Dive Brief:

• Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission has unveiled a new pilot program that would allow high school juniors scoring high enough on the Smarter Balanced exam and taking college-level classes their senior year to avoid a two- to three-hour college placement test. 
• The program, approved in February by Oregon's 17 community colleges and seven universities, was created to help decrease senioritis and the learning gaps that come with it.
• To get out of the placement test, students must earn a 3 (out of 4) on the Smarter Balanced exam and a B or higher in their AP courses the next year. 

Dive Insight:

There is hope that this new program will encourage students to take AP exams their senior year instead of slacking off, which will keep their skills sharp. Lisa Mentz, the Core to College Alignment director for the state's Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, explained to the Associated Press that students often get to college and really struggle with the college placement exam since they've been slacking off senior year and haven't taken school as seriously. This plan, which encourages students to enroll in more difficult subjects their senior years, hopes to remedy this gap.