1. (1) For purposes of rules adopted by the State Board of Education and policies established by the Oregon Department of Education, unless the context indicates otherwise, "instructional material" means content in print or digital format that is used as the principal source of instruction to teach Oregon K-12 content standards for a given course of study. Instructional materials may include books, sets or kits of resources, and digital materials or media.
2. (2) Only instructional materials intended to be used as the principal source of instruction to teach Oregon content area standards, for a given course of study, may be adopted by the State Board of Education.
3. (3) Submission, evaluation, and contracting processes involving digital materials and media shall be the same as print materials.

4. (4) Accessible Instructional Materials are required under OAR 581-015-2060, 581-022-2350, 581-022-2355, and other applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations.

   1. (a) As part of any print instructional materials adoption process, procurement contract, or other practice or instrument used for purchase of print instructional materials, the Department of Education shall enter into a written contract with the publisher of the print instructional materials to require the publisher to prepare and provide to the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) electronic files containing the contents of the print instructional materials using the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS).
   2. (b) A publisher that offers digital, electronic, or web-based materials must provide an accessibility conformance report for each electronic component that documents adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) identified in the circular of information and technical standards required by the Federal Rehabilitation Act, Section 508. The report must be based on an audit testing a random sampling of each different type of electronic component as outlined in each circular of information.

Statutory/Other Authority

ORS 337.030 & ORS 337.050

Statutes/Other Implemented

ORS 337.030, ORS 337.050, ORS 337.035, ORS 337.060 & ORS 337.075

History

ODE 35-2026, adopt filed 06/22/2026, effective 06/22/2026