Updated 2023-2024 Parent Survey Information
Each year parents and families are encouraged to participate in the annual parent survey. The parent survey should be completed after the student with disabilities annual case review (ACR). To assist local education agencies with distributing the parent survey, an updated letter to families is available in English and Spanish. The survey is available in English, Burmese, and Spanish. An updated letter to families in Burmese will be available soon. Please contact the Office of Special Education with any questions or concerns.
Parent Letters: English, Spanish
Survey Links: English, Spanish, Burmese
Rethinking Transition to Employment: Facilitating Individualized Work Experiences for Students with Disabilities
IDOE and the Indiana Family and Social Service Administration (FSSA) Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) are collaborating on a free TransCen virtual workshop series. According to research, children who have meaningful work experiences in high school, including those with disabilities, have better career outcomes as adults. This webinar series is designed to provide secondary transition experts and vocational rehabilitation and community partners with the tools to facilitate community-based transition services. This three-part series includes coaching calls following each webinar for participants more time to ask questions and share successes and challenges. Additional information and registration for each session can be found here. Contact IDOE’s Office of Special Education with any questions.
Resolution of Conflicts for Membership 2023
Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, IDOE will no longer broker the resolution of data conflicts after the certification date. If, after the certification date, schools are unable to resolve an outstanding conflict, schools may petition the State Board of Education for an adjustment in their average daily membership (ADM) count by providing the Board with evidence supporting an adjustment in their membership claim. The process for petitioning the board will be made available this fall and communicated in Dr. Jenner’s Weekly Update. IDOE wants to make sure each school receives full funding for the students they are serving and completes the Membership count within two to three weeks of the count date. This process will help achieve both of these goals. See this memo for a more complete explanation of this change. Contact the Data Exchange Team with any questions.
School and Corporation Profile Amendment Window
The school and corporation profile amendment submission window for the 2023-2024 school year is open through Thursday, August 31. In order for IDOE to maintain accurate information, all schools and corporations must provide notice when changes are made that affect school openings, closures, and reconfigurations. Information on the submission process can be found here. Contact IDOE's Office of Accountability with any questions.
Special Education Cooperative Setup for LINK and other IDOE systems
As the 2023-2024 school year begins, please review the following important information about setting up LINK to ensure staff have the appropriate access to LINK and other IDOE systems. The 2023 Special Education Cooperative Setup for LINK and other IDOE systems is useful information for many more staff other than special education cooperative directors.
Year by Year Roles Setup:
Security Coordinators will need to ensure IDOE receives new roles for each school year. Most LEAs have a student information system (SIS) with already set roles that can sync with Data Exchange/LINK when the new school year is set up. Cooperative networks will need to add the roles manually via the LINK Security Portal each school year. To help bridge the gap between school years, IDOE recognizes both the prior school year roles and the new school year roles up until September 1. The prior year roles do not need to be removed and the emphasis should be on adding the new school year roles. This applies to all roles such as Special Education Director, Student Support Plans, Data Viewer, etc.
IDOE offers several updated user guides for the LINK portal, which are now posted online.
Designation of Key Contacts
Security coordinators for all traditional public, charter, and accredited non-public schools are responsible for ensuring their organization’s key contacts for the 2023-2024 school year are set. Key contacts including the roles of Superintendent, Financial Contact, Special Education Director, Principal, Data Exchange Contact, etc. are needed for the 2023-2024 school year even if those contacts were provided last school year.
For school corporations that have an Ed-fi student information system (SIS), key contacts and other staff role assignments should be entered and managed in the local SIS and then provided to Data Exchange/LINK for the new school year. However, all three options below are available:
- Provide staff classifications in the local SIS per vendor’s instructions,
- Add a staff type manually for the 2023-2024 school year via the Security Portal, or
- Upload templates 008_StaffAssociation_StaffEdOrgAssignmentAssociation and 0009_StaffOrganizationContactAssociation into Data Exchange.
Schools utilizing options two and three may cause overriding or loss of data. Schools should connect with their SIS vendor to better understand how to avoid data loss when providing data via multiple methods. IDOE will recognize active staff assignments/roles during the summer months from the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years and will begin recognizing only the 2023-2024 school year assignments beginning Friday, September 1. Security coordinator instructions can be found here. Contact the Data Exchange Team with any questions.
SE/SV Record Not Found
If a student has an Indiana IEP and receives the message that the SE/SV record is not found when this is indicated on the student application, please proceed in submitting the application. When the application is saved, it will go to a pending status. All pending applications will be reviewed to verify that the student is eligible for special education services. Those students who can be verified will have their applications approved. For students whose special education eligibility cannot be verified, the application cannot be approved with “yes” selected for IEP. A denial letter will be sent to the school and the application will be denied. The parent/guardian can appeal the decision by following the directions in the denial letter; or the application can be submitted with “no” for IEP.
