Teacher Standards and Practices Commission - Records Retention Schedule

Organizational Placement

Agency: Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)
Program: Administration

Program Description:

The Administration section of the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) provides overall program support for the Commission and the Executive Director of TSPC. Duties include personnel, payroll, desktop publishing, and general office functions. The Executive Director acts as a liaison to the Commission, attends Commission meetings and directs the TSPC staff.

Records Description:

Records documenting the information relayed to educators and educational institutions about the TSPC certification/licensing process, legal guidelines for educators and ethics in education are the Brochure and Newsletter Records. Records chronicling the correspondence sent to and letters issued by the Executive Director of TSPC are the Executive Director's Correspondence. Records visually documenting the Commission and its events over the years are the Photograph Records.

Below is a record series list designating their retention:

001 Brochure and Newsletter Records, 1996- [ongoing] - Retain 1 copy permanently; transfer to State Archives after 2 years

002 Executive Director's Correspondence - Retain 5 years, destroy.

003 Photograph Records - Retain 50 years, destroy.

In addition, the following records may be found in the State Agency General Records Retention Schedule: Administrative Rule Preparation Records, Contracts and Agreements, Correspondence, Legislative Tracking Records, Personal Service Contract Records, Policy and Procedure Manual Records, and Publication Preparation Records (Administrative Records - OAR 166-300-0015); Leases and Inventory Records (Facilities/Property Records — OAR 166-300-0020); Accounts Payable Records, Audit Reports, Budget Preparation Records, Emergency Board Request Records, and Legislatively Approved Budget Records (Financial Records — OAR 166-300-0025); Computer System Program Documentation, Information System Planning and Development Records, and Microfilm Quality Control Records (Information Management Records — OAR 166-300-0030); Employee Time Records (Payroll Records — OAR 166-300-0035); Conference and Workshop Records, Personnel Records, Position Description Records, and Recruitment and Selection Records (Personnel Records — OAR 166-300-0040).  

Agency: Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)

Program Description:

The Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) consists of seventeen members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The term of office for Commission members is three years. Commission members are drawn from the practicing educational community and two positions are reserved for members of the general public. Educators on the Commission represent the different levels of education: 4 Elementary Teachers, 1 Elementary Principal, 4 Secondary Teachers, 1 Secondary Principal, 2 County School Superintendents, 1 Private College Representative, 1 State College Representative and 1 School Board Member. If a Commissioner's employment status changes (an educator moves from elementary teaching to secondary, for example) then that position on the Commission becomes vacant and must be filled by a current educator from that category. Commissioners can serve no longer than two terms (6 years) unless requested to do so by the Governor.

The Commission's authority extends over all certification/licensure matters addressed under ORS 342 and OAR 584. The Commission can withhold a school's state funding if the school hires uncertified or unlicensed educators. The Commission can also withhold funding if a school chronically has educators engaging in classroom teaching in a subject area in which they do not hold an endorsement. Misassignments are when educators are teaching a subject without the proper endorsement on their license. Endorsements certify a level of education attained in that subject area which enables the educator to effectively teach that subject. Misassignments are allowed for a maximum of two years when the Commission is properly notified of the situation.

Records Description:

Records detailing the issues, operational updates, license orders and administrative rule changes brought before the Commission, as well as research or studies requested by the Commission are the Commission Minute Records. Records listing current Commissioners with contact information are the Commission Member Roster Records. Records outlining the duties, scope of Commission authority and applicable statues as well as current Commissioner information are the Commission Handbooks. Records detailing the assignment of an educator in an area for which they do not hold an endorsement are the Teacher Misassignment Report Records. Records documenting schools who have support funds denied to them for issues of non-compliance (hiring unlicensed teachers, chronically misassigned teachers) are the Basic School Support Fund Forfeiture Records. Records documenting the biennial polling of educators and the general public about proposed policy changes and the subsequent field tests of the proposed policy are the Policy Development Field Test and Survey Records.

