Special Education Newsletter from the Indiana Department of Education

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Special Education Newsletter

This monthly newsletter from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Office of Special Education (OSE) includes resources, guidance, and support for special education directors, educators, and administrators who provide essential services that Indiana’s students with disabilities need to learn and thrive.


Special Educator Licensure, Recruitment, and Recognition

Participation in Indiana’s Special Education Assisted Licensure Initiative Continues to Increase

The Indiana Special Education Assisted Licensure (I-SEAL) initiative provides Indiana’s current and future special educators access to convenient, accelerated licensure options and key financial support. Since its fall 2021 inception, 731 aspiring special educators have signed up to complete licensure assistance with I-SEAL. To learn more and apply, visit IndianaSEAL.org.


Educator Recruitment and Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Indiana superintendents or human resources directors interested in the next opportunity to opt-in to the full Nimble ATS may complete this Jotform by Friday, January 27. This free upgrade for schools is designed to significantly enhance local capabilities around educator recruitment. The initialization for new ATS users will take place in late February. Additional information about the statewide partnership with Nimble can be found here. Contact Rebecca Estes with any questions.


Recognizing Indiana’s Special Educators

IDOE’s Office of Educator Talent has compiled a list of numerous opportunities nationwide to acknowledge the incredible work of Indiana educators. For special educators in particular, this list includes: 

  • Special Education Lifetime Achievement Award - recognizing an individual who has made continued and sustained contributions to positive outcomes for children and youth with exceptionalities. 
  • Special Educator Rising Star Award - recognizing a Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)-member teacher who is in the first five years of their special education career and has shown exceptional potential for leadership in teaching, service, and/or scholarship.
  • CEC Teacher of the Year Award - recognizing a CEC-member teacher who currently provides instruction to students with exceptionalities and is an outstanding member of the profession.
  • Starfish Award - presented to educators who go above and beyond to meet the needs of all of their students through Universal Design for Learning and the implementation of accessible educational materials and assistive technology. 
  • National Teachers Hall of Fame - candidates must be certified classroom teachers (active or retired) with at least 20 years experience teaching in preK-12. 
  • Special Circumstance Award: Freida J. Riley Teacher Award - limited to K-12 teachers who work with physical handicaps, teach in an especially challenging educational environment, or have performed a heroic act through personal or physical sacrifice in the line of duty. 

To submit an educator recognition opportunity not included on this list, please contact Anne Marie Milligan.

Monitoring

Technical Assistance Webinar: Navigating Data Exchange and Evaluations 

IDOE’s OSE will host a technical assistance webinar on Thursday, February 23, from 10 to 11 a.m. The topic will be Navigating Data Exchange and Evaluations (EV Roster). This webinar will offer guidance on how to pull down your school’s EV Roster from Data Exchange, how to retrieve the IN-EV and Projected Eligibility Meetings reports, and how to compare these reports to ensure that data in Data Exchange is accurate for Initial Evaluations (Indicator 11) and transitions from First Steps (Indicator 12).


2022-2023 Indicator 13 Monitoring

Beginning in late February, schools in Rotation Group Two will be subject to 2022-2023 Indicator 13-Secondary Transition (Transition IEP) monitoring for IEPs finalized in the 2022-2023 school year. Please review the OSE Indicator 13 Monitoring Rotation to identify your school’s rotation group.

Fiscal

Important Information for School Corporations Claiming Medicaid Reimbursement for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Services

IDOE’s OSE recently received clarification from FSSA’s Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning the state Medicaid agency confirming that the below policy statement is no longer applicable to schools’ claims for Medicaid-covered ABA services required per an eligible student's IEP.

Medicaid will only reimburse for one-on-one intervention. Reimbursement is not available for group instruction.”

This policy statement is no longer in effect and has been removed from chapter four of the Medicaid Billing Tool Kit. To access the revised Medicaid Billing Tool Kit, click the link provided under School Medicaid Claiming Manuals on IDOE’s School Medicaid webpage.


