Oregon IEP Evaluation Timeline, Dispute Routes and Parent Resources (2026)

Every Oregon figure, agency and citation on this page is read against a primary source and dated. Last reviewed August 2, 2026. Read against IDEA, 34 CFR Part 300 and Oregon's own special education rules. Jump to sources

Evaluation window: 60 school days
The clock starts at: Written parental consent
State complaint deadline: One year
Due process deadline: Two years

How long does a school in Oregon have to complete an IEP evaluation?

Oregon counts its evaluation deadline in school days rather than the federal 60 calendar days. A district completes an initial evaluation within 60 school days from written parent consent to the date of the meeting that considers eligibility, so the eligibility decision sits inside the deadline. School days are days children are in attendance for instruction, which leaves out weekends, holidays and every day of winter, spring and summer break, so the calendar date lands well past 60 days from consent. Oregon's rules name three situations where an evaluation runs longer, each of them documented in the child's education record. A family that disagrees has three routes through the Oregon Department of Education: a written complaint to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, mediation at no cost with a mediator from the state's own list or a due process hearing decided by an administrative law judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings.

How to use this page. This is general information about the Oregon rules, written for parents. It is not legal or educational advice. Deadlines, agency names and rule numbers change, so confirm anything you plan to rely on with Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities, Oregon Department of Education or with your district.

A flat illustration of a consent letter entering a school intake tray with a gold date stamp at its corner

The evaluation timeline in Oregon

The Oregon evaluation clock at a glance. Oregon allows 60 school days for an initial evaluation, measured from written parental consent. The lighter bar is the federal default at 34 CFR 300.301(c)(1).

Initial evaluation window	60 school days
The clock starts at	written parental consent
Against the federal rule	A timeframe Oregon sets for itself

IDEA sets a default of 60 calendar days from parental consent for an initial evaluation (34 CFR 300.301(c)(1)). It also lets a state set its own timeframe instead, which is what Oregon has done, so the window above is the one that applies here.

Oregon measures its 60 day window in school days rather than calendar days, which stretches the real-world window beyond the federal 60 calendar days.

Source: Or. Admin. R. 581-015-2110 oregon.public.law/rules/oar_581-015-2110

The same window sits beside all fifty-one jurisdictions on the evaluation timelines by state table, which explains where the federal deadline comes from. To pull one state's window on its own, the evaluation deadline checker returns that single result.

Reevaluation and IEP review cadence in Oregon

Oregon writes the federal cadence into its own rules. A reevaluation happens at least every three years unless the parent and the public agency agree it is unnecessary. It happens no more than once a year unless both sides agree otherwise. Oregon then adds a clock that the federal rules leave open. A reevaluation is completed within 60 school days from written parent consent to the date of the meeting that considers eligibility, continuing eligibility or the student's educational needs, the same window that applies to an initial evaluation. The three documented exceptions that can stretch an initial evaluation apply to a reevaluation as well. On the IEP side Oregon states the annual review as at least once every 365 days rather than the federal phrase at least annually, which fixes an outside date instead of leaving it to the school year. Between annual meetings the parent and the district may agree in writing to amend the IEP without holding a full team meeting, with the rest of the team informed of the change. Oregon districts also work from one statewide form, the Oregon Standard IEP, unless the department approves an alternate form for them.

Source: OAR 581-015-2105(4)(b)(A) and (4)(b)(B); OAR 581-015-2110(5)(b) and (5)(c); OAR 581-015-2225(1), (2) and (3); OAR 581-015-2215(1) and (2) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2105

If you disagree in Oregon

IDEA gives families in every state the same three routes when a disagreement with the school does not resolve at the team table. What changes at the state line is who administers each route, how long you have to file and the local detail below.

Three routes, one disagreement. Who runs each route in Oregon and how long a family has to file, where the Oregon rules set a limit. Each one is written out below with its citation.

The state complaint

Handled by the Oregon Department of Education. The complaint is filed with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who issues the written decision. Time limit to file: One year back from the date the department receives the complaint.