Below is a record series list designating their retention:

004 Commission Minute Records, 1983— [ongoing] - Retain permanently; transfer to State Archives after 10 years.

005 Commission Member Roster Records - Retain until superseded, destroy.

006 Commission Handbooks, 1980 — [ongoing] - Retain 1 copy permanently; transfer to State Archives after 10 years.

007 Teacher Misassignment Statistical Report Records - Retain 10 years, destroy.

008 Basic School Support Fund Forfeiture Records - Retain 10 years, destroy.

In addition, the following records may be found in the State Agency General Records Retention Schedule: Administrative Rule Preparation Records and Correspondence (Administrative Records - OAR 166-300-0015).

Agency: Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)
Section: Certification/Licensing

Program Description:

The Certification/Licensing section of the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) is responsible for the licensing of teachers, administrators, school nurses and other personnel employed in Oregon schools. The fee based license is mandatory under Oregon statute (ORS 342) for specified types of school employees.

Certificate/License qualifications and parameters have changed and evolved over the years. Each time a change was made by the Legislative Assembly the certificates/licenses that were in effect at that time were 'grandfathered' under the qualifications that were set for that license. This means that certificates/licenses issued at different times have different requirements associated with them.

Prior to 1990, Oregon teachers received a teaching certificate. After 1990, the certificate was changed to a license so as not to confuse the state certification with the national certification that was developed in that year.

In order to obtain an Oregon license from TSPC, applicants need to submit a complete application and be fingerprinted for a criminal background check (Oregon State Department of Police (OSP) and Federal Bureau of Investigation). TSPC personnel are trained and certified to utilize the OSP Law Enforcement Data System database (LEDS) to obtain criminal background data.

Conviction of certain crimes will prevent a license from being issued to the applicant. A complete list of offenses that bar licensure are listed in ORS 342. Minor offenses are weighed on a number of factors (including age at time of incident, severity of the offense and if it involved children) and are decided on a case by case basis with final approval or denial of the license coming from the Commissioners.

Once issued, Oregon licenses are renewable at intervals that are dependent on the type of license that is issued. Renewal notifications are sent to all Oregon school districts for the staff employed by that district.

Records Description:

Records documenting TSPC staff who has become certified to access the Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) by passing an examination and background check are the Employee Law Enforcement Data System Access Certification Records. Records obtained through the Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are the Criminal Background Records. Records documenting the fingerprint patterns of a specific applicant to be submitted for criminal background checks are the Fingerprint Records. Records documenting all TSPC actions (including reprimands, suspensions, revocations or dismissals and the corresponding paperwork) regarding an individual educator from time of initial application through the expiration of the last license found are the Individual Educator Certificate/License Records. Records providing a cumulative index to certified educators in Oregon and the location of their individual records are the Educator Name Index Records. Records documenting the date and renewal notices sent to a given school are the Certificate/License Renewal Label Mailing Verification Records. Records detailing the requests to have an educator's portfolio and teaching history examined for certification/licensure rather than the traditional process of including educational credentials and test scores are the Alternative Assessment Portfolio Records. Records chronicling the inquiries made to TSPC by educators, schools or the general public about the status of an educator's license, how to obtain an Oregon license or which courses will fill requirements necessary for license are the License Inquiry Records. Records documenting educators who have been sanctioned in other states (which preclude certification/licensure in Oregon) are the Out of State Sanctioned Educator Records.

Below is a record series list designating their retention:

009 Employee Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) Access Certification Records - Retain 2 years after employee separation, destroy.

010 Criminal Background Check Records - Retain LEDS information 3 years after initiation, destroy. Retain Federal Bureau of Investigation records until fully processed, destroy. Some information may be restricted from public disclosure as authorized by ORS 192.502 (2), for life of the records.

011 Individual Educator Certificate/License Records, 1965 — [ongoing] - Retain certificate/license records 100 years, destroy.

012 Certificate/License Renewal Label Mailing Verification Records - Retain 1 year, destroy.

013 Alternative Assessment Portfolio Records - Retain portfolios 5 years, destroy.

014 Educator License Inquiry Records - Retain requests for information or materials until fulfilled, destroy. Retain license exception responses 6 years, destroy. Retain all other license inquiries 1-year, destroy.

015 Teacher Certification Invalidation Report Records - Retain until superseded, destroy.

016 Out of State Sanctioned Educator Records - Retain 100 years, destroy.

In addition, the following records may be found in the State Agency General Records Retention Schedule: Correspondence (Administrative Records - OAR 166-300-0015).

