 Happy Holidays to our excellent educators and staff, and the DC community at large. The LEA Look Forward will return on Friday, Jan. 5.
 Vaccine Opportunities
DC Health continues to provide pediatric vaccination opportunities. See the monthly calendar posted here, and the current December calendar posted here.
Immunization Attendance Coding Guidance
As a reminder, please remember to code students in grades pre-K 3, kindergarten, 7 and 11 who are excluded from school for immunization non-compliance correctly, as well as make the proper adjustments once they come into compliance and return to school.
When a non-compliant student is temporarily excluded from school: The school shall document the student’s attendance using the attendance code “unexcused absence – immunization” (AFUI) for each school day that the student is not allowed to attend due to immunization noncompliance. Schools must use this attendance code in the following circumstances:
- A student received a letter notifying them of temporary exclusion from school, was absent from school on Dec. 4 and/or subsequent date(s) and has not yet provided proof of an upcoming appointment or immunizations.
- A student received a letter notifying them of temporary exclusion from school, returned to school on Dec. 4 and/or subsequent date without proof of an upcoming appointment or immunizations, and was sent home.
When the student becomes compliant and has returned to school: the school shall reclassify the attendance code from “unexcused absence – immunization” (AFUI) to “excused absence – immunization” (AFEI) for all school days that the student was excluded.
2023-24 School Year School Health Profiles – Key Dates and Early Access (reminder)
During the 2023-24 school year, schools within the District will be asked to complete the Healthy Schools Act (HSA) School Health Profiles (SHP). Under Section 602 of the Healthy Schools Act of 2010, all regular K-12 public and public charter schools within the District of Columbia are required to complete and submit the SHP to OSSE each year by no later than Feb. 16.
On Dec. 18, all LEA-level users who hold the appropriate roles (e.g., LEA Head of School, LEA Data Manager, LEA-Level School Health Profile POC) were automatically granted early access to the SHP application to begin prefilling data for schools and reviewing some pre-populated data from last year's survey. LEA Data Managers should ensure that both LEA-level and school-level SHP points of contact are updated via the Integrated Data System (IDS) All Staff application. All users must use the same email address added in IDS to create a new user profile to log in to the SHP application.
Please note: Users who had access last year will automatically have access again this year. They may need to reset their passwords, but that’s a simple process they can do themselves in the portal.
If you are new to the SHP submission process or need a refresher, please watch this LEA-level user training video to learn how to use the application—from granting user access, to logging in, to reviewing and updating data, to submitting the data for certification, and finally to certifying the data.
Upcoming Key Dates:
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Tuesday, Jan. 16: SHP application launches for school-level users
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Friday, Feb. 2: OSSE Support Tool (OST) deadline (only LEAs can submit OST tickets on behalf of schools)
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Thursday, Feb. 15 by 11:59 p.m.: SHP data submission deadline for schools
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Friday, Feb. 16 by 5 p.m.: SHP data certification deadline by LEA Heads of School
The questionnaire for the 2023-24 school year will be available on the OSSE Healthy Schools Act webpage soon. If you have any questions, please contact Tasneem Islam at OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov.
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Discipline Data Collection Deadline Jan. 12
The Integrated Data Submission (IDS) tool is open for the first Discipline Data Collection submission process. The submission deadline is Jan. 12, with a certification date of Jan. 19. LEAs can review their submitted data in the Qlik SY23-24 Data Validation app and make any necessary changes through an IDS resubmission by Jan. 12.
Submissions should include all discipline incidents from July 10 – Nov. 24, 2023. LEAs will submit and validate discipline incidents two additional times this year in conjunction with attendance and enrollment data.
LEAs can access a copy of the updated discipline collection guidance and the IDS template via OSSE’s website here.
For questions or support with the IDS tool, please submit a ticket by Jan. 12 in the OSSE Support Tool (OST) Quickbase application by using “Discipline” as the issue type with a status sub-category of “Integrated Data Submission Tool (IDS).”
Duplicative Enrollment Periods Update (2023-24 School Year)
Due to the new policy requirements, the Duplicative Enrollment Resolution periods have been updated and the chart is now available here. The dates for period 2 are now open and the LEA appeal window closes Jan. 3. For more information contact osse.residency@dc.gov.
FY23 ESSER Annual Reporting (reminder)
Each year the US Department of Education (USED) requires all state education agencies (SEAs) and LEAs that receive Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to complete annual performance reporting (APR). For fiscal year 2023 (FY23) reporting, USED is requesting additional data elements relating to student participation in programming such as summer learning, afterschool programming, extended instructional time and high-dosage tutoring as well as student access to educational technology, early childhood education programs and community schools.
This year, a three-phase data collection process will take place starting in January 2024 to ensure LEAs have sufficient time to gather and submit these new data elements. The FY23 ESSER Annual Reporting Phase I Data Collection Window will be Jan. 15–26. The Phase I collection template remains unchanged from prior years and will be submitted in the IDS portal. LEAs can review the webinar guidance and instructional guide for Phase I here.
The specific dates for the Phase II and the new Phase III data collection windows will be announced in January and updated instructions for each data collection are forthcoming and will be made available here.
To prepare for this FY23 ESSER data collection, LEAs should ensure that the individual(s) responsible for ESSER reporting are designated as the “LEA Finance/Grants Manager” in the IDS All Staff Collection portal.
For questions or additional information, please contact the OSSE ESSER team at OSSE.ESSER@dc.gov.
Feedback Request: Course Data Collection Proces (reminder)
Thank you to all LEAs for submitting the Course Data Collection template! The Course Data Collection team is requesting your honest feedback to help OSSE update the Course Data Collection Template and the OSSE State Course Catalog V2 to best serve LEAs' needs moving forward.
This survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, and LEAs can choose to stay anonymous. The deadline for completing the survey is Friday, Dec. 22.
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Foundations of Second Language Acquisition for All Educators Serving ELs (reminder)
OSSE’s Division of Teaching and Learning (TAL) is pleased to offer a professional learning pathway for District educators including school leaders and service providers serving English learners (ELs) grades pre-K through 12 in DC public and public charter schools. The Foundations of Second Language Acquisition for all Educators Serving English Learners course provides the foundational knowledge and skills needed to effectively serve ELs and build the capacity of educators through eight meaningful and engaging virtual sessions.
Session: Principles of Second Language Acquisition
Second language acquisition (SLA) is a complex and multifaceted process, and various theories and principles have been proposed to explain how individuals acquire a second language. In this session, participants will be able to identify the stages of second language acquisition and the factors impacting language development to optimally support English learners in the District.
Participants will earn one professional learning unit (PLU) for full attendance and participation. Register here to attend on Tuesday, Jan. 9, from 10-10:45 a.m. or here to attend on Wednesday, Jan. 10, from 3-3:45 p.m. For questions, contact Lucia Cuomo at Lucia.Cuomo@dc.gov.
OSSE Math Teacher Bootcamp - Now Open to Any Middle or High School Educator (reminder)
OSSE is partnering with a nationally recognized professional development provider to provide a math pedagogy bootcamp for any middle or high school math teacher. Teachers who successfully complete this bootcamp will receive a $1,000 stipend.
This training is a great opportunity for math teachers to build their understanding and facilitate quality implementation of the Standards for Mathematical Practice and develop instructional practices that support all students as thinkers and problem solvers. Teachers will also develop their own growth mindset approach and learn how to foster students’ growth mindsets when it comes to learning mathematics. The first part of this bootcamp will be live and in person, while the second part will be asynchronous and virtual. Completion will require approximately 20 hours of work between December and April.
This opportunity is now available to any middle or high school math teacher at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. Register here to participate in the Middle/High School Math Teacher Bootcamp. For more information, please contact Miryam Oziel Miryam.Oziel@dc.gov.
Deadline Extended: Invitation to Apply for 2024-25 Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre (reminder)
OSSE is recruiting elementary teachers/educator leaders from schools across the District that serve pre-K 3 through grade 5 to participate in the Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre.
Established in February 2016, OSSE’s Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre is a group of individuals from elementary schools across the District who will be responsible for developing a plan to implement the Environmental Literacy Framework at their schools and coordinating its implementation. Participants will meet to (a) receive comprehensive professional development related to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), (b) develop and implement a school-based environmental literacy program using the Environmental Literacy Framework, (c) discuss existing supports and make recommendations regarding environmental literacy implementation in elementary schools and (d) disseminate information about environmental literacy to their community and garner feedback on the school-based environmental literacy program.
Visit OSSE’s website for more information. Interested educators should complete and submit an application online by Monday, Jan. 8.
For more information or questions, please contact Grace Manubay at (202) 654-6116.
Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities with OSSE’s Division of Teaching and Learning (reminder)
OSSE's Division of Teaching and Learning is pleased to offer many upcoming professional learning opportunities for DC educators, including teachers, staff, school leaders and service providers serving students in grades pre-K through 12 in DC public and public charter schools. All DC educators are encouraged to subscribe to the monthly TAL PD Bulletin to receive additional announcements about professional learning opportunities and resources for educators. View the most recent bulletin here.
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Attention Public and Public Charter LEAs: Flexible Scheduling Pilot Program Grant Application Now Open (reminder)
The Flexible Scheduling Pilot Program Grant Application is now open! OSSE invites any public or public charter LEA in the District to apply for the Flexible Scheduling Pilot Program Grant by Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. EST.
This competitive grant, authorized under the Flexible Schedule Emergency Amendment Act of 2023 (DC Law 25-50, Section 4183, codified at DC Official Code §38-2617), will provide local funds to support LEAs in bolstering student achievement by implementing flexible schedules that support the retention of the District’s high-quality, effective and diverse educators. Through this grant, OSSE seeks to advance both targeted student social and academic support and holistic staff retention initiatives.
All public or public charter LEAs in the District are eligible to apply. Priority consideration will be given to applications that prioritize 1) elementary and middle schools, and 2) schools demonstrating higher-than-average teacher attrition (or teacher attrition rates that are higher than 2022-23 school year rates according to OSSE’s most recent District of Columbia Educator Retention data).
OSSE plans to award two to six Flexible Scheduling Pilot Program grants to public or public charter LEAs in the District. Awards will range from $200,000 to $600,000 each.
The grant application can be found on the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS).
For more information, visit OSSE’s website or contact Raven DeRamus-Byers, Flexible Scheduling Pilot Program Grant Manager, at Raven.DeRamus-Byers@dc.gov.
Early Literacy Grant Application Open Now! (reminder)
OSSE is soliciting grant applications for the District of Columbia Early Literacy Intervention Grant. The purpose of this grant is to implement research-based early literacy interventions to increase proficiency of District students in the early grades. The overall goal of the Early Literacy Intervention Grant is to provide resources that will enable the grantee to partner with LEAs in which they would provide direct, developmentally appropriate, research-based reading programs. LEAs are not eligible for this funding; however, eligible applicants must secure partnerships with the LEAs with which they intend to work and will be required to verify these partnerships. The application deadline is Jan. 18 at 3 p.m.
Additional information is available here on the OSSE website. For questions, contact Celina Ketelsen at Celina.Ketelsen@dc.gov.
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January 2023
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