|
|
New: DC Survey About Your School (DC SAYS) Window Open Until April 3
OSSE is excited to see a successful two weeks of DC Survey About Your School (DC SAYS). We are grateful for all the responses we are seeing so far. As a reminder, the survey window closes on April 3 and is available for District students, teachers and school-based staff, and parents and caregivers. We encourage you to share messaging to your school communities using our communications toolkit found on the DC SAYS website.
For questions, please email OSSE.DCSAYS@dc.gov.
New: Resources to Support Military Connected Youth
For staff supporting military-connected students experiencing, or potentially experiencing, family deployment, the following resources are available. These tools offer practical guidance for educators and caregivers.
For additional questions, please contact Joseph Hood, Policy Analyst, at Joseph.Hood@dc.gov.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Accountability OSSE is Seeking Public Comment (Reminder)
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 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):
-
Statewide requirements in Section 1111(c)(4)(C) to meaningfully differentiate, on an annual basis, all public schools;
-
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
-
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).
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.
LEA Financial Reporting Application Collection - March 9 through April 17 (Reminder)
The LEA Financial Reporting application opened 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.
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.
|
New: Take the Healthy Schools Pledge for Growing Healthy Schools Month
This April, join our District LEA community in celebrating Growing Healthy Schools Month (GHSM)! 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.
New: 2026 Summer Institute for Garden-based Teaching
Applications are now open for 2026 Summer Institute for Garden-based Teaching, happening July 14-17, 8:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
This is a four-day training, consisting of 30 hours of intensive in-person training for 40 kindergarten to fifth grade public and public charter school teachers. The goal of this training is to inspire and support teachers and school staff to integrate their school garden more fully into their daily educational activities.
Applications will be accepted now through Friday, May 1. The priority deadline is Monday, April 6. Applicants will be notified on a rolling basis starting April 9, until full. All participants receive a stipend. Click here to apply and learn more. For more information, please email Sam Ullery, School Gardens Specialist, at Sam.Ullery@dc.gov
Explicit Writing Instruction for Secondary Multilingual, March 26 (Reminder)
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.
DC STEM Saturday, March 28 (Reminder)
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.
Instructional Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Reminder)
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
 Partnerships for School Attendance (PSA) Grant (Reminder)
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 kindergarten through 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.
|
March 2026
|
