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New: DC Survey About Your School (DC SAYS) Professional Development
Start the new school year with energy, purpose, and a positive plan for your school community! Last spring, OSSE launched DC SAYS, the new school climate survey for students, staff, and caregivers across all local education agencies (LEAs). Now, it’s time to turn those results into action. To support your work, OSSE is partnering with Panorama Education to offer a series of targeted professional learning sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays through Sept. 25. Whether you’re new to the survey or ready to dive deeper into the data, you can choose the sessions that best match your needs and goals. These sessions include:
- Navigating DC SAYS and Setting Goals
- Taking Action on DC SAYS Results
- Building a Culture of Data Inquiry and Reflection
- Building a Toolkit of Action: Responding Effectively to DC SAYS Survey Results
New: Alternative Program Designation Application Now Available
LEAs interested in applying for alternative program designation for the 2026-27 school year are now eligible to do so. The application can be found on the OSSE website and will close on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.
Please note that alternative program designations are valid for three years from the date the designation was issued by OSSE. All LEAs with alternative programs that were first designated by OSSE in 2022 will now need to reapply for alternative program designation.
On June 14, 2019, OSSE released a Notice of Final Rulemaking proposing a new chapter titled “Alternative Program” to Subtitle A “Office of the State Superintendent of Education” of Title 5 “Education” in the DC Municipal Regulations. This chapter sets forth the eligibility criteria for a school or specialized program within a school to be designated as an alternative education program and establishes the application process. The final rulemaking can be found in the DC Register and on the OSSE website.
For more information, please contact Gabriel Montague at Gabriel.Montague@dc.gov.
New: OSSE Wellness Guidelines for Child Care Facilities Self-Assessment
The DC Healthy Tots Program, a partner with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), have released the OSSE Wellness Guidelines Self-Assessment application via Quickbase. All licensed child development facilities received an email from Quickbase on Aug. 25 to access the application. Facilities are encouraged to complete the self-assessment. Learn more about OSSE’s wellness guidelines for child care facilities here.
For more information, please contact Sheena King at Sheena.King@dc.gov.
Parent/Guardian Truancy Mailings for the 2024-25 School Year (Reminder)
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.
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New: LEA Homeless Liaison Professional Development Training, Sept. 26
OSSE’s Homeless Education Program looks forward to welcoming all LEA homeless liaisons to a 2025-26 school year kick-off professional development and training day on Friday, Sept. 26 at OSSE.
Creating Successful Outcomes for Students Experiencing Homelessness
Date/time: Friday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: OSSE, 1050 First St. NE, First Floor
Eleanor Holmes Norton conference rooms
Sessions will cover:
- Reporting and homeless liaison training opportunities;
- Dispute resolution policies and best practices;
- Special education and intervention services for students experiencing homelessness;
- Food access resources; and
- Assessment of readiness for robust McKinney-Vento (MKV) Act policies and practices.
LEA homeless liaisons are required to attend and should register no later than Friday, Sept. 19. If you require assistance or have questions, contact Tasheen Stallings at Tasheen.Stallings@dc.gov.
LEAs are required to designate an LEA homeless liaison in their student information systems. Please ensure homeless liaisons are identified for your LEA prior to the training.
New: Foundations of Special Education Fall 2025 Cohort Program
Enhance your skills and better serve ALL students, especially those with disabilities, by joining the Foundations of Special Education Fall 2025 Cohort Program. Engage in meaningful coursework activities while leveraging the flexibility of technology.
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School Cohort: For DC public and charter schools and Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP) educators, with up to 10 participants per school, including teachers, coaches, service providers, and leaders.
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Special Education Endorsement Recovery Initiative (SEERI) Cohort: Earn a special education endorsement with Praxis support, a voucher, and fee reimbursement.
DC Health and OSSE School Immunization Policy Technical Assistance Call, Sept. 16 (Reminder)
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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.
No-Cost Virtual At-Home Tutoring Pilot Program (Reminder)
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.
Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Community of Practice, Sept. 18 (Reminder)
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 .
 New: FY26 ESEA Consolidated Application Update
OSSE has received DC’s fiscal year 2026 (FY26) awards from the US Department of Education (USED) for the following formula grant programs:
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Titles I-A, II-A, III-A, and IV-A
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (Sections 611 and 619)
All FY26 ESEA Titles I-A to IV-A allocations and IDEA allocations have now been posted on OSSE’s website.
The ESEA Consolidated Application (ConApp) was released in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) on Thursday, Sept. 4 and is due on Thursday, Oct. 30. The IDEA Phase II application is already available in EGMS and due on Tuesday, Sept. 30. No changes were made to either application from last year. Additionally, OSSE will host pre-application webinars for both the ESEA ConApp and IDEA application.
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IDEA pre-application webinar: Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. Register here.
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ESEA ConApp pre-application webinar: Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. Register here.
For questions on the ConApp, contact Mary Frances Street at MaryFrances.Street@dc.gov.
For questions on the IDEA Phase II application, contact Kristen Thomas at Kristen.Thomas@dc.gov.
FY26 ESEA Preliminary Allocations Update and IDEA Reminder (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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