 2024 OSSE Health and Physical Education Survey
OSSE invites health education teachers and physical education (PE) teachers from DC public and public charter schools to participate in a survey to understand professional development needs of the workforce. Feedback from this survey will be used to identify and plan professional development opportunities to support the implementation of high-quality health and physical education programming in District schools in the 2024-25 school year.
Eligibility: You must be an educator in health education and/or physical education employed at a DC public or public charter school during the 2023-24 school year.
You may access the survey here.
We ask that you please participate in this survey by Friday, May 17. This survey takes no more than 15 minutes to complete. For questions or feedback, please contact OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov.
Immunization Information for Spring Enrollment Packets (reminder)
With spring enrollment season is underway, here are some immunization resources we recommend including in spring enrollment packets:
Schools and LEAs are encouraged to get a head start on communicating with families the immunization requirements and immunization document collection for the 2024-25 school year, particularly for current students in grades pre-K 4, 6 and 10.
For additional information and resources, visit osse.dc.gov/immunization and dchealth.dc.gov/immunization, and reach out to OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov with any questions.
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OSSE Launches Apprenticeship in Teaching!
OSSE is excited to announce a new, cost-free opportunity to becoming an elementary, early childhood or special education teacher in DC: the OSSE Apprenticeship in Teaching program!
This innovative new initiative will remove financial barriers to entering the teaching profession by providing prospective DC educators with a tuition-free bachelor’s degree, flexible coursework offerings and paid on-the-job learning. Apprentices who successfully complete the program will be eligible for an OSSE standard teaching credential.
OSSE will offer the following virtual information sessions for anyone interested in learning more about the program pathways and eligibility requirements.
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April 23 from 2 – 3 p.m. - Register via this link to attend the District Graduate Pathway session.
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April 24 from 3 – 4 p.m. - Register via this link to attend the Paraprofessional Pathway session.
For additional information or questions, please email Sean Elliott, Manager of Educator Preparation, Pipeline, and Support, at Sean.Elliott@dc.gov.
LEA Individualized Special Education Technical Assistance Available
OSSE has partnered with the DC-based company, Onyx Therapy Group, to offer LEAs free individualized special education technical assistance to help improve special education programming, instruction and service delivery. Onyx Therapy Group’s special education experts are available to answer questions on topics, including:
- Individualizing lesson plans and accommodations
- Implementing student support strategies
- Meaningfully communicating with families
- Correcting noncompliant practices within the LEA
- Engaging in data-informed decision making in the instructional design process
- Consistently implementing OSSE and LEA policies with fidelity
To request this support, send your inquiries to SpecialeducationTA@onyxtherapygroup.com, or leave a voicemail at (240) 326-3648 and a consultant will get back to you within 48 hours. These supports are intended to serve as professional development; OSSE retains the authority and responsibility to ensure LEAs meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and to enforce those requirements as appropriate. Accordingly, compliance-related questions should continue to be directed to OSSE. As a reminder, please DO NOT send any student personally identifiable information (PII) via email or leave PII in voicemail when requesting assistance.
Nominate an Outstanding K-12 Teacher of American History for the 2024 DC History Teacher of the Year Award
OSSE, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, is seeking nominations for the 2024 DC History Teacher of the Year. Nominations are encouraged for a teacher that has made an impact – whether it be this year or from past years – and can be submitted using this nomination form. Each year, this award recognizes an outstanding K–12 teacher from a public, public charter or private DC school who finds creative ways to bring history to life in their classrooms.
The deadline for 2024 nominations is April 30. Learn more and nominate a teacher at gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy. For questions, contact Madison Kantzer at Madison.Kantzer@dc.gov or Megan Dumond at Megan.Dumond@dc.gov.