Part B 611 Application for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Now Available
The Part B 611 grant application for FY 2024 is now available in the Office of Special Education Community in Moodle. Completed applications must be received in IDOE's Grant Management System by Friday, September 15. FY 2024 application workbooks include a checklist to address common errors. Separate documents with instructions for each budget category are also available with the application in Moodle. New charter schools that open for the 2023-2024 school year will be eligible for Part B funding in January 2024, and IDOE will contact them at that time. Contact partbgrants@doe.in.gov with any questions.
Part B Office Hours
The Office of Special Education’s Part B fiscal team will host office hours to assist LEAs with completing the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Part B 611 and 619 grants. These are also a forum for help with questions or issues concerning reimbursements, modifications, and reports for any Part B grants. Each session is structured as a time to address individual questions, and there will be no formal presentation.
Click the following links to join at any time during the 60-minute sessions and get answers to Part B questions or help with the completion and submission process:
FY 2022 & American Rescue Plan (ARP) Part B Grant Proportionate Share Waiver Request Form Now Available
The FY 2022 Part B 611, 619, ARP 611, and ARP 619 Grant Proportionate Share Waiver Request Form and instructions is now available in the Office of Special Education Community in Moodle. Completed requests with supporting documentation must be submitted to partbgrants@doe.in.gov by Thursday, August 31. Following waiver approval, a Part B grant budget modification request is required to transfer funds among budget scopes and must be submitted by Friday, September 15. Contact IDOE’s Part B Grants team with additional questions.
All IDEA Part B and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Reimbursements
IDOE is currently compiling data for the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). The state Comptroller's Office has asked that the expenses be split between June 30, 2023, and July 1, 2023, so that we may complete this report accurately. Please submit separate reimbursement requests for June and July to avoid delays with your payment.
RoboKind Grant Opportunity
Applications are now available for corporations and schools to apply for grant funds to purchase robotic technology and professional development to improve the social and behavioral skills for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). RoboKind is endorsed by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) to serve these students with educational technology. Recipients will receive the curriculum, educational robot, applicable training, and infrastructure support. Information regarding applications and the funding process can be found here. To apply for this opportunity, complete the JotForm with with the budget form by Friday, September 1. Contact robokind@doe.in.gov with any questions.
Paraprofessional Training Grant Application
IDOE is offering a grant opportunity to school corporations, charter schools, state schools, and special education cooperatives, joint services, and interlocals to guarantee that paraprofessionals, as defined in 511 Indiana Administrative Code (IAC) 7-32-69, receive training to assist students with disabilities. The grant application closes Friday, September 1.
FREE Paraprofessional Training Modules
An important part of the instructional team is the paraprofessionals who educate and support students with disabilities. However, to be effective, they need training and guidance. As a gift from Daviess-Martin Special Education Cooperative, Mary Rodimel and Chad Ballengee worked with the Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA) to produce ten training videos geared specifically for paraprofessionals. Thanks to their generosity, these videos are now free for all to use in preparation for the school year. View paraprofessional training modules here. Please contact Cathy Pratt at the IRCA with any questions.
Auditory-Verbal Accelerated (AVA) Education Funding Available
Following the 2023 legislative session, IDOE will receive $2 million per fiscal year to assist school corporations with the costs of educating students who require AVA education services. Funding guidance is detailed in this memo. Contact IDOE’s Office of Special Education’s AVA team with any additional questions.
Trial Assistive Technology with your Students for No Cost
The PATINS Project Assistive Technology Lending Library loan request form is now open for the 2023-2024 school year. The PATINS Lending Library is a no-cost service that loans assistive technology devices, software, resource materials, etc., to school personnel at Indiana's local education agencies (LEA). Training and/or technical assistance may be requested to accompany any of the items available for loan. These items are shipped directly to your school. They are used for the purpose of preview and/or trial periods with students. Items are loaned for a six-week evaluation period. Browse the catalog and make a loan request today. Please contact the PATINS Project for additional support.
Upcoming No-Cost Trainings from the PATINS Project
Register for these no-cost trainings from the PATINS Project. Please visit our training calendar for all upcoming, no-cost trainings or view the PATINS Professional Development Guide for offerings by request.
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How To: Creating Recipes on iOS for Curricular Access, AAC and Games: 9 a.m. or 1 p.m.
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Register for "Let’s ChAT: TODs and AT - Going Beyond FM/DM Systems": This is a facilitated conversation around assistive technology and deaf/hard of hearing programming in your district(s). Please come to this 30-minute session with your scenarios, issues, concerns and make plans to develop and implement policy and procedures for AT for your DHH students.
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Register for "You, as a Digital Rights Manager": This training will explain the tasks required of a Digital Rights Manager (DRM) as they acquire accessible educational materials (AEM) for students with documented print disabilities through the Indiana Center for Accessible Materials (ICAM).
