 Student Immunization Opportunities
The best place for DC families to access immunizations is with your family medical provider as part of their comprehensive well-child care. If a family does not have a health care provider or they have difficulty securing an appointment, they can select from DC Health’s list of pediatric vaccine providers in every ward.
DC Health has also posted additional pediatric vaccine opportunities available each day for the month of August. Visit the DC Health website for up to date information on vaccine requirements and opportunities.
School Immunization Policy Updates Technical Assistance Call
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 from 10 to 11 a.m., OSSE and DC Health will hold a technical assistance call regarding updates to the School Year 2024-25 School Immunization Policy. The call will cover key dates for the upcoming school year, improvements to immunization data entry and retrieval, and vaccine opportunities. LEA and school leaders, as well as school staff involved in immunizations, should plan to attend. Register here.
2024-25 School Year School Immunization Policy (reminder)
The School Immunization Policy for the 2024-25 school year is now live on the OSSE immunization website. Updates to the School Immunization Policy for the 2024-25 school year include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Key dates for school immunization activities in the 2024-25 school year, including District-wide notification (Oct. 28, 2024) and exclusion dates (Dec. 9, 2024); and
- New guidance on appointment cards.
Aligned resources will continue to be posted on the OSSE immunization website in the coming weeks. Remember to communicate with families to ensure students are up to date on their immunizations before the start of the school year. Here are some revised immunization resources available on the OSSE immunization website:
Student Immunization-Only Appointments at School-Based Health Centers (reminder)
The best place to get immunizations is with your family healthcare provider, but also see DC Health’s website for additional immunization opportunities. Families with students ages 3 to 21 are able to visit any school-based health center this summer, regardless of where the student is enrolled, for a vaccination-only appointment. Please call ahead to schedule as days and times vary by location. Find a list of school-based health centers at dchealth.dc.gov/service/school-based-health-centers.
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Today is the Deadline for Course Catalog Data Submissions
Today, Friday, Aug. 23, is the final day for LEAs to submit Course Catalog Collection Data for the 2024-25 school year. If you have not yet submitted this data, please log on to the Integrated Data System (IDS) to submit the data by midnight.
LEAs that do not submit Course Catalog Collection Data may encounter problems later this school year when this data is connected to the Student and Section Course Data that will be submitted through the Automated Data Transfer (ADT) feed.
If your LEA offers dual enrollment or career and technical education (CTE) courses, including participating in the Advanced Technical Center (ATC), please also visit the Course Data Collection Guidance for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) website to access the crosswalks that have been created to assist LEAs in mapping these courses to OSSE’s Course Catalog.
Start of School Priority Highlight: Attendance
Schools are required to collect and report daily student attendance and are urged to implement evidence-based strategies to help address chronic absenteeism. OSSE is committed to providing community members, school officials, and policymakers with timely attendance data which enables them to respond to trends and changes.
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With LEA support through timely and accurate attendance data, OSSE collects information for all students in a school, regardless of age, and compiles that data in an annual public report.
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OSSE will publish two Mid-Year Attendance Briefs in the 2024-25 school year .
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In order to provide community members, school officials, and policymakers with data throughout the school year OSSE will publish two Mid-Year Attendance Briefs alongside the Attendance Annual Report. To review previous attendance reports, click here.
For more information on OSSE’s start of school attendance efforts, please visit the Start of School website.
For questions or concerns, please reach out to Rachel.Sadlon@dc.gov. You may also join our Start of School Office Hours on Thursday, Aug 29 from 10 - 11 a.m. Register here.
August Literacy Announcements
OSSE is thrilled to announce the release of two new resources aligned with structured literacy. These resources were developed by OSSE's literacy team with valuable input from District teachers, coaches, and leaders.
The Structured Literacy Recommended Training List provides a comprehensive list of research-aligned structured literacy training. By ensuring all educators show competency in structured literacy instruction, students will receive evidence-based reading instruction needed to become confident, skilled, and enthusiastic readers.
The Structured Literacy Walkthrough Tool and Guidance Document support educators in implementing structured literacy instruction. These tools will assist LEAs in analyzing and providing targeted feedback on structured literacy instruction, helping all students develop as confident and joyful readers.
2023 DC Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Files ON HOLD (Update from July 26) (reminder)
Please be advised that the high school data files from the 2023 DC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) have been temporarily removed from the OSSE website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified errors in the data weighting and is currently recalculating it to ensure accuracy. In the meantime, please refrain from using the high school data.
This is an update from the release of the data files on July 26. We will notify you as soon as the updated files are available.
Coming Soon: Opportunity to Partner with High-Impact Tutoring Providers for the 2024-25 School Year (reminder)
OSSE is excited to share that LEAs will soon have an opportunity to partner with contracted high-impact tutoring (HIT) providers for the 2024-25 school year at no cost to LEAs. OSSE is entering into contracts with HIT providers this summer to work with students in DC public and public charter schools. Once OSSE has confirmed the contracts, the HIT program team will send an email to LEA leaders with full details on how LEAs can request, formalize, and launch partnerships with the contracted HIT providers.