Part B 611 and 619 Grant Due Dates and Reporting Deadlines

Templates for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Part B proportionate share reports were posted in IDOE’s OSE Moodle community under the Fiscal section in mid-January. Semi-annual Part B proportionate share reports for FY 2021, FY 2022, FY 2022 ARP, and FY 2023 Part B grants are due on or before Tuesday, January 31. Email all proportionate share reports to partbgrants@doe.in.gov.

Final reports for FY 2021 Part B grants were due Sunday, January 15 (30 days after the final FY 2021 Part B grants reimbursement deadline). Email FY 2021 final reports to partbgrants@doe.in.gov.

Schools that have not yet submitted FY 2023 Part B 611 and 619 grant applications are reminded to please submit those in the Grant Management System on or before Wednesday, February 15.

Please check the current Part B fiscal specialist assignments list in IDOE’s OSE Moodle community, and contact your school’s assigned specialist with any questions regarding Part B grants.

Dispute Resolution

Parent and Student Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Click the following link to access frequently asked questions regarding FERPA, resources for parents and students and K-12 school officials, guidance documents and annual notices, as well as information on filing a complaint.

Technical Assistance and Professional Development

Professional Development on Compassion Fatigue

Click here to access the recorded version of Director of Special Education Dr. Nancy J. Holsapple’s recent presentation on special educator compassion fatigue versus burnout in the Indiana Learning Lab.


Office Hours with IDOE & IN*SOURCE

Join IDOE’s Director of Kindergarten Readiness, Dr. Kelli Servizzi and IN*SOURCE Assistant Director Lesa Paddack on Tuesday, January 24, at noon or 6 p.m. ET to discuss kindergarten readiness, including preparing for preschool and IDOE/FSSA’s joint framework for transition values and kindergarten readiness. Office Hours with IDOE and IN*SOURCE are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Join with this link for all dates and times. For more information call 800.332.4433 or email insource@insource.org.


IEP TA Center 

The IEP TA Center, formerly known as the Indiana IEP Resource Center, offers regional training at no cost to Indiana educators. View the training catalog and register for upcoming workshops. January workshops include: 

  • Best Practices for Writing Skill-Based Measurable Goals and Progress Monitoring on Tuesday, January 24, in Indianapolis, IN

  • Best Practices for Writing Skill-Based Measurable Goals and Progress Monitoring on Wednesday, January 25, in Jeffersonville, IN

  • Developing Behavior Intervention Plans on Thursday, January 26, in Merrillville, IN

  • Developing Behavior Intervention Plans on Tuesday, January 31, in Indianapolis, IN

Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with questions.


Office of Student Support and Accessibility Community on Moodle 

IDOE's Office of Student Support and Accessibility Community is now live and available on Moodle. The community will feature resources for all special populations including special education and English learners, PD opportunities, and TA resources. To access the Office of Student Support and Accessibility Community Moodle, please click here to sign up and enroll. Please contact IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with any questions.

Updates from the U.S. Department of Education

Notice of Intent to Revise Federal Part B Medicaid Consent Rule

Recognizing it creates a barrier to LEAs' ability to access Medicaid funding and is not required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the U.S. Department of Education recently published a notice of intent to issue a proposed rule to modify the Medicaid consent requirement in 34 CFR 300.154(d)(2)(iv). The notice states that the proposed rule is intended to streamline LEA’s access to an important source of funding to support critical services for children with disabilities, reduce paperwork burden, and be consistent with the Act (IDEA) while ensuring there is no reduction in benefits to children and protecting the rights of parents.

Additional Opportunities

PATINS Project Opportunities and Resources for Indiana Educators

Indiana educators can now borrow the Magnifier and Table Together (MATT) Connect Tablet/Magnifier from the PATINS Assistive Technology Lending Library. Complete the loan request form to borrow technology at no cost. Contact the PATINS Project with any questions.


