creates a half-credit higher-education and career-planning sequence using Naviance.
Oregon City School District 62 leaders presented a draft overhaul of the district’s graduation policy during the Jan. 27 work session, saying the changes align local diplomas with new Oregon Department of Education guidance and consolidate multiple school-specific diploma tracks into a single district diploma.
Sarah Craig, a district principal, and others on the committee told the board the redraft responds to state guidance and to confusion staff, students and families encountered under the older policy. The committee reviewed neighboring districts’ policies, sought departmental feedback and incorporated Oregon School Boards Association language after guidance arrived this fall.
Key changes outlined by staff include: formally naming and consolidating an "advanced" diploma (formerly called honors), revising required credits and sequences so students have broader options to meet advanced-diploma requirements, reducing some subject minimums (for example, world language for the advanced diploma is two consecutive years in the same language), and creating a half-credit requirement in higher education and career planning delivered through the Naviance platform. Staff explained the Naviance plan will assign students tasks each year worth 0.125 credit so students earn 0.5 credit over four years.
The draft also updates certificates and alternative credentials to reflect ODE language: the "alternate certificate" will be renamed "certificate of attendance" and modifications to the modified diploma pathway were added. Staff said the changes affecting diploma content and naming are intended to take effect for the class of 2027 and beyond; existing diploma options for current students remain available.
Board members pressed for clarity on wording in several places. One member said a paragraph describing assessment modifications for a modified diploma was confusing and asked staff to rephrase the sentence that warns that some test modifications could render a result ineligible to meet state requirements. Staff said they will reword that paragraph to make the distinction clearer: a modified assessment can provide classroom information but may not satisfy state-level reporting or requirement thresholds.
Members also asked about the civics requirement. Staff said the state requires civics beginning Jan. 1, 2026; the district plans to map existing government coursework to the civics standard so the new requirement will be met within current offerings. On higher-education and career planning, staff told the board they had asked Naviance for a standards crosswalk and will assign tasks during advisory, morning meetings or service-learning time.
Staff described the practical effect as giving students more flexible paths to meet advanced diploma criteria — for example, leaving room for AP, dual-credit or CTE coursework to satisfy rigor requirements while reducing clauses that had previously excluded students who moved into the district late.
Ending: The board did not vote on the policy at the work session; staff will revise language per the board’s requests and bring a refined draft back for later consideration.
