Mooney address high school grad rates
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – Oregon’s high school graduation rates being among the lowest in the nation is often cited by politicians who fail to point out that Oregon has tougher graduation requirements than most states. Hermiston School Superintendent Tricia Mooney said she’s sure there is room for improvement, but the system shouldn’t be dumbed down.
“I like having high standards,” she said. “I like being able to say we have high standards for our graduates in Oregon. But, if we’re really going to make an accurate comparison, we need to be judging against the same set of criteria.”
Mooney said it’s smarter not to judge. She said the real question Oregonians should be asking is are the schools doing their jobs in getting the students ready to leave their nests.
“There is a level of rigor just in the coursework to be able to graduate and I think part of what’s missed in the conversation is that for all of us it’s preparing students for what their next step is,” she said. “Collectively, it doesn’t benefit any of us if we are turning out students who got a diploma and graduated but we aren’t preparing them for what their next steps are – whatever their next steps are.”
