The establishment of the Authorization process resulted from the passage of Public Law 99-457 in 1986 (now reauthorized as IDEA). In addition to mandating the free and appropriate public education of all preschool-aged children with disabilities and the Part C early intervention program, this landmark federal legislation required all states to establish the "highest qualified personnel standards" for personnel working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities in their state.

This requirement reflects the work of the Oregon Department of Education's EI/ECSE program and its collaborative task force which identified the core competencies required of EI/ECSE personnel and conceptualized the portfolio development and state review process. This process was then field tested through a formal Pilot Study conducted by the Teaching Research Division at Western Oregon University. The results of the field test were used to further refine and revise the identified competencies and portfolio review process.

The Task Force's work and the pilot study results were used to establish the Oregon Administrative Regulations, which now serve as state policy and have established the federally required "highest qualified personnel standards" for the state's EI/ECSE program.