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NEW: Updated Deadline for Undesignated Emergency Medications Plan, Sept. 5
The Undesignated Emergency Medications (UEM) program will be jointly administered by OSSE and DC Health to ensure schools have access to and properly administer emergency medications, including epinephrine (for anaphylaxis), glucagon (for hypoglycemia) and albuterol (for asthma). The submission deadline for UEM plans was Aug. 22.
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54 schools have started their plans in QuickBase but have not submitted them.
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133 schools have not started their plans in the application.
Reminders have sent to all schools that have overdue plans based on the Aug. 22 deadline. The final deadline is Friday, Sept. 5. Schools miss that miss this deadline will be required to take corrective actions.
New: Parent/Guardian Truancy Mailings for the 2024-25 School Year
DC law requires educational institutions and OSSE to communicate with families regarding student attendance. When a minor student accrues 10 or more unexcused absences in one school year, OSSE must provide the student’s parent/guardian with a Truancy Prevention Resource Guide.
In the coming days, OSSE will send guides to parents/guardians of students who were truant in the second through fourth marking periods of the 2024-25 school year. A copy of the truancy packet is available on OSSE’s website, and further information can be found on the OSSE Attendance and Truancy Resources Website.
For questions or additional information, contact Cameron Martin at Cameron.Martin@dc.gov.
DC's 2025 Statewide Assessment Results Now Available (Reminder)
Mayor Bowser and OSSE have released the results of the District’s statewide assessments in English language arts/literacy (ELA) and math that were taken in spring 2025 by students in grades 3-8 and high school. Overall, results show the largest increase in proficiency rates made since the pandemic in both ELA and math, in all tested grades, in both DC Public Schools (DCPS) and DC public charter schools, and for almost all student groups, reflecting renewed progress and momentum in student achievement.
Results by grade band show impressive gains:
In English Language Arts:
- Grades 3-5: 34.8% of students met or exceeded expectations, up from 32.4% the prior year (+2.4);
- Grades 6-8: 40.2% of students met or exceeded expectations, up from 36.4% (+3.8); and
- Grades 9-12: 38.8% of students met or exceeded expectations, up from 33.6% in the prior year (+5.2).
In Math:
- Grades 3-5: 31.2% of students met or exceeded expectations, up from 28.4 % the prior year (+2.8);
- Grades 6-8: 26.4% of students met or exceeded expectations, up from 22.4% the prior year (+4.0); and
- Grades 9-12: 15% of students met or exceeded expectations, up from 11.4% the prior year (+3.6).
Explore the new 2024-25 assessment results here.
School Year 2025-26 School Year Immunization Policy and Updated Immunization Resources (Reminder)
On Oct. 27 all District public and public charter schools must notify families of immunization non-compliant students in the key grades (i.e., pre-K 3, kindergarten, 7 and 11) that their child will be temporarily excluded on Dec. 8 if they remain non-compliant and do not have an exemption. All key immunization dates for the 2025-26 school year can be found here.
Aligned resources are posted on the OSSE immunization website. Remember to communicate with families to ensure students are up to date on their immunizations before the start of the school year. The best place to get immunizations is at your family healthcare provider but also see DC Health’s website for additional immunization opportunities.
For additional information or questions, please email osse.schoolhealth@dc.gov.
2025-26 School Year Enrollment Audit and Child Count Handbook and Training Materials (Reminder)
The 2025-26 Enrollment Audit and Child Count (EACC) Handbook, training slides, and recorded webinar are now available on the Office of Enrollment and Residency (OER) webpage. LEA Enrollment Audit points of contact (POCs) should set aside time this month to review these materials to ensure their LEA is fully prepared for the upcoming enrollment audit. For questions or support, please contact the OER team at osse.enrollmentaudit@dc.gov.
2025-26 School Year LEA Course Data Collection Process Now Open (Reminder)
The Integrated Data System (IDS) platform is now open for LEAs to submit their Course Catalog Collection data. LEAs should download the template in IDS, fill in the 2025-26 school year data, and resubmit through IDS. IDS will close for Course Catalog Collection data on Friday, Sept. 26, and LEA Heads of School will certify the data on Sept. 26.
Once data has been submitted, LEAs can review their Course Catalog data on the 2025-26 School Year LEA Course Data Qlik Dashboard in OSSE’s Qlik application.
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 consistently using OSSE Course Codes for these courses.
Start of School Guidance for Students who Require Nursing Services (Reminder)
OSSE's Division of Student Transportation (OSSE-DOT) provides safe, efficient, and reliable transportation services for eligible students. A small percentage of our students require a licensed, medical professional to accompany them during transportation.
The memorandum linked here is to provide guidance to LEAs on the documents required for initiating service for eligible students who require nursing services during transportation, and on the proper way to submit those documents.
Find additional information and resources related to student transportation on the OSSE website here.
First Year Cadre for School Behavioral Health Providers (Reminder)
OSSE's Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workforce (ARROW) is announcing the launch of the 2025-26 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 are new to working in a school-based setting and have an employment start date of Nov. 1, 2023 or after. The First Year Cadre is an opportunity for providers in their early years of working in a school-based setting to build foundational skills necessary to be successful in the school environment. The cohort will run from October 2025 to June 2026. Please see this one-pager for more information and the eligibility criteria. Applications close Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Participants who successfully complete the cadre will be eligible for a $1,000 stipend.