An organization or individual may file, including one from another state. The complaint is written and signed, filed with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, with a copy going to the public agency serving the child at the same time. Oregon lets a complaint name the department itself, a regional program, an education service district or a local education agency rather than only a school district. The public agency answers the allegations and supplies the documents the Superintendent asks for within ten business days, sending the complainant a copy at the same time. The Superintendent then issues a written decision that addresses each allegation with findings of fact within 60 days of receiving the complaint. That 60 day limit stretches only for exceptional circumstances tied to the complaint or where both sides agree in writing to extend the time to try mediation or local resolution. Where the decision finds that a district did not provide appropriate services, it names how to remediate that, which can include compensatory education or monetary reimbursement. Oregon treats the result as a final order. A party can ask the Superintendent to reconsider within 60 days of the order or seek judicial review in the Marion County Circuit Court or the circuit court for the county where the party lives. The rule also bars retaliation against anyone who files a complaint or takes part in one. Where an issue in a complaint is already in a due process hearing, the Superintendent sets that part aside until the hearing ends.

Source: OAR 581-015-2030(1), (2), (5), (6)(b), (10), (12), (13), (14) and (19) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2030

Mediation

The department offers mediation at no cost, including for a disagreement raised before any complaint or hearing request exists. The department maintains the list of qualified mediators, the parties take part in choosing one, then the pick comes off that list on a random, rotational or other impartial basis. Mediation is voluntary for both sides. It cannot be used to deny or delay a due process hearing, a state complaint or any other procedural safeguard. A mediator may not be an employee of a school district, the Department of Education or the Department of Corrections. What is said in mediation stays confidential and cannot be used as evidence in a later hearing or civil proceeding, with a carve-out for reports of child or elder abuse, threats of physical harm or professional conduct affecting licensure. An agreement is written down, signed by the parent and by a district representative with authority to bind the district, then enforceable in a state court or a federal district court. Oregon runs a lighter route beside mediation. A facilitated IEP meeting brings in a neutral facilitator provided by the department at no cost, available where the parent and the district both agree to it, with about four weeks of notice. Facilitation is not one of the routes IDEA requires, so the department provides it subject to facilitator availability.

Source: OAR 581-015-2335(1), (2), (3), (5), (6), (7), (8) and (9); IEP Facilitation Procedures for Special Education, October 2024, published by the Oregon Department of Education, for the no cost facilitator plus the both sides agree condition secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2335

A due process hearing

Time limit to file: Two years, stated in the published rule as two years after the date of the act or omission that gives rise to the right to request the hearing.

Oregon does not run its hearings inside the education department. The request goes to the other party and to the Oregon Department of Education, then under an interagency agreement the Office of Administrative Hearings assigns an administrative law judge to hear the case. That office sits outside the education department and provides contested case hearing services to state agencies. The judge may not be employed by the department or a school district and may not hold an interest that conflicts with objectivity in the hearing. The Department of Justice model rules for administrative hearings apply where they fit federal law and the special education rules. After a parent files, the district holds a resolution meeting within 15 days, the resolution period runs 30 days, then the 45 day hearing timeline starts. The decision is entered and mailed within 45 days of the end of that period unless the judge grants a specific extension at a party's request. Oregon publishes hearing decisions with identifying details removed and sends them to the State Advisory Council for Special Education. Oregon also keeps a separate hearing route for a student with a Section 504 plan: the parent or guardian files a written request with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The same prehearing and hearing rules apply. The school district carries the cost of that hearing.

Source: OAR 581-015-2345(1)(a)(B) and (2), with the two year limit at (3)(a) and its exceptions at (3)(b); OAR 581-015-2340(1) and (2); OAR 581-015-2365(1); OAR 581-015-2355(1)(a) and (2); OAR 581-015-2375(2) and (4); Section 504 hearings at OAR 581-015-2395(1), (2) and (3) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2345

A preview of the free Evaluation-Request Letter Template, one printable page

Get the free Evaluation-Request Letter Template (PDF)

A ready-to-adapt letter to request an evaluation in writing, with the dates that matter and the language to use.

Instant download, plus a note if the guidance on this topic changes. Unsubscribe anytime.

