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New: Growing Healthy Schools Month
Growing Healthy Schools Month (GHSM) celebrates how schools across the District of Columbia are creating healthy places for all students.
During the month of April, let us know how your school contributes to a healthy school environment by taking the pledge to champion a healthy environment for students this April during Growing Healthy Schools Month 2025!
Only school teachers/staff may complete this pledge. Information from pledges will be published to highlight all District schools that are working to create healthy places for our students.
For more information, please contact OSSE.Nutritionprogram@dc.gov.
SY2025-26 Office of Enrollment and Residency Handbook Training – Recording and Resources Available (Reminder)
Additionally, the updated SY2025-26 residency verification forms are now available in Spanish, French, Amharic, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Please make sure you use these SY2025-26 forms for the upcoming SY2025-26 enrollment season. As a reminder, enrollment forms and supporting residency documentation cannot be accepted earlier than the release of the My School DC Lottery results on March 28.
OER has also updated the following resources:
Please visit the OER webpage to access these materials. For further guidance, please contact OSSE.EnrollmentAudit@dc.gov.
March 28 Course Data Collection Certification Deadline (Appeal Deadline April 4) (Reminder)
On March 28, LEA Heads of School will certify their Student and Section Course Data for the first time. The certification will take place in the SY2024-25 LEA Course Data Qlik Dashboard. LEA Heads of School will see a tile in the Qlik application on March 28 that they will use to complete the certification process.
For this first Student and Section Course Data certification, we are focused on data quality. On March 28, we are asking LEA Heads of School to certify that the Automated Data Transfer (ADT) feed is accurately sending their Student and Section Course Data on a daily basis. The primary way that LEAs can check their data quality is the SY2024-25 Unified Data Errors (UDE) Qlik application. Prior to the March 28 certification, we ask that LEAs resolve all UDEs on both the Teacher and Section Information and the Student Course Enrollment sheets of the SY2024-25 Unified Data Errors Qlik application.
LEAs that are not able to submit complete and accurate Student and Section Course Data through their ADT feed by March 28 should submit a Student and Section Course Data Certification Appeal in the OSSE Support Tool (OST) and upload this complete form as an attachment. The appeal should be submitted by 5 p.m. on April 4. OSSE will review all appeals for approval or denial. If the appeal is denied, OSSE will schedule time to meet with the LEA to discuss the appeal and together they will create a final plan.
LEAs can also schedule a one-on-one meeting for assistance using this link. For additional information or questions, please email Whitney Meagher at Whitney.Meagher@dc.gov.
Discipline Data Collection Deadline is March 28 (Reminder)
The Integrated Data Submission (IDS) is open for the second Discipline Data Collection, which should include all discipline incidents from Nov. 25, 2024 through Feb. 28, 2025. A reminder that March 27 is the last day to submit this data. LEAs can review their submitted data in the Qlik SY2024-25 Data Validation app and make any necessary changes through IDS resubmissions by March 27. The certification deadline for this data is March 28.
- March 21 – OSSE Support Tool (OST) Deadline
- March 27 – Last day to submit Collection 2 discipline data
- March 28 – Discipline Certification 2
- June 23-26 – Collection 3 Validation Window
For questions or support with the IDS tool, please submit a ticket by March 21 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).”
Is summer maintenance for your school garden an ongoing challenge? Shared Roots encourages District residents to help with garden maintenance while allowing them to temporarily grow food in school gardens not being used over the summer.
The deadline to apply to be a Shared Roots site is Thursday, March 27.
Apply to be a Shared Roots Site! More information can be found here.
SY2024-25 Educator Retention Brief (Reminder)
We have published the SY2024-25 Educator Retention Brief, highlighting key trends in teacher retention. This year’s data shows that 76 percent of teachers stayed at their schools between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, and 84 percent continued teaching in DC. These findings reflect a steady rise in teacher retention citywide. Learn more by reading the full brief here.
Judges Needed for the DC STEM Fair (Reminder)
OSSE is seeking judges to support with reviewing and judging secondary STEM projects at the DC STEM Fair, the longest-running student competition in the District of Columbia! Both the DC Secondary STEM Fair and Elementary STEM Exhibition will take place on Saturday, April 5 at Dunbar High School.
Required Duties:
- Review student projects using provided scoring rubric, score and offer feedback.
- Collaborate with other judges to select finalists
- Present Category Award
Estimated Time Commitment:
- 10 a.m. | Check in
- 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Judging
- 12:30-1:30 p.m. | Lunch (on your own)
- 1:30-3 p.m. | Judges deliberation time
- 3:30-4:15 p.m. | Awards
If you are interested and willing to volunteer, please contact Jhatia McKnight at Jhatia.Mcknight@dc.gov by Monday, March 31.
A STEM background is preferred but not required; judges must be able to pass a background check.
Share Your Feedback on the Discipline Data Collection Process (Reminder)
OSSE appreciates the time and effort LEAs put into the annual discipline collection and is looking for ways to improve our processes while maintaining compliance with local and federal legislation. To assist with this effort, OSSE would like to learn more about how LEAs are collecting and storing required discipline data prior to submitting to OSSE as part of the data validation process.
Multiple people from each LEA are invited to participate, as OSSE is interested in gaining insights from multiple perspectives. To participate, follow this link: Discipline Data Collection Feedback SY 24-25. The survey will remain open until April 4.
Additionally, OSSE will offer the opportunity to share feedback 1-on-1 or in a focus group. Please use the survey link above to indicate your interest in participation.