Indiana MAC - Random Moment Time Study (RMTS) Webinars

Click the links below to register for either of two upcoming webinars to help school staff participating in the IndianaMAC RMTS get a better understanding of how the quarterly time studies work and how best to ensure responses comply with the timeliness requirements. Contact the Office of Special Education with questions.


Council For Exceptional Children (CEC) 2023 Convention & Expo

The 2023 CEC Convention & Expo will be held from Wednesday, March 1, through Saturday, March 4, in Louisville, Kentucky. Join the CEC to learn, share, grow, and connect with special education professionals around the world. All educators, supervisors, and support staff members are eligible for a special discount of $70 off registration by using the code INDIANA23. Register for the CEC Convention & Expo here. Contact CEC with any questions.


Early Warning Indicator Focus Groups

IDOE and our partner, Resultant, are seeking educators, school administrators, and interventionists to complete a short survey regarding student performance data and how they are used locally. The information gathered via this survey will help IDOE in the development of an innovative Early Warning Indicator tool that can predict and identify students at risk of not graduating high school on time or achieving postsecondary success. You can access the survey here. In addition to this survey, IDOE is hosting a series of virtual, one-hour focus groups throughout January. If you would like to participate, please sign up here. If you wish to participate but cannot make any of the scheduled times, please reach out to mthielmeyer@resultant.com to schedule a meeting.


State Ed-ID Portal Now Available for New Student Test Numbers (STN) and School Personnel Numbers (SPN) 

The transition to the new Ed-ID portal is now complete. Ed-IDs for students (also known as STNs) as well as Ed-IDs for staff (also known as SPNs) can now be requested through the portal. This process replaces the old approach to generating IDs for educators and students and allows for more versatility in the generation and use of IDs. It will also improve the management of IDs through a centralized service. More information is available in this memo. Details are now posted on the Ed-ID website. Contact link@doe.in.gov with any questions.


January Graduation Pathways Webinar

IDOE’s Student Pathways and Opportunities team will host the Graduation Pathways January webinar on Thursday, January 26, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET via Microsoft Teams. Please use this link to join. Contact DOEGradpathways@doe.in.gov with any questions.

Upcoming Dates

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Tuesday,
January 24 

IEP TA Center Regional Training in Indianapolis: Best Practices for Writing Skill-Based Measurable Goals and Progress Monitoring

Tuesday, January 24 at noon or 6 p.m.

Office Hours with IDOE’s Director of Kindergarten Readiness, Dr. Kelli Servizzi and IN*SOURCE Assistant Director Lesa Paddack 

Wednesday,
January 25

IEP TA Center Regional Training in Jeffersonville: Best Practices for Writing Skill-Based Measurable Goals and Progress Monitoring 

Thursday,
January 26 

IEP TA Center Regional Training in Merrillville: Developing Behavior Intervention Plans

Thursday, January 26, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET

Graduation Pathways January Webinar with IDOE’s Student Pathways and Opportunities Team. Join here.

Friday,
January 27

Opt-in to the full Nimble ATS by completing this Jotform 

Tuesday,
January 31

IEP TA Center Regional Training in Indianapolis: Developing Behavior Intervention Plans 

Thursday,
February 9

IndianaMAC - AJ23 RMTS Webinar

Tuesday,
February 14 

IndianaMAC - AJ23 RMTS Webinar

Wednesday,
February 15

FY 2023 Part B 611 and 619 grant applications due here for schools that have not yet submitted applications. 

Thursday, February 23, from 10 to 11 a.m. ET

Technical Assistance Webinar: Navigating Data Exchange and Evaluations. Join here.

Late
February

Rotation Group Two 2022-2023 Indicator 13-Secondary Transition (Transition IEP) monitoring begins for IEPs finalized in the 2022-2023 school year. Identify your school’s rotation group here.

Wednesday, March 1 - Saturday, March 4

Council For Exceptional Children (CEC) 2023 Convention & Expo in Louisville, Kentucky

Additional Resources