Who to contact in Oregon

A flat illustration of an open document folder with three tabbed sheets, the middle tab gold

The state special education office. Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities, Oregon Department of Education. This is the office that answers questions about Oregon rules and receives a state complaint.
Your rights in writing. Procedural Safeguards Notice: Parent Rights for Special Education K-21, published by the Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities at the Oregon Department of Education, prepared before the 2020-2021 school year and in effect until districts and programs are notified otherwise, posted in English beside more than twenty translations with a companion notice for early intervention and early childhood special education. Every district hands parents this notice at least once a year (34 CFR 300.504). It is the plain summary of what you can ask for at each step.
Parent training and information center. FACT Oregon, listed in the federal directory as Family and Community Together (FACT). A parent center is free and federally funded under IDEA. Staff there talk families through the process in their own state at no cost.
The state rules themselves. ORS chapter 343 (Special Education and Other Specialized Education Services), with the operating detail in OAR chapter 581 division 15. Chapter 343 is Oregon's own special education statute. It covers eligibility and IEP requirements, the circumstances that require a hearing, the abbreviated school day program rules at sections 343.321 to 343.331, early intervention and early childhood special education run through the department plus specialized services such as Braille instruction. The day to day requirements a family meets in a school building sit in the division 15 rules.

Worth a check. This statute citation is corroborated by an official Oregon source, though it was not independently confirmed against the primary text. Check it with Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities, Oregon Department of Education before you rely on it.

Child Find in Oregon

Oregon splits the search for children by age. School districts identify, locate and evaluate the children they are responsible for, which reaches children who are highly mobile, wards of the state, home schooled, in public charter schools, in private schools or advancing from grade to grade with a suspected disability. Two assignment rules are worth knowing: the district a charter school sits in runs child find for its students no matter where the parent lives. The same goes for the district a private school sits in. For children below kindergarten age the path runs outside the school district. The Superintendent of Public Instruction develops and administers a statewide early intervention and early childhood special education program with the Early Learning System Director, delivered through service areas that each carry a designated primary contractor. The department describes that system as a partnership between the state education agency and nine local service areas, so a family with a child from birth to kindergarten age starts with the regional program rather than the resident district. A preschool evaluation runs on the same 60 school day clock. Eligibility can rest either on one of the disability categories or on a developmental delay of 1.5 standard deviations or more below the mean in two or more developmental areas.

Source: OAR 581-015-2080(2), (3) and (4); OAR 581-015-2790(10)(a); OAR 581-015-2795(4)(a) and (4)(b)(A); ORS 343.475(1)(a) and (2) for the statewide program plus its service areas and primary contractors; Oregon Department of Education: Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education, for the nine local service areas secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2080

The IEP and 504 Command Center shown as a cover and a member area with its five parts: the Command Binder System, the Letter Library, the Meeting Script Deck, the Score-Your-IEP Self-Review and the Plain-Language Rights Cheat Sheet

From the team behind this library

The IEP & 504 Command Center

This page shows you the deadlines and the contacts for your state. The Command Center hands you the done pieces: the binder built, the letters written, the meeting scripts ready and a self-review that shows where your child's IEP is strong or thin before you walk in. The library stays free.

See the Command Center One-time $27. Yours to keep. 60-day money-back guarantee.

Questions parents ask

How long is 60 school days for an IEP evaluation in Oregon on a real calendar?

Oregon's rules define a school day as any day, including a partial day, when children are in attendance at school for instruction. Sixty of those days is twelve weeks of unbroken five day school weeks before a single holiday, in-service day or break comes out of the count. Consent signed in late September puts the eligibility meeting near the start of January once Thanksgiving week and winter break are removed. Consent signed in April runs into the summer gap. Summer days are not school days, so the count pauses until school opens again in the fall. Three exceptions let an evaluation take longer, each documented in the child's education record: a parent repeatedly not producing the child for the evaluation or other circumstances outside the district's control, a transfer student mid-evaluation where the district and the parent agree in writing to a different length, or a written agreement to extend an evaluation for a specific learning disability. Oregon sets the deadline at the date of the eligibility meeting rather than the date testing wraps up, so the meeting itself has to fall inside the window.

What are the rules in Oregon when a school shortens my child's school day?

