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Senate committee hears research and district testimony backing play-based learning bill

Oregon Senate Committee on Education · February 5, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Educators and researchers told the Senate Education Committee that Senate Bill 15 96 would align instructional time rules with evidence-based play-based learning practices for K–5; senators questioned whether statutory change is needed and may carry the item for additional work.

The Senate Education Committee heard testimony Feb. 4 on Senate Bill 15 96, which would allow play-based learning to count toward the 900 required instructional hours for kindergarten through fifth grade in Oregon.

Several witnesses—classroom practitioners, researchers and advocacy groups—argued the change would better align state policy with how young children learn. Deborah Lowe Vandell, founding dean and…

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