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Division 22 Standards and Assurance of Compliance

What are the Division 22 Standards?

The rules contained in Chapter 581, Division 22 of Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) are the educational standards that the Oregon Legislature or the State Board has determined must be met in order to be a standard school district. Compliance with the Division 22 Standards ensures every student in Oregon public schools is provided with a baseline level of service. The Division 22 Standards can be found on the Secretary of State’s Oregon Administrative Rules Database. 

Questions & Support 

Please direct any questions regarding the Division 22 Standards and the Division 22 Assurances Process to Division22@ode.oregon.gov or contact Susan Payne, Education Standards and Systems Specialist at (503) 580-6814.

​ACCOUNTABILITY​

Division 22 is unique because the Legislature has directed the Deputy Superintendent of​ the Oregon Department of Education to enforce the Division 22 Standards through a process set out in statute. The statutory process explicitly directs ODE to provide school districts with coaching and an opportunity to correct any areas of noncompliance before withholding state school funds. Under the statute, school districts are presumed to be in compliance until a deficiency is found. Once a deficiency is found, the district is required to submit an approved plan to come back into compliance by the beginning of the next school year. During this process, ODE is directed to reach out to the district to offer technical assistance, and the ODE Deputy Superintendent may grant an extension of up to 12 months if the deficiencies cannot be corrected before the beginning of the next school year. If the district fails to come back in compliance by the beginning of the next school year or following an extension, the Deputy Superintendent “may withhold portions of State School Fund moneys otherwise allocated to the school district for operating expenses until such deficiencies are corrected unless the withholding ​would create an undue hardship. . . .” ORS 327.103​

​MONITORING COMPLIANCE

ODE monitors compliance with Division 22 Standards through three processes:​​

​
​​​​​​​​​​PRO​​​CESS​​​​​​​DESCRIPTION​​​
ONGOING COACHING AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
​In its ongoing work with districts, ODE is con​tinually monitoring where there might be gaps or misunderstandings about the standards. O​DE staff provide coaching, support, and learning opportunities to d​istricts as appropriate.
COMPLAINTS​
Every​ district is required to have a complaint process. A student, a parent or guardian of a student, or a person who resides in the district may file a Division 22 Standards complaint. Division 22 Standards complaints are filed first at the district level and then may be appealed to ODE using the process outlined on the ODE Complaints and Appeals webpage.
​ ​ASSURANCES
​The Division 22 Standards assurances process is governed by OAR 581-022-2305: District Assurances of Compliance with Public School Standards. Districts are required to provide an assurance report to the community in a school district board meeting and post the report on the district website. Districts must then submit the assurances to ODE. For each Division 22 Standard, the district either certifies that the district is in compliance or states that the district is out of compliance, provides an explanation, and proposes corrective action. Once ODE has received all of the assurances, staff go through a process of following up with districts that have self-reported non-compliance with one or more Division 22 Standards. ODE specialists are responsible for reviewing and approving districts’ corrective action plans, as well as providing technical assistance.​​

DIVISION 22 ASSURANCES PROCESS 

Each year, districts report to their community on their compliance with all Division 22 Standards for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools by making a presentation to the local School Board as set forth in OAR 581-022-2305: District Assurances of Compliance with Public School Standards​. After districts have made their report at the local level, they then submit their assurances to the Oregon Department of Education. This annual practice is one way we publicly commit to providing a high-quality educational experience for students in our care. It provides an opportunity for school districts to demonstrate compliance with rigorous standards, reflect on areas in need of attention and alignment, and plan for how to address them. As part of our shared responsibility to provide quality service for our students and communities, this system promotes reciprocal accountability between school districts and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).​

Corrective Action Deadline Extensions

If a district is unable to complete an approved corrective action plan within the standard timeline (by the beginning of the school year next following the date of the finding of deficiency), the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction may allow an extension of time before withholding moneys, not to exceed 12 months. (ORS 327.103) Districts may request an extension of the corrective action deadline by filling out the extension request form; all extensions must be approved by the ODE Director. Districts with extensions in place are considered to be conditionally standard. 

Division 22 Rule Waivers 

Statewide Waivers 

2023-24 School Year

All rules set forth in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 581, Division 22 are in effect for the 2023-24 school year except for the Assessment of Essential Skills graduation requirement for the Class of 2024, as waived by OAR 581-022-2115 (22)​. 

2022-23 School Year 

All rules set forth in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 581, Division 22 were in effect for the 2022-23 school year except for the Assessment of Essential Skills graduation requirement for the Class of 2023, as waived by OAR 581-022-2115 (22). The PE Data Collection was suspended through June 30, 2023 as part of the nonessential reporting requirements suspended by HB 4030 in 2022. 

District Specific Waivers

 ​To address an immediate concern or need, a school district may request a waiver of a specific Division 22 standard under OAR 581-002-0035. The State Board of Education may grant a waiver for up to one year. For more information about the process of requesting a waiver, email Division22 @ode.oregon.gov​ or reach out to ODE's Education Standards and Systems Specialist Susan Payne at (503) 580-6814.
In November of each year, districts are required to report on compliance with the Division 22 Standards for the preceding school year, both to ODE and to the local school board and community. Making the report in November allows for an accurate assessment of a district’s compliance during a given academic year. When reporting to the school board and community, it is strongly recommended that districts provide information about any additional areas for which the district is out of compliance in the current school year and plans for corrective action. Districts are required to post the community report to the district website by November 1.

ODE compiles the data it receives from districts when they submit their annual assurances. 

Summary data is updated by February 1 and district specific data is updated by March 1.​

District Reports on Compliance

ODE Assurances Data​

Resources for Districts

​PE Requirements Adjusted Timeline Information​

​Assurances for the 2022-23 School Year 

Mailing List & Newsletter

If you are a district staff person (other than the superintendent) and would like to receive communications from ODE regarding the Division 22 Standards and Assurances Process, sign up for the Division 22 mailing list here​. 

Head to the Professional Learning & Newsletter page​ to find current and archived editions of the Division 22 Standards Newsletter, as well as video tutorials and other resources that support learning about Oregon's Standards for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools.​

Annual Assurances Toolkit 

November 2023 Assurances Resources & Support

The following resources have been developed by ODE to support districts in completing the 2023 Division 22 Standards Assurances Process. Additional resources will be added throughout August, with the complete toolkit posted by September 1, 2023.

 

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