Oregon calls this an abbreviated school day program, meaning a student with a disability gets fewer hours of instruction than most other students in the same grade in the district for more than 10 school days in a school year. Senate Bill 819 in 2023 replaced the older law with the framework now at ORS 343.321 to 343.331. Senate Bill 1558 in 2024 added exemptions covering some students on track to graduate plus some asynchronous instruction. Three more laws landed in the 2025 session, each effective on passage: Senate Bill 735 (2025 chapter 103) pulled some public charter school students out of the requirements, Senate Bill 742 (2025 chapter 104) let a parent or foster parent agree to take part in the placement meeting by phone or online, Senate Bill 745 (2025 chapter 105) allowed annual rather than more frequent reviews for a student who is terminally ill where the parent consents. A district may not place a student on one of these schedules on its own. It needs informed written consent from the parent or foster parent first. Once a student is on one, the IEP or 504 team meets to review the placement at least once every 30 calendar days during the school year unless the family agrees to meet less often. Even then the floor is once every 90 calendar days for a student with an IEP. A parent can revoke consent in writing at any time. The district then restores the same hours other students in that grade get within five school days or by a later date the parent names in writing. Complaints go to the Oregon Department of Education, which starts an investigation and informs the district of any noncompliance within 30 calendar days. Where a parent or foster parent files about a specific student, the department presumes consent has been revoked instead of investigating first, orders the district to give the student the same hours as other students in that grade within five school days, then can find the district nonstandard and withhold State School Fund money where that order is missed. The department's implementation guidance for districts carries a revision date of August 2, 2025 and does not describe the three 2025 laws. Its 2025-26 training materials do.

Who decides a special education due process hearing in Oregon?

An administrative law judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings decides it. The Oregon Department of Education refers the case there under an interagency agreement rather than running the hearing itself. That office provides hearing services to state agencies generally. The request goes to the other party and to the department, with the same information the rule lists: the child's name and address, the school, a description of the problem with the facts behind it and a proposed resolution as far as it is known. The district responds within ten days. A resolution meeting happens within 15 days of the request, the resolution period runs 30 days, then the decision is entered and mailed within 45 days of the end of that period unless the judge grants a specific extension. On the filing deadline, Oregon's published rule reads two years after the date of the act or omission that gives rise to the right to request the hearing, while the department's own procedural safeguards notice and hearing request form describe two years from when the parent or the district knew or should have known about the issue. Either way the limit is two years, lifted where the district misrepresented that it had resolved the problem or held back information it was required to provide. A student on a Section 504 plan has a separate Oregon hearing route: the parent files a written request with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the same prehearing and hearing rules apply. The district pays the cost of the hearing.

Where can an Oregon family get free help with an IEP or a 504 plan?

FACT Oregon is the federally funded Parent Training and Information Center for the whole state, listed in the federal directory as Family and Community Together. Its peer-delivered support is free to families, covering one to one help, trainings and resources from early childhood through young adulthood. Disability Rights Oregon holds federal watchdog authority for people with disabilities in the state and is a separate body from the education department. Two of the department's own routes cost families nothing either: mediation with a mediator from the state list plus a facilitated IEP meeting where a neutral facilitator runs the meeting when the parent and the district both agree to it, which the department provides subject to facilitator availability. Districts hand out the procedural safeguards notice at least once a year, again at a first referral or a parent request for evaluation and whenever a parent asks for a copy. Oregon's rule also has a copy going to the student at least a year before the student's 18th birthday. For a child from birth to kindergarten age the first call is the regional early intervention or early childhood special education program rather than the school district, because those services run through nine local service areas under the education department.

