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New: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Accountability OSSE is Seeking Public Comment
After 12 years, the District of Columbia will transition to new statewide assessments in English language arts (ELA) and math in the 2026-27 school year. Because these assessments are new, OSSE will not have two consecutive years of comparable assessment data to calculate student growth scores. Therefore, pursuant to 20 U.S.C. §7861 (“Waivers of statutory and regulatory requirements”), OSSE will request for a one-year waiver of certain Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements from the US Department of Education (USED). OSSE is requesting a waiver from the following statutory requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA):
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Statewide requirements in Section 1111(c)(4)(C) to meaningfully differentiate, on an annual basis, all public schools;
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Statewide requirements in Section 1111(c)(4)(D) and Section 1111(d)(2)(C) to identify schools for comprehensive, targeted, and additional targeted support and improvement; and
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Statewide requirements in Section 1111(h)(1)(C)(i)(IV) to include the system for meaningful differentiation for all public schools on the annual state report card.
With this one-year waiver request, OSSE’s overarching goal is to maintain the integrity of its accountability system as a valid and consistent measure of student performance and school quality. In short, OSSE does not want to produce accountability scores without student growth included.
The full waiver is available for your review and will be posted in the DC Register on March 13. As required by USED, OSSE will collect public comments until Tuesday, March 31. OSSE will consolidate and post all public comments it receives.
Please send your public comments to osse.essa@dc.gov with the subject line “ESSA Waiver Public Comment” by Tuesday, March 31. This inbox is monitored by OSSE’s Division of Data, Assessment and Research (DAR).
School Behavioral Health Peer Mentor Program (Updated Deadline)
OSSE is launching the School Behavioral Health (SBH) Peer Mentor program to facilitate the exchange of valuable knowledge and skills between experienced school-based behavioral health providers and those who are new to the school setting. Throughout this program, mentees will receive one-on-one support from experienced school-based behavioral health providers to better navigate the work challenges. Mentees will also have access to high-quality trainings and professional development opportunities in school mental health. Mentors will have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, grow personally and professionally, and increase their career satisfaction by helping to build the therapeutic skills and toolbox of the next generation of school-based behavioral health leaders.
Mentee Program Requirements:
- You are a new (less than three years of experience in your current role) school-based behavioral health provider (school social worker, school psychologist, or counselor) providing school-based mental health services at a DC public or public charter school, and are a licensed social worker, psychologist, or counselor
- Be available to attend two in-person sessions (i.e., orientation, end of program celebration), two virtual trainings, and meet regularly with mentors
Mentor Program Requirements:
- You are an experienced (at least three years of experience in your current role) school-based behavioral health provider (school social worker, school psychologist, or counselor) providing school-based mental health services at a DC public or public charter school, and are a licensed social worker, psychologist, or counselor
- Be available to attend two in-person sessions (i.e., orientation, end of program celebration), two virtual trainings, and meet regularly with mentees
- Offer advice, share insights, and help new providers navigate the challenges of their new environment
- Offer feedback, share best practices, and provide opportunities for skill development in school mental health
Interested in participating or have additional questions?
Submit the mentor application or mentee application by Wednesday, March 11 or reach out to OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov with any additional questions.
DC Physical Education Standards, Public Feedback Requested (Reminder)
OSSE has proposed updates to the DC physical education standards and wants your feedback. The public comment period closes on Friday, March 20.
To provide public comment, please complete the following form:
If you have any questions about the standards revision process or opportunities for feedback, please contact OSSE.HYDT@dc.gov.
The Data, Assessment and Research (DAR) regularly publishes short articles and explainers about the data we collect, protect, analyze and report on our OSSE Data Discovery blog; the full archive of posts is available here.
If you would like these sent to your inbox every few months, subscribe here.
LEA Financial Reporting Application Collection - March 9 through April 17 (Reminder)
The LEA Financial Reporting application will open for the annual collection of financial expenditure data on Monday, March 9. All LEAs are required to submit 2024-25 school year financial data to OSSE by Friday, April 17.
Following the conclusion of the collection cycle, the DC School Report Card website will be updated to include both the LEA-level and school-level per-pupil financial expenditure data you submit.
There are some minor changes to the reporting requirements for the Common Financial Reporting Standards section, which will be outlined in the step-by-step application instructions and tutorial video on the OSSE website when the application opens.
LEA staff with the following roles in the Integrated Data Submission (IDS) All Staff Tool will receive access to the LEA Financial Reporting Application upon its release and communication from Gabriel Montague throughout the collection cycle:
- Head of School;
- LEA Data Manager;
- Chief Financial Officer; and
- LEA Finance/Grants Manager.
To ensure the correct points of contact (POCs) from your LEA have access to the LEA Financial Reporting Application and email updates, your LEA Data Manager should update the roles of the appropriate individuals to one of the roles listed above in the IDS All Staff Data Submission before the collection period begins on March 9.
The following resources are currently available on the OSSE website to assist you with this annual reporting requirement:
OSSE will hold optional office hours virtually through Microsoft Teams for LEA staff that have questions or need assistance with the application at the times listed below and registration links are below:
For questions related to the LEA Financial Reporting Application, please contact Gabriel Montague, OSSE Administrative Officer, at Gabriel.Montague@dc.gov or (202) 394-8977.