Agency: Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)
Section: Investigation

Program Description:

The Investigation section of the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) is responsible for investigating complaints made by a school district, parent, or concerned citizen about an educator. Complaints are usually about infractions of the law that could jeopardize the educators license as specified in ORS 342 which outlines specific offenses which violate the certification/licensing standards of TSPC.

When complaints are received, this section will refer to the educator files, request police reports pertaining to the incident in question and present their recommendations and findings to the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission. This office also has a connection to the Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) which is operated by the Oregon State Department of Police (OSP). Select employees in this section are trained to access the LEDS system to perform summary background checks.

This section also presents information and recommendations to the Commission in contested case hearings that are held when a sanction (reprimand, suspension or revocation of the educator's certification/license) is recommended as an outcome of the work of the Investigation section.

Records Description:

Records documenting TSPC staff who has become certified to access the Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) by passing an examination and background check are the Law Enforcement Data System Access Certification Records. Records obtained through the Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and law enforcement agencies who have written police reports on a prospective or current licensee are the Criminal Background Records. Records detailing the steps taken in a TSPC investigation of current licensees for criminal activity are the Investigative Records. Records chronicling the orders presented to the TSPC Commission each year by the Investigation Section in summary form are the Annual Order Book Records and the School District Notification Records. Records documenting hearings held by the Commission to determine the actions to be taken regarding a license of an individual educator are the Hearing Records. Records detailing the appeals made to the TSPC Commission by educators whose licenses have been suspended or revoked are the Appeal Records. Records documenting out of state educators who have been sanctioned by another state who is reporting their sanctions to Oregon in case the educator relocates in Oregon and attempts to obtain a license in Oregon are the Out of State Sanctioned Educator Records.

Below is a record series list designating their retention:

017 Law Enforcement Data System Access Certification Records - Retain 2 years after employee separation, destroy.

018 Criminal Background Records - Retain LEDS records 3 years after initiation, destroy. Some information may be restricted from public disclosure as authorized by ORS 342. 223 (2), for life of the records.

019 Investigative Records - Retain investigation reports 100 years, destroy. Retain all other records 25 years, destroy Some information may be restricted from public disclosure as authorized by ORS 342.176, for life of the records. Annual Order Book and School District Notification Records - Retain 100 years, destroy.

020 Annual Order Book and School District Notification Records - Retain 100 years, destroy.

021 Hearing Records - Retain audiotapes of hearings 5 years or until transcribed, destroy. Retain disciplinary hearing records 25 years, destroy.

022 Appeal Records - Retain 3 years after final disposition, destroy.

In addition, the following records may be found in the State Agency General Records Retention Schedule: Correspondence (Administrative Records - OAR 166-300-0015).

Agency: Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)
Section: Program Evaluation

Program Description:

A key facet of the Teacher Standards and Practice Commission (TSPC) is the evaluation of education courses held by Oregon colleges and universities. Course proposals are submitted by the higher education institution for approval by the Commissioners. This approval process only applies to courses that are required in the 'ED' designation in college/university course handbooks.

Prior to a course being approved by TSPC, an on-site visit is conducted to evaluate the program to ensure it is meeting all of the guidelines and requirements that are set for teacher preparation courses. After a course is approved, it is re-visited on an annual basis to monitor continued compliance

Records Description:

Records documenting proposed courses for teacher education at Oregon colleges and universities (the topic, scope and merits of the course) are the Teacher Education Program Approval Records. Records detailing annual feedback from educators about courses they have taken and the merit thereof are the Teacher Endorsement Program Evaluation Records. Records chronicling the placement of teachers who student taught in Oregon and their subsequent placement in a teaching position are the Student Teacher Placement Records.

Below is a record series list designating their retention:

023 Teacher Education Program Approval Records - Retain program records 10 years, destroy. Retain site visit records 5 years, destroy.

024 Teacher Endorsement Program Evaluation Records - Retain 10 years, destroy.

025 Student Teacher Placement Records - Retain 3 years if not licensed, destroy. Retain 100 years if licensed in Oregon.

In addition, the following records may be found in the State Agency General Records Retention Schedule: Correspondence (Administrative Records - OAR 166-300-0015).