Sources

What the facts on this page come from

OAR 581-015-2110 (general evaluation and reevaluation procedures, including the 60 school day timelines) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2110
Or. Admin. R. 581-015-2110 on Oregon Law, the citation carried in the state comparison table oregon.public.law/rules/oar_581-015-2110
OAR 581-015-2105 (evaluation and reevaluation requirements, including the reevaluation cadence) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2105
OAR 581-015-2000 (definitions, including day, business day and school day) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2000
OAR 581-015-2225 (review and revision of IEPs, including the 365 day annual review) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2225
OAR 581-015-2215 (use of the Oregon Standard IEP form) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2215
OAR 581-015-2030 (procedures for complaints as required by IDEA regulations) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2030
OAR 581-015-2335 (mediation) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2335
OAR 581-015-2340 (procedural rules for due process hearings, including the Office of Administrative Hearings agreement) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2340
OAR 581-015-2345 (hearing request and response, including the two year limit) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2345
OAR 581-015-2355 (resolution process) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2355
OAR 581-015-2365 (criteria for administrative law judge) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2365
OAR 581-015-2375 (decision of the administrative law judge) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2375
OAR 581-015-2395 (procedures for a hearing under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2395
OAR 581-015-2315 (notice of procedural safeguards) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2315
OAR 581-015-2080 (child find) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2080
OAR 581-015-2790 (early childhood special education evaluation) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2790
OAR 581-015-2795 (early childhood special education eligibility) secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=581-015-2795
ORS chapter 343 (Special Education and Other Specialized Education Services) www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors343.html
ORS chapter 343 on Oregon Law, a mirror of the legislature's own chapter page oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_chapter_343
ORS 343.322 (requirements before an abbreviated school day program, including the consent requirement and the prohibition on unilateral placement) oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_343.322
ORS 343.326 (IEP team meeting requirements and reviews of an abbreviated school day placement) oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_343.326
ORS 343.328 (right to revoke consent, complaints to the Department of Education, effects of noncompliance) oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_343.328
Oregon Department of Education: Special Education www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/Pages/default.aspx
Oregon Department of Education: The Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/specialeducation/pages/oeso.aspx
Oregon Department of Education: Procedural Safeguards www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/Pages/Procedural-Safeguards.aspx
Procedural Safeguards Notice: Parent Rights for Special Education K-21 (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/publications/Documents/proceduralsafeguards/englishk21.pdf
Oregon Department of Education: Dispute Resolution www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/pages/dispute-resolution.aspx
Oregon Department of Education: Special Education Complaint Resolution www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/pages/special-education-complaint-resolution.aspx
Special Education Complaint Resolution Process Questions and Answers, revised January 2018 (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/Documents/complaintqa-.pdf
Request for Complaint Investigation form (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/Documents/complaintreqform.pdf
Oregon Department of Education: Mediation www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/Pages/Mediation.aspx
Oregon Department of Education: IEP Meeting Facilitation www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/pages/iepfacilitation.aspx
IEP Facilitation Procedures for Special Education, October 2024 (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/Documents/FIEP%20Procedures%20Final.pdf
Oregon Department of Education: Due Process Overview www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/pages/due-process-overview.aspx
Due Process Hearing Request Information Sheet and Model Form (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/Documents/dphearingrequestinfosheetmodelform.pdf
Oregon Office of Administrative Hearings www.oregon.gov/oah/pages/index.aspx
Oregon Department of Education: Abbreviated School Day Program www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/specialeducation/pages/abbreviatedschoolday.aspx
Oregon Department of Education: Abbreviated School Day Programs Parent Resources www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/specialeducation/pages/asdpparentresources.aspx
Implementing Abbreviated School Day Programs (ORS 343.321 to 343.331), guidance for school districts and programs, revised August 2, 2025 (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/Documents/abbreviatedday/ImplementingASDPGuidance.pdf
Changes to Abbreviated School Day Programs: New Exemptions under SB 1558 (2024) (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/Documents/abbreviatedday/changestoadp1558.pdf
Abbreviated School Day Program Essentials: Part 2, covering Senate Bill 742 and Senate Bill 745 (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/Documents/abbreviatedday/EssentialsPart2.pdf
Understanding Abbreviated School Day Programs for Charter School Staff, covering Senate Bill 735 (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/Documents/abbreviatedday/ASDPUpdateCharterSchool.pdf
Abbreviated School Day Programs: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/Documents/abbreviatedday/ASDPFAQ.pdf
Oregon Department of Education: 2025 Summary of Enacted Education Legislation (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/about-us/Documents/Legislative%20Summary%202025a.pdf
Oregon Department of Education: annual state application under Part C of IDEA (PDF) www.oregon.gov/ode/rules-and-policies/Documents/partcapp2020.pdf
Oregon Department of Education: Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/SpecialEducation/earlyintervention/Pages/default.aspx
Center for Parent Information and Resources: Oregon parent centers www.parentcenterhub.org/findurcenter/oregon/
FACT Oregon factoregon.org/
FACT Oregon: how we support and equip you factoregon.org/about-fact
Disability Rights Oregon www.droregon.org/about
34 CFR 300.303 (reevaluations) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.303
34 CFR 300.324(b) (review and revision of the IEP) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.324

Some detail here is corroborated by an official Oregon source without being independently confirmed against the primary text: the statute citation. Each one carries a note at the exact spot on the page. Check anything time-sensitive with Office of Enhancing Student Opportunities, Oregon Department of Education before you rely on it.

Last reviewed August 2, 2026. That is the day this page was last read against the sources above, not the day the site was rebuilt. How this library is verified

This page is general educational information for parents, not legal or educational advice. It does not tell any family what to do. Every example here is a starting point to discuss and adapt with your child's IEP or 504 team, which decides what fits your child from the evaluation. Confirm anything time-sensitive with your school or district. For a genuinely contested situation, a special education advocate or an attorney who works in your state is the right person to ask.