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To: District Superintendents
From: Susan Payne, Educational Standards and Systems Specialist
Date: May 5, 2020
RE: Division 22 Assurances Update
Dear Superintendent,
We acknowledge that there is a great deal of complexity that you are navigating and we appreciate your leadership. While priorities may be shifting at this time, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) maintains our commitment to assisting districts in providing a high quality educational experience and equitable opportunities for all students. This assurance process offers 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.
In an effort to support your efforts during Distance Learning for All we are reaching out to share two important Division 22 updates.
- New Division 22 Submission Date: The submission date for Division 22 Assurances has historically been in February of every school year. This letter provides notice that going forward, Division 22 Assurances will be submitted to the Oregon Department of Education in November.
Assurance Process for the 2019-20 School Year
On April 16, 2020 the State Board adopted a new administrative rule, OAR 581-022-0103: State Standards for the 2019-20 School Year. This rule establishes the Division 22 standards in effect for the 2019-20 school year, accommodating for the school closures and providing appropriate flexibility to districts during this unprecedented time. School districts will be required to report on the Division 22 standards included in this new rule; any standard not included in the new rule is effectively waived for the 2019-2020 school year.
OAR 581-022-0103 also implements a new timeline for districts to complete the assurances process that will go into effect starting with the 2019-20 school year. In previous years, the assurance process occurred in February, reporting on the previous school year. Moving forward, the assurance process will occur in November. This means that, for the 2019-20 Assurances process, districts will report to their local school board and post their report to their webpage no later than November 1, 2020. Districts will then report assurances to ODE no later than November 15, 2020. Shifting the Division 22 Assurances timeline to the fall will allow ODE to review district submissions and provide districts with actionable feedback on their corrective action plans earlier in the school year, giving districts additional time to implement corrective actions in order to achieve compliance by the start of the next school year. The November 15 submission deadline will permanently replace the February 15 submission deadline going forward.
 Status Update Regarding Districts’ 2018-19 Assurances
Due to the COVID-19 closure of physical school sites and the shift to Distance Learning for All, ODE has made adjustments to the Spring 2020 timeline for approving districts’ corrective action plans and providing assistance as needed.
By June 1, 2020, ODE staff will contact all district superintendents who reported out of compliance with one or more Division 22 standards to inform each district whether ODE has approved its corrective action plan, identify where ODE needs additional information, and determine the district’s need for assistance from ODE in developing or implementing its corrective action plan.
ODE acknowledges districts will implement corrective action plans (to the extent possible) prior to the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. In cases where it is not feasible to carry out the corrective action plan within the expected timeline, districts will have an opportunity to request an extension.
Thank you for your role in ensuring Oregon’s public school system continues to provide a high-quality educational experience for all students. We appreciate your continued efforts to honor and uphold the Division 22 Standards even in these most unusual times. If you have any questions or are in need of additional support, we are here to assist you. Please direct questions regarding the Division 22 Assurances process to Division22@ode.state.or.us or contact Susan Payne, Educational Standards and Systems Specialist, at 503-580-6814.
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