Home and Hospital Instruction Annual Data Collection for 2023-24 School Year
LEAs are required to annually provide data to OSSE on parents’ requests for home and hospital instruction (HHI), per DC Law (5A 25 DCMR § 2510.1). Specifically, LEAs must report the following:
- All parent requests for home or hospital instruction including student names, Unique Student Identifier (USI), and date of request;
- Approvals and denials made by the LEA to provide home or hospital instruction, including the outcome of each reported request;
- The reason for each denial of a request for home or hospital instruction;
- A list of the names of each licensed pediatrician, licensed nurse practitioner, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed mental health counselor or therapist, or physician assistant who provided the medical certification of need for each request for home and hospital instruction; and
- Whether instruction was provided in-person or via real-time videotelephony for each approved request for home or hospital instruction.
In the coming weeks, OSSE will send each LEA the HHI Annual Data Collection Template to be completed and uploaded to your LEA’s HHI Data Collection folder in Box by June 30, 2024. Note: To maintain confidentiality of student information, LEAs should not submit the template via email.
Thank you in advance for your attention to these important requirements. LEAs should contact Cameron Martin with any questions as they complete the forthcoming data collection template.
2024 Extended School Year (ESY) Certification
The deadline for summer Extended School Year (ESY) certification is Monday, May 6. LEAs must submit required data consistent with the 2024 Extended School Year (ESY) Preparation Guide. LEAs are also encouraged to review OSSE’s Special Education Policy Bulletin: Extended School Year (ESY) Services (Updated August 2023) guidance regarding LEA responsibilities and documentation requirements for ESY eligibility determinations and service provision for eligible students with disabilities. For questions about ESY, required tasks, or data systems, please refer to the points of contact provided in the preparation guide.
Calling all DC High School Students to become Changemakers! (reminder)
The DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) Youth Human Rights Ambassador Program is now underway! Tailored for high school students within the District of Columbia, this program offers a unique platform for developing leadership abilities, nurturing civic engagement, and offering valuable tools for youth to facilitate dialogues on diverse youth-related community issues. Applications are being accepted until May 31. For further information on the program, please visit here or contact Ernest Shepard, OHR Youth Bullying Prevention program manager, at Ernest.Shepard@dc.gov.
Nominate an Outstanding DC Educator! (reminder)
OSSE is searching for outstanding educators from across the District to be considered for a variety of awards, including the 2025 DC Teacher of the Year and the DC Educator Talent Pool. We are seeking nominations for excellent educators who:
- Inspire and accelerate growth for all students
- Build strong partnerships with families and communities
- Champion the teaching profession
Administrators, colleagues, LEA and school staff, parents, students, and community members can all submit nominations. Self-nominations are also acceptable. Please complete the 2024-25 District of Columbia Outstanding Educator Nomination Form by May 19. Nominees will be notified on a rolling basis. For a teacher to be eligible for consideration, they must be a current teacher in a DC public school or public charter school and must plan to continue as a teacher in DC for the 2024-25 school year. For questions, please contact Megan.Dumond@dc.gov.
SOAR Act FY25 Stakeholder Engagement Survey – Input Requested by Friday, April 26 (reminder)
Each year, OSSE applies for a grant from the US Department of Education under the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act to support the public charter sector in the District of Columbia. OSSE must submit priorities for this grant, and a breakdown of how funding will be used to support charter LEAs and charter support organizations in the application. OSSE anticipates that it will be awarded $17.5 million in SOAR Act funding for fiscal year 2025 (FY25).
OSSE is soliciting input from public charter LEAs and nonprofit charter support organizations based in the District of Columbia on its tentative proposal for FY25 SOAR Act funding. To provide your input, please complete the SOAR Stakeholder Engagement Survey no later than Friday, April 26. Please consolidate responses from your organization into one survey submission where possible. For questions, please contact Jessica Mardo at Jessica.Mardo@dc.gov or (202) 455-9203.
Invitation to Apply for the Next Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre (reminder)
OSSE is recruiting District teachers/education leaders to participate in the next Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre. The cadre will meet monthly during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years beginning in late September 2024. Participants who successfully complete the cadre will be eligible for a stipend.
