Dare I say it? Public schools are showing a little bit of flexibility, at least in Oregon where high school seniors will be given a choice of three different methods to show competency before graduation. In other states, dropout rates and summer school attendance have soared in the shadow of mandatory exit testing, which doesn’t exactly serve much of a purpose.

In Oregon, the Board of Education has decided to offer  a national test, a state assessment test, and what they call a local version: a student portfolio. The portfolio will show colleges and employers (because, you know, employers always ask to see your high school diploma) that a student showed proficiency in reading, writing, applied math, and speaking skills.

Son of a gun. Can it be possible that there are other ways to exhibit knowledge beyond testing?