OAR 715-045-0019: School Catalogs

A school catalog shall have numbered pages and include the following elements. If any of the following elements do not appear in the body of the catalog, a reference to other specific documents where the required information appears must be in the catalog. Copies of ancillary documents referred to in the catalog must be approved by and on file with the Commission: (1) Name, address, phone number, and other relevant contact information (e.g., fax number, website address) of the school; (2) Effective dates for the catalog, not to exceed one year, and other reference identifiers such as volume or edition, or version numbers, etc.; (3) A Table of Contents; (4) Name(s) of school owner(s); (5) Names and positions of administrative and instructional staff; (6) Names and contact information for all licensing and accrediting institutions that have governing authority over the school; (7) School’s mission statement; (8) The educational or vocational objective of each program including the name and level of occupations for which the program purports to train; (9) The number of clock hours and credit hours (if applicable) of instruction in each program and the length of time in weeks or months expected for completion; if a program is lesson based, the number of lessons comprising the program must also be included; (10) Maximum time allowed for completion of each program; (11) A complete listing and description of courses offered by program, describing subjects included in each course in sufficient detail to clearly identify the scope, sequence, and coverage of the training. If a course is for the purpose of continuing education or self-improvement, the course must be clearly identified as such; (12) A description of the school's physical facilities, equipment, and instructional resources available for student use, including a description of any library or media resources available to the student, and the policies governing use of these resources; (13) Admission process including: (a) Admission requirements; (b) Documentation requirements; (c) Criteria for acceptance on each requirement; (d) Schedule of all admission fees and the purpose of each listed fee; (e) Ability to benefit (ATB) policy: (A) If a school uses an ATB test, the school must provide; (i) The name of ATB test used; (ii) The name and location of proctor; (iii) The method of test administration; and (iv) The minimum acceptable score; or (B) If the school does not use an ATB test, the alternative methods of determining ability to benefit and accompanying procedures and criteria used by the school; (f) Identity verification policy (if applicable); (g) Drug testing policy (if applicable); (h) Policy for notification of acceptance or denial of admissions request including time lines; (i) Reapplication policy for denied applicants; (j) A statement of non-discrimination for admission on the basis of sex, age, race, color, religion, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. (14) Transfer policy, including: (a) Documentation requirements for previous training or experience; (b) Method for evaluating documentation of previous training or experience; (c) Description of any skills evaluation processes or exams given by the school to determine credit to award for previous training or experience; (d) Time line for evaluation process and notification of results; (e) Description of how program requirements, cost and length will be adjusted; (15) Enrollment process, including; (a) A school calendar indicating enrollment / registration dates, start and end dates for each program, holidays, other days school is not in session, and any other important dates that are reasonably likely to affect the decision of a potential student to enroll; (b) Schedule of enrollment fees showing cost of tuition, registration fee, other instructional fees for books, supplies, laboratory time, etc., and any other costs for which the student may be responsible. Schedule will present total costs for each program offered and provide clear disclosure of what is and is not included specifically in the individual fee for tuition. This information may be presented as an addendum or insert to the publication. A copy of the current fee schedule must be on file with the Commission at all times. (c) Options and terms for payment of tuition and other fees, including clear disclosure of any associated discounts and deposits required, with timing of such deposits indicated; (d) Fee waiver policy, criteria, and procedure; (e) Criteria for any in-house scholarship programs available, the process for application, notification of award or denial, the disbursement schedule, and the credit methodology; (f) Clear disclosure of policy for return of books, supplies, or other materials, and refund of fees paid for such items; (g) State approved refund policy or school’s refund policy if determined by the Commission to be more favorable to the student; (h) Clear and conspicuous disclosure of student’s cancellation rights; (16) Policies and procedures relating to: (a) Attendance, including course minimum and program cumulative satisfactory progress standards; (b) Excused and unexcused absence criteria and effect of such absence on satisfactory attendance progress; (c) Tardiness; (d) Leaves of absence, including how a leave of absence affects satisfactory attendance progress; (e) Make-up work; (f) Overall grading system, including rating scale, point system, or other rubric used, with definitions of performance indicated by rating levels or ranges; (g) All institutions with which the school has an articulation agreement, if applicable; (h) Academic satisfactory progress standards for: (A) Minimum acceptable performance for courses and programs according to grading system; (B) Cumulative acceptable performance for programs according to grading system; and (C) Frequency and method of reporting student progress, including: (i) Elements of performance reported on; (ii) Recourse of student to challenge report information and process for doing so; (iii) Process for performance improvement planning and other uses of progress reports; (iv) Effect of course incompletes, repetitions, and remedial courses on satisfactory progress calculations (17) Specific requirements for graduation or completion; (18) Description of the certificate, diploma, or credential awarded upon graduation or completion; (19) If the school has negotiated any articulation agreements with other institutions for transfer or awarding of credit based on course completion at the school, a description of those articulation agreements will be included in the school catalog. Description will include at a minimum: (a) Name of all institutions with which an official articulation agreement is in place; (b) Name of all programs or courses that are eligible for transfer to each institution identified; (c) Description of process to initiate request for transfer of credit. (20) Policies and procedures relating to discipline: (a) Description of verbal and written warning systems including number and timing of warnings issued of each type and how warnings trigger further disciplinary action. When a student receives a verbal or written warning, the student will sign an acknowledgment that they have received a warning. This acknowledgment does not constitute agreement by the student with the content of the warning. (b) Student conduct standards, including: (A) Standards regarding discriminatory behavior of students against other students, school personnel, or other related persons; (B) Clear disclosure of types of conduct violations; (c) Probation, including: (A) Clear indicators for when probation is invoked, according to stated standards for conduct and satisfactory progress; (B) Length of probation and terms for reinstatement to good standing; (C) Number of times probation is allowed in a set period of time and the consequences if that number is exceeded; (D) Effect of probationary status on satisfactory progress standards and student financial obligations and awards; (d) Suspension, including: (A) Clear indicators for when suspension is invoked, according to stated standards for conduct and satisfactory progress; (B) Length of suspension and terms for reinstatement to good standing; (C) Number of times suspension is allowed in a set period of time and the consequences if that number is exceeded; (D) Effect of suspension status on satisfactory progress standards and student financial obligations and awards; (e) Termination, including: (A) Clear indicators for when termination is invoked, according to stated standards for conduct and satisfactory progress; (B) Effect of termination on student’s financial obligation to the school. (f) Policies and procedures relating to reinstatement or reentry: (A) When student's withdrawal was voluntary and the student was in compliance with all school policies, and (B) When the student's withdrawal was not voluntary and involved noncompliance of academic, attendance, or conduct policies, or financial obligations, or any combination thereof. (g) A discrimination policy, including; (A) Standards for treatment of students who are members of protected classes as defined in ORS 659.850; (B) Recourse of students who believe they have been discriminated against, including this statement: “Any person unlawfully discriminated against, as described in ORS 345.240, may file a complaint under 659A.820 with the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries”; (C) Statement that school’s policies governing employees will be enforced in situations where instructional staff or other school personnel have been found to have engaged in discriminatory behavior; (21) A student grievance policy, which includes: (a) The process for initiating a complaint or grievance against the school, its staff, or students; (b) Appeal process, including point of contact for initiating appeal; (c) School personnel, by name or by position, involved in evaluating an appeal. This staff person or group of persons shall not include the same staff that evaluated and ruled on the initial grievance; (d) Time line for issuing a decision on an appeal; and (e) This statement: "students aggrieved by action of the school should attempt to resolve these problems with appropriate school officials. Should this procedure fail students may contact: Higher Education Coordinating Commission, (use current address), Salem, OR (use current ZIP code)." After consultation with appropriate staff and if the complaint alleges a violation of Oregon Revised Statutes 345.010 to 345.470 or standards of OAR Chapter 715 Division 045, the Commission will begin the complaint investigation process as defined in OAR 715-045-0023, Appeals and Complaints. (22) Student Services, including: (a) A description of the extent and nature of placement assistance provided to students and graduates, including but not limited to: (A) Job search techniques; (B) Resume' writing or the industry equivalent; (C) Job interview techniques or the industry equivalent; (D) The assistance the school provides in establishing job contacts or interviews for graduates; (E) A clear statement that the institution does not and cannot guarantee employment; (b) Specifics describing the availability of and eligibility for student housing, (c) Availability of career or other counseling services, (d) Statement of rights of student to access their files and procedure for doing so, (e) Policy regarding release of information about an individual student, including applicable requirements of the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974” (FERPA) (20 USC § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99), and (f) Other student services, if any.