Construction continues at the Capitol building in Salem. (Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Oregon’s Legislature made a bold move, and one to benefit students.
Members of the House and Senate voted unanimously this session that students who complete the International Baccalaureate or its Career-related Programme satisfy Oregon’s high school graduation requirements.
While several states already recognize completion of the IB as equivalent to a high school diploma, with House Bill 4137, Oregon became the first state to offer the same equivalency to the career program. That makes a bold statement: College readiness and career readiness should no longer be seen as separate.
The Career-related Programme, which was launched in 2014, is intended for high school students who want to focus on a particular career element such as digital coding, marine biology, medicine or finance.
The program contains the same level of theoretical and academic rigor as the IB, while complementing students’ experiences with career-related study to develop concrete skills and competencies required to be successful in their chosen fields. Students who complete the program are ready for university, a path chosen by nearly three-quarters of the graduates, but are also well-prepared to enter the workforce as a skilled worker through one of the many certificated pathways offered through the program.
Game-changing move
Approval of these courses of study means students are relieved of unduly burdensome graduation requirements that have been layered on top of an already rigorous IB education. For the IB, it confirms what leaders and educators already know: An education focused on career-readiness can coexist with an academically rigorous one. Lastly, it is a win for students who want to show their college and career readiness but maintain a sense of personal balance.
In a nation where crushing student debt persists as college prices continue to rise, validating alternative pathways to professional success is essential.
It provides a meaningful choice to students who feel inclined to pursue an independent path of study outside higher education, and makes clear that being career-ready and university-ready are not mutually exclusive. In today’s volatile job market, where employers increasingly seek skillsets instead of degrees, supporting career-readiness is essential. It provides high school students with the tools they need to succeed and provides a relevant context in which students can apply what they learn in a post-secondary environment.
It also unlocks the potential for economic mobility outside of the one-size-fits-all path to university that many young people are now realizing may not be for them. At the same time, this recognition makes the pursuit of an IB diploma even more accessible to students by reducing their workload and acknowledging the holistic nature of an IB education.
Moreover, it advances equity and inclusion in the job market, as put forth by the Center for American Progress. By detracking career education and promoting career-readiness for high school students more systematically, young learners are granted exposure to careers that were previously out of reach. Students should feel empowered and supported by their education to pursue the career of their choice, free from the racial and socio-economic biases that have historically hamstrung career and technical education for marginalized groups.
While the state’s acknowledgment of the career program alone will not solve all these challenges, it’s an invitation to other states to build toward similar solutions. It’s also a clear sign that career-readiness education is no longer a “fallback plan” for students, but can be incorporated into their studies without diminishing academic rigor and achievement.
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