Chapter 959 Oregon Laws 2001

AN ACT

SB 811

Relating to education; creating new provisions; amending ORS 329.105; and declaring an emergency.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. School districts are encouraged to implement programs to improve student performance and school personnel satisfaction such as the Initiative for Quality in Education developed by Portland General Electric. The programs shall allow schools to achieve their individual and unique goals as reflected by their local communities, as well as the broader objectives embodied in statewide education goals.

SECTION 2. ORS 329.105 is amended to read:

329.105. (1) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall collect data and produce annual school district and school performance reports containing information on student performance, student behavior and school characteristics. The purpose of the performance reports is to provide information to parents and to improve schools through greater parental involvement.

(2)(a) In consultation with representatives of parents, teachers, school district boards and school administrators, the State Board of Education shall adopt, by rule, criteria for grading schools. Such criteria shall take into account [both overall] student performance, [and] improvement in student performance and the participation rate of students on the statewide assessments. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, based on the criteria adopted by the State Board of Education, shall assign a grade to each school for student performance, student behavior and school characteristics and also shall assign an overall grade to the school. The grades shall include classifications for exceptional performance, strong performance, satisfactory performance, low performance and unacceptable performance.

(b) The grades received by a school shall be included in the school district and school performance reports.

(c) If a school is within the low performance or unacceptable performance classification in any category, the school shall file a school improvement plan with the Superintendent of Public Instruction and with the school district board and the 21st Century Schools Council for the school.

(3) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall include in the school performance reports data for the following areas, for each school, that are available to the Department of Education from the most recent school year:

(a) Enrollment in English as a Second Language courses under ORS 336.079;

(b) Attendance rates;

(c) School safety, such as expulsions involving weapons in the school;

(d) Students who met or exceeded standards leading to the Certificate of Initial Mastery;

(e) Dropout rates and the number of students who dropped out of school;

(f) Parent and community involvement such as volunteer hours;

(g) Classes taught by a teacher outside the teacher's area of certification; and

(h) School staff, identified by category.

(4) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall include in the school district performance reports data for the following areas, for each school district, that are available to the Department of Education from the most recent school year:

(a) Resident students who attend a public school in another school district;

(b) Facilities used for distance learning;

(c) Election results of any bond levy proposed to the electors of the district;

(d) Expenditures;

(e) Level of support from the education service district;

(f) Administrators not assigned to a specific school;

(g) School district staff, identified by category; and

(h) Students who are eligible for special education.

[(3)] (5) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall notify the public and the media by January 30 of each year that school district and school performance reports are available at schools and school districts and at the Department of Education website and offices. The superintendent shall also include notice that copies of school and district improvement plans can be obtained from school and school district offices. Each school district shall send a copy of the school district and applicable school performance reports to each parent of a child enrolled in a public school in the school district.

SECTION 3. The amendments to ORS 329.105 by section 2 of this 2001 Act apply to school district and school performance reports issued by the Superintendent of Public Instruction on or after the effective date of this 2001 Act.

SECTION 4. This 2001 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2001 Act takes effect July 1, 2001.

Approved by the Governor August 10, 2001

Filed in the office of Secretary of State August 13, 2001

Effective date August 10, 2001

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