February 17, 2010 Request to Amend Accountability Plan – Oregon – NCLB Policy Letters to States
February 17, 2010
The Honorable Susan Castillo
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oregon Department of Education
255 Capitol Street NE
Public Service Building
Salem, Oregon 97310
Dear Superintendent Castillo:
I am writing in response to Oregon’s request to amend its state accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. Following discussions between the Department and your staff, Oregon made two changes to its accountability plan, which are now included in the amended plan that Oregon submitted to the Department on January 20, 2010. I am pleased to approve Oregon’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. A summary of Oregon’s requested amendments is enclosed with this letter. As you know, any further requests to amend Oregon’s accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I of the ESEA.
Please also be aware that approval of Oregon’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved herein, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
I am confident that Oregon will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessment, and accountability provisions of the ESEA, please do not hesitate to contact Victoria Hammer (Victoria.Hammer@ed.gov) or David Harmon (David.Harmon@ed.gov).
Sincerely,
Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D.
Enclosure
cc: Governor Ted Kulongoski
Doug Kosty
Tony Alpert
Amendments to Oregon’s Accountability Plan
The following is a summary of Oregon’s amendment requests. Please refer to the Department’s website (www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html) for Oregon’s complete accountability plan.
Acceptable amendments
The following amendments are aligned with the statute and regulations.
Calculating attendance rates based on students who attend school from the first day of school through the first school day in May (Element 10.1)
Revision: Oregon will calculate attendance rates based on the period of time from the first day of the school year through the first school day in May.
Grade for accountability (Element 5.1)
Revision: Oregon will use grade 11 as the high school grade for accountability purposes.
