Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Graduation Requirements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board weighs delaying North Bend diploma and honors criteria amid assessment, scheduling concerns
Summary
Staff warned that current proposal linking the local North Bend diploma and honors designation to state assessment or work-sample requirements would render a large share of juniors ineligible; board members asked for clearer alternative-track language, student notification plans and more time for implementation.
District staff presented data showing many juniors would not meet the proposed North Bend diploma’s "essential skills" testing or work-sample requirements under the current policy draft.
"If you look at math, 77 percent of our juniors last year did not meet or exceed the OSAS math test as far as the requirements," an instructional staff member said, noting that under the current language a large share of students could be ineligible for the local diploma without logistics changes.
Staff and counselors told the board they lack systems to track required work samples across grade levels, that many affected students are not enrolled in the classes now needed to produce valid work samples, and that hiring to fill those gaps would increase budget pressure. Board members raised concerns about students who opt out of state testing for religious or cultural reasons and about students who test poorly due to anxiety.
Several board members suggested delaying implementation or removing the local diploma requirement from the current policy until the district can ensure students and families are properly notified, alternative assessments are documented in policy, and counselors can track work-sample completion. Staff agreed to draft policy language clarifying alternative tracks and reporting procedures and to return with revised language and an implementation timeline.
The board did not vote tonight on policy adoption; members asked staff for explicit language about alternatives to state assessments, a plan to inform students and parents (beginning in junior-high communications), and a review of honors criteria to avoid unintended exclusion.
