Oregon Revised Statutes

Or. Rev. Stat. § 342.850 (2026)

Teacher evaluation; personnel file content; rules

✓ current as of May 2026
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      342.850 Teacher evaluation; personnel file content; rules. (1) The district superintendent of every school district, including superintendents of education service districts, shall cause to have made at least annually but with multiple observations an evaluation of performance for each probationary teacher employed by the district. The purpose of the evaluation is to aid the teacher in making continuing professional growth and to determine the teacher’s performance of the teaching responsibilities. Evaluations shall be based upon at least two observations and other relevant information developed by the district.

      (2)(a) The district school board shall develop an evaluation process in consultation with school administrators and with teachers. If the district’s teachers are represented by a local bargaining organization, the board shall consult with teachers belonging to and appointed by the local bargaining organization in the consultation required by this paragraph.

      (b) The district school board shall implement the evaluation process that includes:

      (A) The establishment of job descriptions and performance standards which include but are not limited to items included in the job description;

      (B) A preevaluation interview which includes but is not limited to the establishment of performance goals for the teacher, based on the job description and performance standards;

      (C) An evaluation based on written criteria which include the performance goals;

      (D) A post-evaluation interview in which:

      (i) The results of the evaluation are discussed with the teacher; and

      (ii) A written program of assistance for improvement is established, if one is needed to remedy any deficiency specified in ORS 342.865 (1)(a), (d), (g) or (h); and

      (E) The utilization of peer assistance whenever practicable and reasonable to aid teachers to better meet the needs of students. Peer assistance shall be voluntary and subject to the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreement. No witness or document related to the peer assistance or the record of peer assistance shall be admissible in any proceeding before the Fair Dismissal Appeals Board, or in a probationary teacher nonrenewal hearing before a school board under ORS 342.835, without the mutual consent of the district and the teacher provided with peer assistance.

      (c) Nothing in this subsection is intended to prohibit a district from consulting with any other individuals.

      (3) Except in those districts having an average daily membership, as defined in ORS 327.006, of fewer than 200 students, the person or persons making the evaluations must hold teaching licenses. The evaluation shall be signed by the school official who supervises the teacher and by the teacher. A copy of the evaluation shall be delivered to the teacher.

      (4) The evaluation reports shall be maintained in the personnel files of the district.

      (5) The evaluation report shall be placed in the teacher’s personnel file only after reasonable notice to the teacher.

      (6) A teacher may make a written statement relating to any evaluation, reprimand, charge, action or any matter placed in the teacher’s personnel file and such teacher’s statement shall be placed in the personnel file.

      (7) All charges resulting in disciplinary action shall be considered a permanent part of a teacher’s personnel file and shall not be removed for any reason. A teacher shall have the right to attach the teacher’s response, or other relevant documents, to any document included under this subsection.

      (8) The personnel file shall be open for inspection by the teacher, the teacher’s designees and the district school board and its designees. District school boards shall adopt rules governing access to personnel files, including rules specifying whom school officials may designate to inspect personnel files.

      (9) A program of assistance for improvement or evaluation procedure shall not be technically construed, and no alleged error or unfairness in a program of assistance for improvement shall cause the overturning of a dismissal, nonextension of contract, nonrenewal of contract or other disciplinary action unless the contract teacher suffered a substantial and prejudicial impairment in the teacher’s ability to comply with school district standards. [1971 c.570 §5; 1973 c.298 §3; 1973 c.458 §1; 1977 c.881 §3; 1979 c.598 §1; 1979 c.668 §2a; 1987 c.663 §1; 1989 c.491 §29; 1997 c.864 §9]

 

      342.855 [1965 c.608 §8; repealed by 1971 c.570 §15]

