A new Rasmussen Reports national phone and online survey reveals 81 percent of American adults would oppose a law in their state that says high school students do not need to be proficient in reading, writing and mathematics to graduate. Twelve percent favor such a law.
Oregon eliminated those requirements last month when Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill to eliminate the need for students to prove proficiency in reading, writing or math prior to graduation.
A spokesman for Brown’s office said suspending the requirements will benefit the state’s “black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal and students of color.”
However, 75 percent of Americans said dropping those requirements will be bad for those students. Just seven percent believe it’ll be good for those students. Eighty percent of Americans said students earning a diploma without proficiency in those areas will find it more difficult to succeed in the workplace or college.
While 73 percent of Americans under 40 would oppose such a law in their state, those under 40 are still nearly twice as likely as their elders to favor a law like it.
