TEEN CLASSROOM FAQ

• Classroom: Students must successfully complete 30 hours of in-class instruction.
• Behind-the-wheel (BTW): Students are required to complete 6 hours of drive time and 6 hours of observation time with one of our professional ODOT certified instructors.
• At-Home BTW: Students must also complete at least 5 hours of guided practice outside of their BTW lessons with our instructors.
• They must successfully complete everything before the student turns 18 or before the student obtains his/her driver’s license.

Students that successfully complete the ODOT approved program are given a certificate that allows them to bypass the DMV test.This only applies to students 15 thru 17 years of age. If you are 18 or older we can provide a drive test for you at one of our offices. Please visit our DRIVE TEST PAGE for specific details.

We cannot open terms up too early due to facility scheduling and instructor scheduling. Below is the schedule that we try to keep for posting each term, though this schedule is subject to change:

• Winter Term – Posted by the end of October the year before
• Spring Term – Posted by the end of January
• Summer Term – Posted by the end of March
• Fall Term – Posted by the end of June

You can sign up above to be notified when the term you are interested in is released. Please note that by signing up for this notification, it does not guarantee a spot in that term.

Our course can take 4-6 months to complete. High schoolers lead fast-paced, busy lives. They often have far more than just their academics to worry about, whether they’re involved in sports, choir, drama, afterschool clubs, etc. The urge to finish driver’s education as quickly as possible is understandable, but inconsistent with our philosophy. We educate over a thousand students per year and have been doing so for long enough to know what works. As professionals in this trade, we understand that learning the skill of safe driving is an endeavor that takes consistent effort, patience, and time.

If a student enrolled in an English literature course that lasted only two months, would they remember the plot of Moby Dick for the rest of their lives? If they took a month-long seminar in volleyball, would they be qualified to play at a professional level? If they took lessons in acting for only a couple weeks, could they then expect to play the lead in a major movie blockbuster? If they sped through a driver’s education course as quickly as possible, could they be considered safe and confident drivers for the rest of their lives?

Driving, like any other learned, lifelong skill, takes extended intention and masterful instruction. Our instructors are often busy because they are the best. Our program takes the amount of time it does because we want our students to succeed. Our classes are not simply another bothersome hurdle on the way to an insurance discount or a license, but rather, a sound investment in a young driver’s lifelong safety behind the wheel. We take 4-6 months to train young drivers for a lifetime of safety. The lives of our students are too important for us to consider anything less.

ODOT requires that students have the classroom material that will be covered in each driving lesson presented to them in class before they have that lesson.
The classroom material for the 5th driving lesson is presented on the last 2 days of class. Therefore, at least the 5th and 6th driving lesson must occur after the last day of class, though they might end up taking their 3rd and 4th driving lessons after the last day of class as well.

Students have 2 years from their completion date to bypass the DMV drive test.

They must have their Oregon permit prior to signing up for the course. An out-of-state permit does not count.

We recommend enrolling students early in their driving experience.

Since students over the age of 17 are no longer subject to the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws, ODOT does not contribute to the cost of their driver education.

Students have up to 120-150 days from the first day of class to complete their classroom time and BTW lessons. ODOT requires concurrent instruction between the classroom sessions and BTW lessons.

We provide students with every opportunity to succeed in both the classroom and BTW. Students are given opportunities to do extra credit work and retake exams. Students must pass the final drive assessment and classroom portion to get their certificate. They do have the option to retake the assessment for $65 per retake. The student must pass the assessment within 180 days of the first day of class.

To qualify for an ODOT certificate, students must attend a minimum of 30 classroom hours.
Students may make up time by attending another class and attending the Parent/Student night.
Student time spent at the Parent/Student night does count towards 1.5 hours of the 30 hours of required attendance. .
You must register for a makeup class on our MAKE UP CLASS PAGE. .
Print the confirmation email, have it signed by the make-up instructor and return it directly to the office. Instructions are on the confirmation email.
You WILL NOT be allowed to attend a makeup class without this printed email confirmation.

Just as with school, they will need to touch base with their instructor and find out what they missed and study their classroom materials accordingly.

Teen classes are ODOT approved and geared for 15- to 17-year-olds with a permit. Behind-the-wheel time includes driving and observing another student.

Yes. Our teen program is certified by ODOT. Upon successful completion 15-17-year-olds will receive a waiver card to bypass the drive test at the DMV. All other requirements under the Oregon Graduated Driver Licensing law must be met prior to using the waiver card at the DMV.

We offer useful information about new driving laws and how to coach a new driver. Also, we want parents to be aware of all the requirements and expectations of this class. This is an ODOT approved course and very specific state rules must be followed to successfully complete.

Many insurance companies do offer discounts for teens successfully completing this course. Call your insurance agent for specific information about pricing.

Under the Oregon Graduated Licensing Laws for 15–17-year-olds the state of Oregon requires:

• That teens must provide parental verification of at least 50 hours of driving experience, supervised by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and has held a driver license for at least three years; and completion of an ODOT-approved driver safety course or completion of an additional 50 hours of supervised driving.

Driver education is about keeping everyone safe. We strongly recommend an ODOT approved driver education course. We want your child to know all Oregon laws and have a full understanding of all safe driving practices.

Oregon Graduated Driver Licensing is a system for phasing in on-road driving; allowing 15–17-year-olds to get their initial experience under conditions that involve lower risk. It utilizes 3 stages:

• They begin with a supervised learner's period lasting a minimum of 6 months, 50 hours of practice and an approved driver education program or additional 50 hours of practice.
• The second phase is provisional licensing that allows unsupervised driving but only in low-risk situations.
• The third and final stage finally allows them to move into full unrestricted driving privileges. This occurs only after all the requirements in the first two stages are met.

Details can be found on the Oregon DMV Teen Driving page

FAQ - Behind the Wheel Drive Lessons

Lessons occur outside of classroom time and can be scheduled online or over the phone with the office. We give a minimum of two weeks in between each drive lesson so that students can practice the new material they’ve learned in between lessons.