OAR 581-017-0811: Early Literacy Success School District Grants: Allowable Uses of Funding

(1) Allowable uses of the Early Literacy Success School Grant program are described in ORS 327.825 and ORS 327.829. The administrative rules that follow provide additional specificity or clarity and do not expand or replace what is in statute. (2) Professional Development and Coaching may be provided to teachers, administrators, instructional assistants, and additional staff. (3) Training for tutors to implement effectively the provision of high-dosage tutoring according to ORS 327.825 and ORS 327.829 shall be research-aligned and include the specific knowledge and skills relevant to the literacy concepts, skills, instructional practices of the tutoring program, and needs of students who it is serving, and effectively use data to ensure the methods used are responsive to student need. This may be specific to a particular program, or core set of knowledge, skills or instructional practices all of which must be based on the science of reading and writing. (a) Grant recipients may use internal or external expertise for high dosage tutoring. At least once every two years the Oregon Department of Education shall develop and/or revisit qualifications for tutors. The qualifications shall be inclusive of the qualified tutors definition in these rules and may include additional qualifications, which shall be used by grant recipients to evaluate eligibility for those internal and external to the district to be a tutor for high-dosage tutoring programs. The Department may decide to make the qualifications different for those tutors internal and for those external to the district. (b) At least once every two years the Oregon Department of Education shall develop or revisit criteria for high-dosage tutoring programs and extended learning. The criteria shall be used by grant recipients to evaluate eligibility for high-dosage tutoring and extended learning programs to be used for the purposes of this grant. (c) The Oregon Department of Education shall, at least once every two years, develop or revisit a list of qualified high-dosage tutoring program providers, should grant recipients choose to use external providers. To be included on the list, the provider must meet the qualifications in section (a) and (b) of this rule if providing a program and tutors or just (b) if providing a program only and must include content to be determined by the Department. (d) The Oregon Department of Education will independently review potential providers at least once every two years by posting a Request for Information for providers to solicit information from interested vendors. (A) ODE will publish the list no later than January 15th of odd numbered years, beginning in 2025. After the first publication, eligible applicants who use funding to pay for external high dosage tutoring services shall select from the list. (B) Once a high-dosage tutoring program provider has been approved by the Department and placed on the list, to remain on the list the provider must every two years provide an updated information form provided by the Department. (4) Grant recipients may use internal or external expertise for professional development and coaching. At least once every two years, the Oregon Department of Education shall develop a list of qualifications for professional development and coaching providers. The list of qualifications shall be used by grant recipients to evaluate eligibility for those internal and external to the district to provide professional development and coaching. The Department may decide to make different qualifications for people who are internal to the district and for those external to the district. (a) The Oregon Department of Education shall, at least once every two years, develop a list of qualified professional development providers and organizations that provide coaching related to early literacy should grant recipients choose to use external providers. To be included on the list of qualified professional development or coaching providers, the provider must meet the qualifications in section (3) of this rule and include content to be determined by the Department. (b) The Oregon Department of Education will independently review potential providers at least once every two years post a Request for Information for providers to solicit information from interested vendors. (A) ODE will publish the list no later than January 15th of odd numbered years, beginning in 2025. After the first publication, eligible applicants who use funding to pay for external professional development and coaching shall select from the list. (B) Once a professional development or coaching provider has been approved by the Department and placed on the list, to remain on the list the provider must every two years provide an updated information form provided by the Department. (C) The Department will consult with the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission to ensure the approved providers also satisfy professional development requirements for teachers. (5) The State Board adoption criteria for Language Arts basal instructional materials and the list of basal instructional materials adopted by the State Board of Education shall be the criteria for core instructional materials meeting the early literacy school grant requirements. (a) The Oregon Department of Education shall establish research-aligned criteria for districts to use for all materials that are not core instructional materials. Districts shall use this criteria when purchasing and/or reviewing literacy assessments, tools, supplemental curricula, and digital resources annually. (b) The Department shall review available criteria and resources from national and international organizations related to: (A) Early literacy practices; (B) Literacy assessment practices and tools, inclusive of both formative and diagnostic practices; (C) Digital literacy practices, resources, and tools; (D) Culturally responsive practices in literacy instruction; (E) Biliteracy or literacy practices in multilingual instructional settings or dual language; and (F) Supporting students who are experiencing disabilities. (c) Effective January 1, 2025, funds from this grant used for the adoption and implementation of K-5 core instructional materials may only be used for materials from the State Board of Education adopted list for ELA. If core instructional materials are adopted from the State Board of Education list at the time of application, they meet the criteria for this grant. (d) Effective January 1, 2025, funds from this grant used for the adoption and implementation of core instructional materials for prekindergarten may only be used for materials that meet criteria to be determined by the Department of Early Learning and Care by Jan 1, 2025. (6) Rules will be applied by ODE for allowable uses of funding of the Early Literacy Success Initiative beginning July 1, 2025.