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Second Annual DC High-Impact Tutoring Summit hosted by OSSE and CityTutor DC
Attention DC educators! Join OSSE and CityTutor DC for the 2025 DC High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) Summit on Monday, April 7 at the Catholic University of America. The HIT summit is an opportunity to connect with experts and fellow educators, explore innovative teaching strategies, and discover new tools to enhance student success. Attendance is free, breakfast and lunch are provided, and valuable insights and resources will be shared to support work in the classroom and beyond. Classroom teachers, tutors, paraprofessionals, instructional coaches, and school leaders are encouraged to attend.
Registration is limited and available until Friday, March 28: bit.ly/HITSummit2025
Supporting Oral Language Development in the Spanish Immersion Pre-K Classroom (Session 3) (Reminder)
This is the third session of a professional learning series exploring how oral language development lays the foundation for strong literacy skills in dual language learners. In this session, teachers will learn about current research in early bilingualism, discuss concepts such as bridging and translanguaging, and connect with educators from other schools.
This session is open to pre-K teachers and paraprofessionals working in Spanish immersion classrooms in dual language schools and will be conducted in Spanish. Prior attendance in Session 1 and/or 2 is not required to participate in this session.
The session will take place virtually on Wednesday, April 2, from 3:30-4:30 p.m., and repeat on Wednesday, April 9, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Attendees will receive 1 professional learning unit (PLU) for their participation in either session. Register here for April 2, OR register here for April 9.
Evidence Informed Mathematics Course (Reminder)
There is a clear and growing need for strong mathematics instruction at all grade levels. To address this need, OSSE is partnering with TNTP to offer an online, self-paced course that helps educators apply scientifically based, evidence-informed instructional methods to teach math.
This course opens with a brief overview of how the brain learns math, grounding future learning in a shared understanding of the ways that knowledge, memory, and skill are developed, stored, and retrieved in the brain. Subsequent modules are rooted in the Standards for Mathematical Practice, creating a clear basis for math expertise that teachers should expect and develop in all students. Throughout this course, educators will get the opportunity to dig into the research, its relevance for all K-12 learners, and strategies to support implementation of evidence-informed math practices in their schools and classrooms.
This 14-hour course is completely asynchronous and is open to all math educators and those who support students in math, including instructional coaches and leaders. Register here now!
OSSE/TNTP Adolescent Literacy Leader Cohort - Register by March 25 (Reminder)
OSSE, in partnership with TNTP, is offering a leader cohort experience focused on adolescent literacy in order to support grade 6-12 students in DC to be proficient readers. Participants will engage in three monthly virtual meetings, complete the Adolescent Science of Reading course asynchronously, and take part in a two-day in-person summer workshop. Leaders will leave with the knowledge, resources, and materials to lead their teacher teams in learning about the science of teaching reading as they plan for the upcoming school year.
- Cohort Schedule
- Virtual Monthly Leader Meetings: March 26, April 23, and May 28; 4-5 p.m.
- Online Self-Paced Course: 15-hour Adolescent Science of Reading Course April-June
- In-Person Workshop: Thursday, June 26 and Friday, June 27 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; held at OSSE, Eleanor Homes Norton meeting room.
This series is open to literacy coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders. Register here by March 25.
OSSE/American University Evidence-Based Practices for Adolescent Literacy Course (Reminder)
OSSE, in partnership with American University, is offering a self-paced, eight-module course that provides evidence-based literacy strategies for students in grades 5-12, with a focus on culturally and linguistically inclusive practices. In addition to exploring the key components of adolescent literacy, the course includes modules on disciplinary literacy, literacy assessments, and literacy interventions. This 6-hour asynchronous course is open to all core content teachers, multilingual learners and special education educators, instructional coaches, and leaders. This is highly recommended for social studies, science, and math educators. Register now here!
Early Childhood Special Education Community of Practice - March and May Meetings (Reminder)
The Early Childhood Special Education Community of Practice is designed to create authentic opportunities for LEA pre-K special education points of contact and those who support this population to collaborate with others and improve learning outcomes for children ages 3-5 with disabilities who are enrolled in early childhood special education programs. Upcoming community of practice sessions will focus on the topics below. All sessions will take place from 10-11 a.m.
Please register for a community practice session(s) using the links above. For questions, contact Dawn Hilton, Supervisory Coordinator for Special Education (Part B-619), at Dawn.Hilton1@dc.gov.
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New: FY26 Draft State Grant Application under Part B of the IDEA Open for Public Comment
OSSE has applied to the federal Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B grant for federal fiscal year 2024 (FFY24) to support free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities.
Members of the public can submit comments on OSSE’s IDEA Part B grant application and budget no through April 21. Comments may be submitted to OSSE.Publiccomment@dc.gov. The application will remain available on OSSE’s website for an additional 30 days beyond the public comment deadline until May 22.
Due April 16 - FY25 Stronger Connections Grant Continuation Application (Updated Deadline)
LEAs awarded FY24 Stronger Connections grants must complete continuation applications in order to access these carryover funds in FY25. The application will be available in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) starting on March 5, and LEAs must submit applications no later than 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 16.
After OSSE approves your LEA’s application, your LEA can submit reimbursements for Stronger Connections grant expenditures from Oct. 1, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2025.
If you have any questions, please contact Rudy.Arellano@dc.gov.
Due May 2 - IDEA Financial Compliance Reporting - MOE, Excess Cost and CEIS (Reminder)
Each year, LEAs receiving Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants must report financial data to demonstrate the LEA’s compliance with Maintenance of Effort (MOE), excess cost, and Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) requirements. The FY24 IDEA Financial Compliance Reporting Workbook submission deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, May 2; detailed instructions on how to submit will be shared via email in the upcoming weeks.
For questions or assistance, please contact Kristen Thompson at Kristen.Thompson@dc.gov.
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