New Portal for Distance Learning for Students Threatened by Violence (reminder)
In preparation for the 2024-25 school year, OSSE released a new form where schools must submit the requisite information to request situational distance learning in response to threats of violence.
Access the form here.
Full guidance on distance learning can be found linked here in “SY2024-25 Distance Learning Guidance.”
For questions, please email Joseph Hood, policy analyst, at osse.calendarwaivers@dc.gov. For emergency situations, your first call should always be law enforcement.
2024 Survey of Educator Wellness Organizations (reminder)
OSSE champions a Comprehensive Approach to Educator Wellness to support DC public and public charter schools in developing and implementing practices that support the whole educator. As part of these supports, OSSE is creating a resource list of organizations that are currently available to District schools to support educator wellness.
If you are an organization, or know an organization, that provides educator wellness resources or supports to DC public and public charter schools, please complete or share the 2024 Survey of Educator Wellness Organizations. Organizations that complete the form will be considered for inclusion in the resource list. Once complete the resource will be posted on OSSE's website and promoted with LEAs and schools.
If interested, please complete the form by Friday, Aug. 30. For questions, please email OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov.
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Application Now Open for 2024-25 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils (reminder)
OSSE is seeking teachers, school leaders and family members to participate in the 2024-45 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils (SACs). The councils meet regularly with OSSE leadership and staff to provide insights and ask questions about OSSE programs and policies. OSSE is especially excited to launch the Superintendent Advisory Council – Family Advisory Council this school year.
The applications for the 2024-25 SACs for Teachers, School Leaders and Family Members are now live! Members of the 2024-25 SACs will share their insights, suggestions and feedback with OSSE to help refine current policies and inform the development of new policies and resources at the state level regarding various topics. OSSE seeks a diverse group of educators, school leaders and family members from across the city who reflect the demographics of the District’s students. Members of the 2024-25 SACs will serve a term of one school year, beginning in October 2024. The first meeting for all three advisory councils will be held in person at OSSE (1050 First St. NE, Washington, DC) in October 2024.
All applications for the 2024-25 Superintendent’s Advisory Councils will close on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024:
For questions, please contact Megan Dumond at Megan.Dumond@dc.gov.
New Social Studies Standards Resources Now Available! (reminder)
OSSE is excited to unveil a new collection of curricular resources designed to support teachers in implementing the updated Social Studies Standards.
The comprehensive materials, available on the Learning Management System (LMS), include driving questions, primary sources, detailed lesson plans, and educator background information aligned to each standard for every grade level.
Designed to enrich social studies instruction, these tools will help students engage in historical thinking and document-based discussion for each standard. Visit the Social Studies Standards website to register for subject specific resources on the LMS and notification as OSSE releases additional resources.
Stay tuned for more information on upcoming training sessions and support opportunities. If you have specific questions or would like to develop professional learning or coaching for your LEA, please contact Madison.Kantzer@dc.gov.
Social Studies Resource Spotlight (reminder)
Have you explored OSSE’s curricular resources for the new Social Studies Standards? OSSE has produced curricular resources to promote document based historical inquiry and the development of historical thinking skills with every standard.
Consider the spotlight resources below:
WH2.22 Analyze the reasons for and social consequences of the Renaissance, Protestant Reformation and Scientific Revolution in Europe, identifying major achievements of each movement and the impact of each on the dissemination of power within Europe.
Driving Question: Was the Renaissance a European affair?
To answer this question, students evaluate Hans Holbein’s painting The Ambassadors and evaluate the different global influences present in the image.
Register for the World History II LMS to access similar resources, including sample assessment prompts and standard specific professional development modules.
If you have specific questions or would like to schedule custom professional learning for your LEA, please contact Madison.Kantzer@dc.gov.
Join the DC Title I Committee of Practitioners (COP) (reminder)
OSSE is seeking members of the DC community to support children from low-income families in receiving a high-quality education by serving on the Title I COP. Members of this committee engage with OSSE to create effective and responsive policies that impact DC schools receiving Title I-A funds.
Over the past three years, this committee’s feedback has impacted updates to the DC School Report Card, the State School Climate Survey and the strategic plan for the DC ReEngagement Center.
The Title I COP is seeking thoughtful and engaged education community members to serve a three-year COP term from September 2024 to June 2027. Committee members attend four quarterly meetings each school year, which are held in the evening from 4:30-6 p.m.
To join the Title I COP, you must serve a DC school community in one or more of the following roles:
- Public charter school leader (principal, assistant principal, or other);
- Public charter school-level administrator (Title I-A program implementation);
- DCPS teacher;
- Public charter school teacher;
- DCPS paraprofessional;
- Public charter school paraprofessional; and
- Parent of DCPS student(s)
If you are interested in joining us and representing your community’s needs, please share your interest by submitting a completed application and resume to OSSE.COP@dc.gov by Sept. 18. If you know someone whose perspective and expertise would benefit our COP, please share this application opportunity with them.
