OAR 715-045-0220: Proficiency-based Programs

(1) For purposes of this rule, a ‘practical operation’ is the demonstration and application of a relevant skill or group of skills necessary for work in barbering, hair design, esthetics, or nail technology. For the purposes of this rule, the ‘model curriculum’ is a curriculum established and maintained by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission which details mandatory curricular requirements, including, but not limited to practical operations requirements, safety and sanitation requirements, and career development requirements established in this rule. The model curriculum is available for review by all schools. (2) As an alternative to the minimum hourly training requirements specified in OAR 715-045-0200, a proficiency-based training program that is self-paced may be approved by the Executive Director when the school has developed written program requirements, including: (a) Clearly defined student performance objectives that measure levels of performance for each practical operation and the knowledge required for students to successfully pass the appropriate practitioner licensing examination and successfully and safely perform on members of the public all services allowed in the scope of practice of the practitioner license; (b) No earlier than May 1, 2019 and no later than July 1, 2019, continuing to be in effect thereafter, a minimum number of practical operations in the student’s chosen course of study, in accordance with the model curriculum as developed by the Commission: (A) For hair Design; 455 practical operations. (B) For barbering; 465 practical operations. (C) For esthetics; 220 practical operations. (D) For nail Technology; 70 practical operations. (c) A student enrolled in a program at the time subsection (1) (b) of this rule takes effect shall be allowed to complete the program in which they are enrolled under the terms for their original enrollment agreement, unless a rider to the enrollment agreement, signed by both the student and an authorized representative of the school, is executed, specifying that the student agrees to complete such program under different requirements. Before a rider to the enrollment agreement is executed, the school shall: (A) Review student’s current program requirements in comparison to the revised program requirements. (B) Provide the student information in writing about which set of program requirements may be most beneficial to student, in terms of length of time to complete, cost, and use of federal financial aid. (C) Provide student with a program that gives credit for applicable hours already earned and practical operations completed and outlines a revised course of study that meets the minimum requirements. (d) Determine if cost differences, if any, between the student’s current program and the revised program result in an overpayment on behalf of the student, and issue any necessary refund to the student, except as provided by federal law or other controlling statute or regulation. (e) Individual progress records maintained for the purpose of monitoring each student’s progress through the instructional program and recording and verifying actual hours of instruction, number of practical operations and performance achievement by each student; (f) A curriculum design, which the Executive Director determines to be comparable to the Commission adopted model curriculum, showing a logical progression of academic and practical training experiences leading to the levels of student performance required for graduation and certification; (g) The identification of specific levels of competence to be achieved by each student prior to any clinic lab experience that will ensure students have achieved sufficient skill and knowledge to successfully and safely perform assigned practical operations on members of the general public; (h) A diagnosis of each student’s beginning level of competency and a prescriptive instructional program for specific competency completion with projected timelines resulting in an estimated program completion date; a copy to be given to the student on commencement of the program and on file in the student’s personal file. Revisions to the prescriptive program must be based on recorded performance evaluations and as a result of negotiations between the school and student. Copies of revisions must be given to the student and on file in the student’s academic file; (i) Assurances that the instructional program will determine the type of assignments that students receive for the clinic lab; that, as nearly as possible, the clinic lab assignments reflect the emphasis of the student’s current and cumulative theory and laboratory experiences; (j) Both or either school catalogs and student enrollment agreements, that show the average time for students to complete the requirements for the various certificate programs during the previous reporting period; (k) An annual report at the time of relicensing to the Commission showing the actual total hours of instruction received by each student who has completed or left the school during the previous reporting period; (l) Assurances that no student’s competency-based prescriptive training program will be significantly altered or regulated in any way, once the student and the school administration have signed a competency-based agreement; and (m) When the school informs a student that he/she is competent, the student may elect to leave the school with a diploma at that time or stay in school until he/she has been trained for an amount of time equal to the training hours listed in OAR 715-045-0200(1), and no additional tuition may be charged. The student shall notify the school of his/her decision within two weeks of notice of competency.