Supported Decision Making
Indiana Code 20-35-6-4 Sec. 4(a) and (b) requires a case conference committee meeting for a student in grades eight through 12 to address decision making skills. This memo provides additional information. To facilitate this conversation, a document titled Spread the Word: Communicating Choice has been provided. Contact IDOE’s Office of Special Education with any questions.
Evaluation Roster Compliance Guide Now Available
An Evaluation (EV) Roster Compliance Guide is available to assist schools with ensuring their data for special education evaluations for students receiving initial evaluations (Indicator 11) and transitioning from First Steps (Indicator 12) is accurate within Data Exchange (DEX). The compliance guide covers common validation errors and explains what information needs to be located within the EV Roster when downloaded from DEX. The special education evaluation data collection ends Friday, June 30. Please contact the Office of Special Education monitoring team with any questions or concerns.
Post-School Outcomes Survey
The Post-School Outcomes Survey is open until Friday, September 1, and has been sent to the IIEP contact on file for students with IEPs who exited high school in the 2021-2022 school year. OSE recognizes that IIEP contact information is not comprehensive. The purpose of this survey is to learn about the student’s employment, education, training, and other experiences after leaving high school; and IDOE uses this information to improve school programming and support future students in Indiana schools. For school corporations that use PowerSchool, please note that the survey can be sent electronically using PowerSchool-info to import a spreadsheet/CSV file to create a one-off mailing list in their SchoolMessenger System. If you believe your school corporation’s SIS may be able to accommodate a variation of this method, please contact OSEmonitoring@doe.in.gov.
Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Special Education Grant Assurances Due Saturday, July 1
FY 2024 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Grant Assurances templates and instructions for using the Grant Management System are now available in the Office of Special Education Community in Moodle under Part B Grants for Special Education. To reserve the earliest reimbursement effective date for the FY 2024 Part B grant period, public school corporations, charter schools, and state schools must submit correctly completed Assurances for next year’s (FY 2024) Part B grants in the Grant Management System on or before Saturday, July 1, 2023. This year, there are four new questions that must be answered on the Assurances document to address requirements under Section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 U.S.C. 1228a). Please email questions to the Office of Special Education’s Part B Grants team.
To Be Released: Special Education Paraprofessional Training Grant Application Forms
Special Education Paraprofessional Training Grant funds will soon be available to help school corporations and special education consortiums (cooperatives, joint services, interlocals) ensure that paraprofessionals (instructional or program assistants, bus monitors, interpreters, note takers, and job coaches) receive appropriate training to meet the needs of the students they serve. OSE staff are currently preparing the instructions and will provide additional guidance on completion and submission of these grant applications. Special Education Paraprofessional Training Grants will allow applicants to budget allowable expenditures for the period August 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024. Due to the short time span of the grant period, no modifications will be possible once the grant budget is approved. Please watch for upcoming announcements regarding these grants in the Dr. Jenner’s Weekly Update Newsletter and the OSE Moodle Community.
Encumber All FY 2022 Part B Grant Funds by Saturday, September 30
To ensure sufficient time for budget modification review and approval, submit all FY 2022 and American Rescue Plan (ARP) IDEA Part B grant budget modification requests by no later than Friday, September 15. All FY 2022 and ARP Part B funds must be encumbered by Saturday, September 30. All FY 2022 and ARP Part B grant reimbursement requests must be submitted to Part B Grants Reimbursements by Friday, December 15. The form to request FY 2022 and/or ARP Part B Grant Proportionate Share Waivers will become available on Saturday, July 1. The due date for the next round of Part B monitoring reports is Monday, July 31. All Part B grant forms and related guidance are available under Part B Grants for Special Education in the Office of Special Education Moodle Community’s Fiscal section. Please contact the Office of Special Education’s Part B Grants team with any questions.
Special Education Excess Cost (SEEC) Application Rubric
IDOE and a stakeholder group of special education administrators developed a framework to help school districts complete SEEC funding applications. This SEEC Application Rubric outlines the information that must be provided when answering SEEC application questions and should be included in the student's IEP. When reviewing submitted applications, OSE officials will use the rubric to determine if the criteria for use of excess cost funds have been met. Contact IDOE’s Office of Special Education regarding any SEEC application questions.
SEEC Fund Office Hours
OSE will hold office hours to support schools that are applying for SEEC funds. This is an opportunity for school personnel to ask questions regarding recently released new information and district-specific cases. No registration is required. Join any upcoming session by clicking the corresponding link below.
Literacy Remediation and Support for Students Who Did Not Pass IREAD-3
IDOE strongly encourages corporations to consider summer remediation programs for grade two and grade three students who did not pass IREAD-3 during the spring administration. Students who did not pass IREAD-3 this spring should receive additional support on foundational reading skills and reading comprehension to ensure lifelong access to other content prior to consideration for Good Cause Exemptions. Please review this memo for remediation guidance, Good Cause Exemption (GCE) considerations, and science of reading resources. Contact IDOE’s Literacy Center with any questions.
Promoting Achievement through Technology and Instruction for all Students (PATINS) Project Opportunities and Resources for Indiana Educators
The PATINS Project offers opportunities and resources, including Accessible Education Materials for students with disabilities. A list can be found here. Contact the PATINS Project or IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with any questions.
Indiana IEP (IIEP) June Release
The June IIEP release notes, including the link to a related webinar, are available here.
