OAR 581-022-2120: Essential Skill Assessments for English Language Learners

(1) Definitions. As used in this rule: (a) “Assessment option” means an assessment approved to assess proficiency in the Essential Skills for the purpose of earning a high school diploma or a modified diploma. (b) “English Language Learner” (ELL) means a student who meets the definition of “Limited English Proficient” found in Title IX, Part A, Section 9101.25 of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). (c) “Essential Skills” means process skills that cross academic disciplines and are embedded in the content standards. The skills are not content specific and can be applied in a variety of courses, subjects, and settings. (d) “Qualified Rater” means any individual who is: (A) Trained to a high degree of proficiency in scoring the assessment administered to the student; and (B) Endorsed by the school district or public charter school, consistent with local school board policy, as proficient in the student’s language of origin for the purposes of accurately scoring the student’s work in the student’s language of origin. (2) Consistent with OAR 581-022-2115, school districts and public charter schools must adopt a policy whether to allow ELL students to demonstrate proficiency in all required Essential Skills in the students’ language of origin. (3) If a school district or public charter school adopts a policy allowing ELL students to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential skills in the students’ language of origin under Sections 2 and 3 of this rule, that policy must include the following: (a) Development of a procedure to provide assessment options as described in the Test Administration Manual in participating ELL students’ language of origin. (b) Development of a procedure to ensure that locally scored assessment options administered in an ELL student’s language of origin are scored by a qualified rater. (4) Consistent with section (22) of OAR 581-022-2115 Assessment of Essential Skills, the requirements established by sections (2) and (3) of this rule are waived through the end of the 2027-28 school year.