OSSE’s Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre is a group of individuals from District public and public charter schools who are interested in creating green, healthy, sustainable learning environments at their schools. Participants will (a) receive comprehensive professional development related to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), (b) develop a school-based environmental literacy program to implement student-driven, place-based projects that use the school building and grounds as teaching tools, (c) network with others to discuss creating systems of support for environmental literacy implementation in schools, and (d) disseminate information about environmental literacy to their community and garner feedback on the school-based environmental literacy program. Up to two individuals may represent one school.
If you are interested, or know an educator who may be, please visit or share OSSE's website for more information and register to attend an informational webinar on April 23 at 4:30 p.m. At the webinar, you will hear from a cadre mentor and an alumni participant who will share about their experience and benefits to participating. Interested educators should apply online by May 31. Participants will be selected by June 14.
For more information or questions about the Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre, please contact Grace Manubay at Grace.Manuaby@dc.gov or (202) 654-6116.
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Save the Date for OSSE’s Literacy Conference: Sustaining Excellent Literacy Instruction
OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning is excited to announce the Spring 2024 Literacy Conference. Please mark your calendars to join us for this virtual convening on Wednesday, May 22, from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. This event will bring together literacy leaders and educators from across the District to engage with national research experts, learn from local literacy coaches, and build capacity through professional learning. Please monitor the OSSE Literacy Conference website for registration updates. For questions, please email OSSE.CLSD@dc.gov.
Save the Date! Thriving Together: A Symposium to Advance SEL for Students and Staff
OSSE is pleased to announce it will host, Thriving Together: A Symposium to Advance Social and Emotional Learning for Students and Staff, to take place on Wednesday, June 12 at the Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University. This convening aims to bring together educators and stakeholders from DC Public Schools, public charter schools and partner agencies to launch DC’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards. The event will provide opportunities to attend and lead skill-building workshops, network, and learn about best practices happening across the city.
Workshops will be designed to increase knowledge of the SEL Standards and indicators while sharing strategies that foster a safe and inclusive learning environment. Workshops will align with one or more of the following topics:
- Building Foundational Support for SEL;
- Strengthening Adult SEL through a Whole-School Approach;
- Implementing Best Practices to Promote SEL with Students; and
- Assessing and Reflecting on SEL Data for Continuous Improvement.
Registration will open in the coming weeks. For additional information, visit the conference website. For questions, please send an email to Jessica.Dulay@dc.gov.
New Self-paced Course! Biliteracy Instruction: Leveraging the Science of Reading (reminder)
OSSE is pleased to announce a new self-paced course, “Biliteracy Instruction: Leveraging the Science of Reading,” designed to equip dual language educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively integrate biliteracy instruction and the science of reading into their teaching practices. This course is ideal for educators delivering instruction in two languages. Instructional coaches and classroom teachers are strongly encouraged to participate.
After completing all assignments, participants will earn 4 professional learning units (PLUs). Register here. For questions, please contact Santiago Sanchez at Santiago.Sanchez@dc.gov.
Attention Educators!
OSSE’s new educator certification system is LIVE. Visit ecis.osse.dc.gov to easily apply.
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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SOAR Act Facilities Competition Now Open
The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act Facilities grant competition is now open for applications. SOAR Act Facilities grant is intended to support public charter schools in renovating their facility to increase the total number of seats and/or increase the quality of existing seats in high-quality public charter schools in DC.
The request for applications (RFA) was published on April 5, 2024 and includes eligibility criteria and application instructions. Applications must be submitted online in EGMS no later than 3 p.m. EST on Monday, May 20.
Pre-application webinars will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, April 26. Each interested organization may register to attend the 10 a.m. webinar here and the 1 p.m. webinar here.
ESSER III-ARP Liquidation Extension Request Application
OSSE is now accepting preliminary applications from LEAs for liquidation extension of ESSER III-ARP funds. If approved for extension, LEAs would be permitted to use American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III-ARP) funds on eligible expenditures through the end of FY25, provided those expenditures are properly obligated before Sept. 30, 2024. OSSE will host a webinar on Tuesday, April 23, at 11 a.m. to provide an overview of the application process and answer your initial questions. Please register to attend here. For more information on this opportunity, please see OSSE’s liquidation extension guidance letter.
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April 2024
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