IDOE Partners with ICASE to Offer Training for New Special Education Directors
IDOE and ICASE will offer a New Special Education Director Training on Thursday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET at Avon Community School Corporation's White Oak Professional Development Center. This course provides an overview of IDOE policies and resources. It is intended for first- or second-year special education directors and special education administrators. The training allows time for networking with other new directors and the IDOE Office of Special Education team. Topics covered include Results Driven Accountability (RDA), Dispute Resolution, Federal and State Funding, Grant Management, School Medicaid, and others. The registration fee is $25. Click this link for event information and registration.
Luann Purcell Continuing Education Scholarship for Special Educators
The Dr. Luann Purcell Scholarship for Continuing Education allows aspiring special education administrators to continue their pursuit of excellence with a scholarship of $1,000 to use toward higher education, or added certification in the area of special education administration. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 30. Visit the Council for Administrators of Special Education (CASE) website to learn more about the scholarship or to make a donation.
Updates to the Licensing Verification and Information System (LVIS)
This summer, the LVIS online licensing system will be upgraded and become LVIS360. The system will have all the same–but improved–functionality with a new look and navigation. Training opportunities will be communicated to licensing advisors in educator preparation programs and approvers in schools and corporations prior to the launch this summer. More information will be released as it becomes available. Contact IDOE's Office of Educator Licensing with any questions.
Navigating Special Education in Charter Schools Training
Join IDOE and the IEP TA Center in attending Navigating Special Education in Charter Schools. This one-day training is designed to meet the needs of charter schools across the state by exploring effective special education practices, policies, and procedures. The training will be provided regionally this July. View this flyer for more information and registration details. Contact the IEP TA Center or IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with any questions.
IEP TA Center - What Administrators Need to Know About Special Education
The IEP TA Center is pleased to collaborate with the Educational Service Centers of Indiana to host What Administrators Need to Know About Special Education, a regional professional learning opportunity for Indiana administrators. The workshop will provide a focused, practical overview for building and district administrators to support the achievement of all students and ensure compliant and defensible practices. Workshops will be provided at various service centers across the state this fall. View this flyer for more information and registration details. Contact the IEP TA Center or IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with any questions.
Office Hours with IDOE and IN*SOURCE
IDOE partners with IN*SOURCE to present free monthly webinars on special education topics. Office Hours are offered from noon to 1 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. ET. Use this link to join any session. For more information and upcoming topics, call 800.332.4433 or email insource@insource.org.
Register for Upcoming No-Cost Trainings from the PATINS Project
For information on and to register for no-cost PATINS trainings, view the July training calendar.
Office of Student Support and Accessibility Technical Assistance Office Hours
IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility will host Technical Assistance Office Hours from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET on the first Thursday of each month. The first 20 minutes will cover a relevant topic of choice and the remaining time will be available for questions and discussion. Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with any questions.
Proposed Adjustments to Part B Information Collection May Affect Fiscal Monitoring
Public comments are due by Monday, July 10, regarding IDEA Part B revisions proposed by the U.S. Department of Education. These include changes to Indicators 4a and 4b (significant discrepancy in discipline) and the addition of a general supervision indicator (Indicator 18) to report on the findings and correction of noncompliance. This may include fiscal monitoring, related requirements for results indicators, and other areas of state monitoring. Click here to review and comment on these proposed Part B changes.
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Proposes Revisions to the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR)
The U.S. Department of Education’s OSEP is proposing two revisions of the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023-2025 State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report related to (1) increasing the transparency of the state’s monitoring and dispute resolution procedures related to the identification and correction of noncompliance; and (2) the state’s Indicator 4A and 4B (Suspension/Expulsion) methodology for including and excluding local educational agencies (LEAs). Additional information regarding the proposed changes can be found here. Public comments are due by Monday, July 10, and can be submitted here.
Proposed Part B Change to Remove Medicaid Consent Requirement
On Thursday, May 18, the U.S. Department of Education published proposed IDEA Part B regulation changes to remove the requirement for public agencies to obtain parental consent prior to accessing a child’s public health coverage benefits or insurance to help pay for required IDEA Part B services. The public comment period is open now through Tuesday, August 1. Except as noted below, comments must be submitted electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at regulations.gov.
- Commenters who require an accommodation or are otherwise unable to submit public comments online are instructed to email Rebecca.Walawender@ed.gov.
- Commenters who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services to provide comments can dial 7–1–1.
From American Association of School Administrators (AASA): Medicaid Public Health Emergency Unwinding Toolkit – Helping Families Understand How to Keep Kids Covered
A return to pre-pandemic annual Medicaid eligibility renewal requirements could mean thousands of students will lose Medicaid coverage if they do not update their child's Medicaid eligibility information. This Toolkit, a resource available from the AASA, is intended to assist schools with helping families retain coverage for their children’s medical, including mental health, needs.
From The Hechlinger Report: Students with Disabilities Often Left Out of Dual-Language Programs
Students with IEPs can benefit as much if not more than their general education peers but often lack access to dual-language programs. Read the full article here.
Upcoming Dates |
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Wednesday, June 28, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. ET
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SEEC office hours
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Friday, June 30
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Special education evaluation data collection ends
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Friday, June 30
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Application deadline for the Luann Purcell Continuing Education Scholarship for Special Educators
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Saturday, July 1
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FY 2024 Special Education Grant Assurances due
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Monday, July 10
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Public comment deadline for IDEA Part B revisions
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Wednesday, July 12, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. ET
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SEEC office hours
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Thursday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET
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New Special Education Director Training at Avon Community School Corporation's White Oak Professional Development Center
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Wednesday, July 26, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. ET
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SEEC office hours
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Monday, July 31
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Next round of Part B monitoring reports due
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Friday, September 1
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Post-School Outcomes survey due
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Saturday, September 30
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Encumbrance deadline for all FY 2022 Part B Grant funds
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