Questions? Reach out to OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov.
OSSE Parent Portal for Transportation (Reminder)
The July 11 deadline for parents and guardians to enter their child's information in the OSSE Parent Portal for transportation services in the 2025-26 school year has passed. Data shows more than 60 percent of parents with transportation-eligible students has logged into the app. And while we are grateful for the efforts of those who have logged in we know we still have work to do and remain concerned about missing or inaccurate contact information for many eligible students’ families.
We also want to hear directly from you. Are there additional resources that would support your team? Is your school hosting a back-to-school event where OSSE can promote the portal? Just send us an email at osse.communications@dc.gov with your ideas or questions. We're here to help.
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New: DC Health and OSSE School Immunization Policy Technical Assistance Call, Sept. 16
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Key dates for the upcoming school year
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Improvements to immunization data entry and retrieval
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Vaccine opportunities
Immunization Points of Contact (IPOCs), school nurses, LEA and school leaders, and other school staff involved in immunizations should plan to attend. Register here.
For information or questions, please email osse.schoolhealth@dc.gov.
New: No-Cost Virtual At-Home Tutoring Pilot Program
Step Up Tutoring is offering a no-cost, virtual 1:1 at-home tutoring pilot program this fall for DC LEAs. Step Up Tutoring is a nonprofit that provides high-impact tutoring and mentorship to students in grades 2-6 in under-resourced communities through a high-touch, virtual tutoring program. College students serve as trained tutors.
Step Up Tutoring is seeking to partner with LEAs this fall.
New: Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Community of Practice, Sept. 18
OSSE invites school leaders and their attendance teams from schools designated for school improvement to join the Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Community of Practice (RCA CoP) launching in September. Whether or not your school has an attendance goal identified in your School Improvement Plan, participating schools will benefit from receiving capacity-building support in improving attendance.
Date: Thursday, Sept. 18
Time: 9:30 - 11 a.m.
Location: OSSE, 1050 First St. NE
The RCA CoP is a peer- and expert-led learning space for schools to build sustainable, school-wide attendance systems. Through this community, school teams will strengthen their strategies and deepen implementation of evidence-based and locally effective practices aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism and truancy.
Sessions include 90-minute, bi-monthly full group meetings, plus targeted technical assistance tailored to their unique needs. Together, we’ll spotlight what’s working across the city and equip teams with tools to drive meaningful improvement.
Want to participate or learn more? Contact OSSE’s State Attendance Coordinator Aric Fulton at Aric.Fulton@gov.
Promising Practices for Multilingual Learners, Sept. 19 (Reminder)
Promising Practices for Multilingual Learners will take place on Friday, Sept. 19, from 8:30a.m. to 3 p.m. at OSSE (1050 First St. NW) to improve practice in support of multilingual learners. This day of professional learning will feature practitioner-oriented sessions led by DC educators and community partners. Participants will gain practical strategies for language acquisition, literacy, dually identified students, social-emotional learning, and more.
DC pre-K through 12th grade teachers and leaders are invited to participate and will receive 6 professional learning units (PLUs) for their participation.
Participants will have a 1-hour break to get lunch on their own.
For more information, contact Francesca Smith, Multilingual Specialist, at .
Dyslexia Awareness Trainings: Sept. 4, 12, and 23 (Reminder)
OSSE is pleased to announce an in-person dyslexia awareness training that will focus on defining dyslexia, common misconceptions about dyslexia, and how to support students with dyslexia as required by DC Law 23-191- Addressing Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties Amendment Act of 2020.
This interactive training is for educators and administrators serving middle schools who lead and support literacy instruction and language development.
By the end of this course, participants will:
- Learn how to define dyslexia and reading difficulties.
- Gain awareness about characteristics and indicators of dyslexia and reading difficulties.
This training is an in-person version of the asynchronous dyslexia awareness training for adolescent to adult educators. Participants can attend this training in lieu of completing the online module and will earn up to 2 professional learning units (PLUs) upon completion of the course.
The in-person training will be held at OSSE Headquarters, located at 1050 First St. NE, Eleanor Holmes Norton conference room. All participants must present a government issued ID upon check in with the front desk. The training will be held three times in September 2025; participants only need to attend one session for full credit.
For questions, please contact Dustin Tamsen, Dyslexia Specialist, at Dustin.Tamsen@dc.gov.
 New: FY26 ESEA Preliminary Allocations Update and IDEA Reminder
OSSE has received DC’s FY26 awards from the US Department of Education (USED) for the following formula grant programs:
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Titles I-A, II-A, III-A, and IV-A
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (Sections 611 and 619)
FY26 Title I-A and Title IV-A allocations are posted on OSSE’s website. Title II-A and Title III-A allocations are anticipated to follow in the coming weeks. The ESEA consolidated application (ConApp) will be released in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) immediately afterward. No changes were made to the ConApp from last year. You can download an Excel version of the ConApp to start planning now.
IDEA allocations are posted here. The IDEA Phase II application will become available in EGMS on Friday, Aug. 29 and due on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Optional pre-application webinars:
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IDEA: Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. (Register here)
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ESEA ConApp: Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. (Register here)
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