2025-26 School Climate Enhancement Microgrant Grantees (Reminder)
OSSE is proud to announce the selection of 11 schools as recipients of the 2025–26 School Climate Enhancement Microgrant. This targeted investment will provide $350,000 in total funding to support these schools as they strengthen sustainable, school-wide social and emotional learning (SEL) and school climate systems that promote the well-being of students and adults.
2025–26 School Climate Enhancement Microgrant Awardees:
- Roosevelt High School
- Charles Hart Middle School
- Ingenuity Prep PCS
- Dunbar High School
- Friendship PCS-Southeast Middle School
- BASIS DC PCS
- Creative Minds International PCS
- Two Rivers PCS-Young Middle School
- KIPP DC PCS-Legacy College Preparatory PCS
- Luke C. Moore High School
- Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS-Wahler Place Elementary School
OSSE is proud to partner with these school communities and looks forward to sharing their stories and successes throughout the year.
For more information, please visit the OSSE website here or contact Marcus Hughes at Marcus.Hughes@dc.gov.
Truancy Notification Form Updates (Reminder)
OSSE believes that preventing truancy is a shared responsibility between the state education agency, LEAs, parents, students and community members.
The Attendance Accountability Amendment Act of 2013 requires that LEAs notify OSSE within two business days of a student’s 10th unexcused absence. At select points during the year, OSSE provides a notification and truancy prevention resource guide to parents of students experiencing truancy.
As of February 2026, OSSE is discontinuing the LEA Truancy Notification Form submission process via Box. LEAs are no longer required to submit truancy notification forms, as OSSE already receives attendance data through the nightly Qlik attendance feed. No additional action is needed beyond maintaining accurate attendance data in your student information system.
For questions about OSSE attendance and truancy policy, please contact Aric Fulton at Aric.Fulton@dc.gov
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New: Explicit Writing Instruction for Secondary Multilingual, March 26
In this session, teachers of multilingual learners (MLs) in secondary grades will focus on the sentence-level to support students’ writing growth. Participants will explore strategies from The Writing Revolution, make connections to ML research and WIDA standards, and see classroom examples from a DC teacher.
The session will take place in-person on Thursday, March 26 at OSSE, 1050 First St. NE, from 1:30 - 4 p.m. Attendees will receive 3 professional learning units (PLUs) for their participation. Register here.
For more information, contact Francesca Smith, Multilingual Specialist, at Francesca.Smith@dc.gov.
New: DC STEM Saturday, March 28
OSSE is excited to announce DC STEM Saturday, featuring the DC STEM Fair and Math Inquiry Fair. The event will take place on Saturday, March 28 at Dunbar High School. The longest-running student competition in the District of Columbia, the DC STEM Fair brings together students from all eight wards to showcase their ideas, talents, and innovation.
For more information or to register, please visit osse.dc.gov/dc-stem-fair or contact Noelani Mussman at Noelani.Mussman@dc.gov.
New: Instructional Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and instructional strategies to support students’ academic, behavioral, and cognitive needs. This professional learning session will cover instructional supports, accommodations, and approaches that can be applied in the classroom.
Location: OSSE Main First Floor (1050 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002)
Space is limited to 40 educators. Attendees will receive 4 PLUs for each session. There will be two optional follow-up virtual sessions.
For more information, contact Angela Awonaike at Angela.Awonaike@dc.gov
New: 2026 DC Educator Workforce Summit, Call for Proposals
OSSE, in collaboration with the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), will host the 2026 DC Educator Workforce Summit: Innovating to Develop Excellent Educators on Monday, May 11 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
This convening serves as DC’s premiere policy-to-practice forum centered on strengthening DC’s educator workforce, allowing LEAs, Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs), teachers, and school leaders to engage in data-driven workshops, roundtables, and networking.
We are currently seeking action-oriented session proposals related to the following tracks:
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New Teacher Pathways and Induction: Innovations in pre-service, apprenticeships, and mentorship. Joint proposals between LEAs/schools and DC EPPs will be given priority preference.
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Instructional Excellence: Deepening content expertise and staffing structures.
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Leadership Pathways: Differentiated roles and team-based leadership models.
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Positive Culture and Climate: Strategies for staff well-being and retention. Joint proposals between LEA/school leaders and teachers will be given priority preference.
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Strategic Staffing: Organizing human capital to meet a specific community’s needs.
Submit your proposal by March 11: forms.office.com/g/m9J3GKK2Ve
For questions, please contact Fadhal Moore at Fadhal.Moore@dc.gov.
 New: Partnerships for School Attendance (PSA) Grant
OSSE will award approximately $2 million total in competitive grants to CBOs to support initiatives aimed at improving student attendance and engagement in schools across the District of Columbia. The competition is now open and applications must be submitted by CBOs by Friday, March 20 in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS).
To be eligible, CBOs must partner with DC public or public charter schools serving grades K–12. All applications must include a formal partnership agreement with the school, signed by the LEA’s designee.
Please see the RFA for more information on the grant opportunity.
For questions or additional information about the PSA grant, please contact Rudy Arellano at Rudy.Arellano@dc.gov or (202) 322-1713.
FY26 SOAR Facilities Continuation Applications Due by March 13 (Reminder)
The FY26 continuation application is now available in EGMS for LEAs that were awarded a Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act Facilities competitive grant in fiscal year 2024 (FY24) or FY25.
LEAs with carryover funds from FY25 must complete and submit a FY26 continuation application by 3 p.m. on Friday, March 13. Please review the continuation application guidance for detailed instructions on completing the application.
For any questions, contact Cynthia Davis at Cynthia.Davis@dc.gov.
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March 2026
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