August 24, 2005

Susan Castillo
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oregon Department of Education
255 Capitol Street NE
Public Service Building
Salem, OR 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 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The change you requested is aligned with NCLB and is now included in an amended State accountability plan that Oregon submitted to the Department on August 22, 2005. The change is listed in an attachment to this letter. I am pleased to fully approve Oregon's amended plan, which we will post on the Department's website.

If, over time, Oregon makes changes to the accountability plan that has been approved, Oregon must submit information about those changes to the Department for review and approval, as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I. Approval of Oregon's accountability plan is not also an approval of Oregon's standards and assessment system. As Oregon makes changes in its standards and assessments to meet requirements under NCLB, Oregon must submit information about those changes to the Department for peer review through the standards and assessment process.

Please also be aware that approval of Oregon's accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved above, 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. I wish you well in your school improvement efforts. If I can be of any additional assistance to Oregon in its efforts to implement other aspects of NCLB, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Henry L. Johnson

Attachment

cc: Governor Ted Kulongoski

Amendment to the Oregon Accountability Plan

This attachment is a summary of the amendment. For complete details, please refer to the Oregon accountability plan on the Department's website: www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html.

Modified achievement standards (Element 5.3)

Revision: Oregon will take advantage of the Secretary's interim 2% flexibility for students with disabilities (Option 2 in ED's guidance dated May 7, 2005). For this year only, proficient scores from the Oregon assessment (based on modified achievement standards) will be limited to 2% of the total population tested. In approving this approach, Oregon has committed to reporting on the performance of students with disabilities, and that this reporting will be completed by August 2005. Approval of this approach is not an approval of Oregon's modified achievement standards, which must be submitted for peer review.

Decision Letters on State Accountability Plans