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 29 cases, 1973–2020 · leading case: Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 987 P.2d 480 (Or. 1999).
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 987 P.2d 480 (Or. 1999). · cites it 20× “500(2)(h) (1985) exempted from disclosure “[p]ublic records or information the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted or otherwise made confidential or privileged under * * * ORS 342.850 * * ORS 192.500(2)(h) (1985) attempted to list every statute outside the public…”
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 952 P.2d 66 (Or. Ct. App. 1998). · cites it 19× “See ORS 342.850. Because the only source for much of that information is the personnel files, denying the public access to the files serves, and is intended to serve, to deny the public access to the information.”
Smith v. Sch. Dist. No. 45, 666 P.2d 1345 (Or. Ct. App. 1983). · cites it 20× “1 By writ of review and actions for declaratory relief and breach of contract, 2 she sought, inter alia, reinstatement and attorney fees for alleged violations of the teacher evaluation statute (ORS 342.850), the public records law (ORS 192.”
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 925 P.2d 591 (Or. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 10× “502(8) and ORS 342.850(7). On September 8, 1993, The Oregonian 1 filed this action for injunctive relief under the public records inspection law, asking the trial court to compel the school district to turn over all records relating to the investigation.”
Ross v. Springfield Sch. Dist. No. 19, 657 P.2d 188 (Or. 1982). · cites it 4× “107, and to adopt standards of performance for teachers, ORS 342.850(2)(b)(A). ORS 332.107 provides: "Each district school board may establish rules for the government of the schools and pupils consistent with the rules of the State Board of Education.”
Colby v. Gunson, 199 P.3d 350 (Or. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “502(9) as including ORS 342.850, a statute on teacher personnel files that had earlier been listed in former ORS 192.”
Springfield Educ. Ass'n v. Springfield Sch. Dist. No. 19, 549 P.2d 1141 (Or. Ct. App. 1976). · cites it 3× “The basis for ERB’s decision was that the area of teacher evaluation was pre-empted by the enactment of ORS 342.850. In their petition for reconsideration the education associations argue that this is inconsistent with our opinion in Sutherlin.”
Springfield Educ. Ass'n v. Springfield Sch. Dist. No. 19, 621 P.2d 547 (Or. 1980). “regarding clarity of definition of evaluative criteria within the aspects of the complainants’ proposals about which respondent school districts are ordered to cease and desist from refusing to bargain.”
Guard Publ'g Co. v. Lane Cnty. Sch. Dist. No. 4J, 791 P.2d 854 (Or. 1990). · cites it 2× “502(8) and ORS 342.850(7), and that, if the information was not exempt, the Inspection of Public Records law violates Article I, section 20, of the Oregon Constitution by depriving public teachers of the privilege and immunities enjoyed by private teachers.”
Springfield Sch. Dist. 19 v. Guard Publ'g Co., 967 P.2d 510 (Or. Ct. App. 1998). · cites it 8× “505 and ORS 342.850. The trial court ruled, however, that the documents are not exempt from disclosure and further ruled, in the alternative, that the district had waived any applicable exemption.”
Am. Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, Inc v. City of Eugene, 380 P.3d 281 (Or. 2016). “That statute provides a catch-all exemption for all records “the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted or otherwise made confidential or privileged under Oregon law.”
Lincoln Cnty. Sch. Dist. v. Mayer, 591 P.2d 755 (Or. Ct. App. 1979). · cites it 2× “865, then evidence shall be limited to those allegations supported by statements in the personnel file of the teacher on the date of the notice to recommend dismissal, maintained as required in ORS 342.850. Notice shall also be sent to the district school board and to the Fair…”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 342.850(1) — 1 case
Gonzalez v. Marion Cnty. Educ. Serv. Dist., 698 P.2d 1042 (Or. Ct. App. 1985).
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 342.850(2) — 1 case
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 342.850(2)(b)(A) — 2 cases
Ross v. Springfield Sch. Dist. No. 19, 657 P.2d 188 (Or. 1982). “107, and to adopt standards of performance for teachers, ORS 342.850(2)(b)(A). ORS 332.107 provides: "Each district school board may establish rules for the government of the schools and pupils consistent with the rules of the State Board of Education.”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 342.850(5) — 1 case
Vorm v. David Douglas Sch. Dist. No. 40, 608 P.2d 193 (Or. Ct. App. 1980).
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 342.850(7) — 5 cases
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 925 P.2d 591 (Or. Ct. App. 1996). “502(8) and ORS 342.850(7). On September 8, 1993, The Oregonian 1 filed this action for injunctive relief under the public records inspection law, asking the trial court to compel the school district to turn over all records relating to the investigation.”
Guard Publ'g Co. v. Lane Cnty. Sch. Dist. No. 4J, 791 P.2d 854 (Or. 1990). “502(8) and ORS 342.850(7), and that, if the information was not exempt, the Inspection of Public Records law violates Article I, section 20, of the Oregon Constitution by depriving public teachers of the privilege and immunities enjoyed by private teachers.”
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 987 P.2d 480 (Or. 1999). “500(2)(h) (1985) exempted from disclosure “[p]ublic records or information the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted or otherwise made confidential or privileged under * * * ORS 342.850 * * ORS 192.500(2)(h) (1985) attempted to list every statute outside the public…”
Guard Publ'g Co. v. Lane Cnty. Sch. Dist. No. 4J, 774 P.2d 494 (Or. Ct. App. 1989).
Springfield Sch. Dist. 19 v. Guard Publ'g Co., 967 P.2d 510 (Or. Ct. App. 1998). “505 and ORS 342.850. The trial court ruled, however, that the documents are not exempt from disclosure and further ruled, in the alternative, that the district had waived any applicable exemption.”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 342.850(8) — 7 cases
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 987 P.2d 480 (Or. 1999). “500(2)(h) (1985) exempted from disclosure “[p]ublic records or information the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted or otherwise made confidential or privileged under * * * ORS 342.850 * * ORS 192.500(2)(h) (1985) attempted to list every statute outside the public…”
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Portland Sch. Dist. No. 1J, 952 P.2d 66 (Or. Ct. App. 1998). “See ORS 342.850. Because the only source for much of that information is the personnel files, denying the public access to the files serves, and is intended to serve, to deny the public access to the information.”
Am. Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, Inc v. City of Eugene, 380 P.3d 281 (Or. 2016). “That statute provides a catch-all exemption for all records “the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted or otherwise made confidential or privileged under Oregon law.”
Springfield Sch. Dist. 19 v. Guard Publ'g Co., 967 P.2d 510 (Or. Ct. App. 1998). “505 and ORS 342.850. The trial court ruled, however, that the documents are not exempt from disclosure and further ruled, in the alternative, that the district had waived any applicable exemption.”
City of Portland v. Anderson, 988 P.2d 402 (Or. Ct. App. 1999).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.