For questions or additional information about the Title I Committee of Practitioners, please contact Bonnie Bacon at Bonnie.Bacon@dc.gov.
Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workforce: 2024-25 Cohort (reminder)
OSSE's Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workforce (ARROW) is announcing the launch of the 2024-25 cohort of the First Year Cadre for school-based behavioral health providers, i.e., school social workers, school psychologists and counselors (school counselors and licensed counselors), who began working in a school-based setting during the 2023-24 school year or after! The First Year Cadre is an opportunity for providers in their first year working in a school-based setting to build foundational skills necessary to be successful in the school environment. The cohort will run from October 2024 to June 2025. Please see this one-pager for more information and the eligibility criteria. Applications close Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Participants who successfully complete the cadre will be eligible for a $1,000 stipend.
Questions? Reach out to OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov.
September LEA Special Education Points of Contact Webinar (reminder)
On Wednesday, Sept.18, from 10-11 a.m., OSSE will host the monthly webinar training for all LEA Special Education POCs (LEA SPED POCs). During this training, OSSE will provide important information relevant to your role as the LEA SPED POC. The agenda will include the following:
- Policy reminders and updates;
- IDEA monitoring reminders and updates;
- Teaching and Learning reminders and updates;
- Special Programs reminders and updates;
- Nonpublic reminders and updates;
- Transportation updates; and
- Reminders and announcements.
All LEA SPED POCs should plan to participate in each month’s webinar, as well as share the content, updates, and announcements with relevant staff within your LEA. If you have not already signed up for the 2024-25 webinar series, please register here.
If you have any questions about this webinar, please contact LaShonda Wilson Carter at LaShonda.Wilson@dc.gov.
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Allocations Now Available: FY25 SOAR Act Formula Grants
Allocations for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act Formula grants, which includes SOAR Academic Quality and SOAR Early Childhood, are now available on OSSE’s website.
The FY25 SOAR Formula Consolidated application will be released in OSSE’s Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 and the deadline for LEAs to submit the application will be 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. The award period for these grants will be July 1, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2025.
For questions or additional information about the FY25 SOAR Formula Consolidated grant, contact your OSSE grant manager.
OSSE Grantees Must Submit Updated Payment Information (reminder)
Grantees’ Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment information in the District Integrated Financial System (DIFS) expires every three years. To ensure your reimbursements can be sent directly to your chosen account, ACH payment information needs to be renewed before expiration.
To support grantees in maintaining updated payment information, OSSE emailed impacted organizations in early July to provide instructions for updating ACH payment information before it expires on Sept. 30, 2024.
To prevent payment delays, grantees with expiring ACH information should submit the following forms, in addition to a bank letter or voided check, to osse.suppliermaintenance@dc.gov as soon as possible. All three forms were emailed to the impacted organizations in early July.
- Master Supplier Form
- W-9 Form
- ACH Form
For questions or additional information, please contact Mabel Kennedy at Mabel.Kennedy@dc.gov.
ARP-ESSER Tydings Waiver Application to USED – Public Comment Opportunity (reminder)
OSSE intends to apply for a Tydings waiver to the US Department of Education (USED) to extend the period for spending American Rescue Plan-Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP-ESSER) administrative funds beyond fiscal year 2024 (FY24). This will allow OSSE to use a consolidated pool of administrative ARP ESSER and Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title funds for ARP-ESSER closeout activities and continued state coordination of supports for academic recovery efforts in the District of Columbia. OSSE is inviting the public and LEAs to comment on the waiver request, posted on OSSE’s Post-ESSER Sustainability Planning Supports website and on the District of Columbia Register. Please submit all comments to OSSE.ESSER@dc.gov by Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. EST.
American Rescue Plan and McKinney-Vento Education Grant Extensions (reminder)
USED recently announced that liquidation extension is available for the American Rescue Plan – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-Homeless) grant. USED also announced that the period of availability on McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth (MKV EHCY) grant has been extended.
OSSE is now accepting applications from LEAs for liquidation extension of ARP-Homeless funds. The application form is available on our sustainability planning supports website. If approved for extension, LEAs may use ARP-Homeless funds on eligible expenditures through the end of FY25, provided those expenditures are properly obligated by Sept. 30, 2024. USED has encouraged states and LEAs to fully expend ARP-Homeless one-time funds prior to tapping into EHCY funds. To support LEAs’ efforts to spend down ARP-Homeless funds first, OSSE will waive the 15 percent annual carryover cap and allow up to 100 percent of your FY24 MKV EHCY funds to carry over into FY25. These funds would then remain available for your use through the end of FY26.
For more information on these opportunities, please see OSSE’s ARP-Homeless liquidation extension guidance letter.
If you have questions, please email Danielle.Rollins@dc.gov.
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August 2024
September 2024
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