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Introduction to Teaching and Learning with AAC: This self-paced course gives an introduction to Augmentative and Alternative Communication, key classroom concepts for supporting AAC users, data collection, and considerations for special populations. This self-paced course counts for 9.5 hours of continuing education when completed. Registration is open until Wednesday, September 13.
Indiana IEP (IIEP) August Release
Click here to view the August IIEP release notes.
Educator Licensing Office Hours
The Office of Educator Licensing is offering office hours every Thursday morning from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. ET. Please share this link with administrative and instructional teams so they can log in to ask any licensure questions they may have. Contact IDOE's Office of Educator Licensing with any questions.
ICHAMP Access
Please ensure that the special education director at your local education agency (including public school corporations and charter schools) has the appropriate role in your school’s student information system (SIS) to allow them access to ICHAMP. Specifically, please ensure that if you are the director of special education, you have the key contact tag or type of “Special Education Director.” There can be one local director of special education (corporation or charter school level) and one planning district director of special education (network level). Please contact ichamphelpdesk@doe.in.gov with any questions related to ICHAMP access. There are also user guides and information available on the ICHAMP website.
Child Find
Public schools must establish, maintain, and implement written procedures that ensure the location, identification, and evaluation of all students three years of age, but less than 22 years of age, who are in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of the disability, including:
- Students who have legal settlement;
- Students attending nonpublic schools, including home schools, within the jurisdiction of the public school;
- Students who are homeless;
- Students who are wards of the state;
- Students who are highly mobile, including migrant students; and
- Students who are suspected of being students with disabilities in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. 511 IAC 7-40-1(a).
A charter school that is not a part of a public school corporation must establish, maintain, and implement written procedures that ensure the location, identification, and evaluation of all students attending the charter school who are in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of the disability. 511 IAC 7-40-1(b).
Please review your school’s child find written policies and procedures to evaluate whether they are sufficiently robust to ensure the appropriate referral and evaluation of children who may have a disability under IDEA. Some common external and internal components of child find policies and procedures include the following:
- Community outreach;
- Parental notification;
- The requirement that during the consultation with nonpublic school representatives and representatives of parents referenced in 511 IAC 7-34-4(c), the child find process is discussed;
- How parents can make a referral for evaluation;
- How school personnel can make a referral;
Note: Participation in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process or Response to Intervention (RTI) program cannot be used to delay or deny a request for an initial evaluation. The United States Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) Office of Special Programs (OSEP) recently addressed inquiries related to this and released a reminder to state educational agencies and local education agencies: MTSS/RTI Process Cannot Be Used to Delay/Deny an Initial Evaluation (April 10, 2023).
For additional information from the OSERS related to child find, please see the Return to School Roadmap: Q & A on Child Find Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (August 24, 2021).
Dispute Resolution
If in a situation where you would like a refresher on common formal and informal dispute resolution options available to schools and parents of students with disabilities, please visit the IDOE’s Dispute Resolution webpage.
Register Now for Elevating Education - Improving Outcomes for All Statewide Conference
Registration is open for Elevating Education: Improving Outcomes for All, a new statewide conference from IDOE and the IEP Technical Assistance (TA) Center. The conference is intended for general educators, special educators, and administrators and will take place at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis and the Indiana Convention Center on Tuesday, November 28, and Wednesday, November 29. Register here, as space is limited! Please contact IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility 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 in August and September. View this flyer for more information and registration details. Contact the IEP TA Center or IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with 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 on the fourth Tuesday of every month from 12 to 1 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. ET. Use this link to join any session and call 800.332.4433 or email insource@insource.org with questions.
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.
New Special Education General Supervision Guidance to States
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently issued new guidance to state education agencies regarding their general supervision responsibilities. This new guidance provides states with “accessible and actionable information necessary to exercise their general supervision responsibilities to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living; and that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected.”
Indiana Education Scholarship Account Education Service Plan
Per Indiana Code (IC) 20-51.4, Indiana students with disabilities may be eligible for an Educational Scholarship Account (ESA). As required by code, the Indiana State Board of Education has filed a Notice of Intent to Adopt a Rule (LSA #23-504) regarding the development of the educational scholarship account service plan (ESA-SP). To provide clarification on ESA-SP statutory and regulatory requirements, the Office of Legal Affairs-Dispute Resolution has released this guidance memo. Contact IDOE’s Dispute Resolution Team with any questions.
Expansion of Indiana Learns Tutoring Grant Program
IDOE recently announced the expansion of Indiana Learns, a statewide grant program providing qualifying parents and families with $1,000 grants to spend on high-dosage tutoring in math and English/language arts and approved out-of-school academic programs for their students. To date, more than 10,000 students are enrolled in Indiana Learns. Initially open to fourth and fifth grade students, the program expansion opens grant funds eligibility to students in third through eighth grade who scored below proficiency in math or English/language arts on the 2023 administration of ILEARN.
In addition to expanded student eligibility, the following Indiana Learns updates are also effective July 2023:
- Increase awards for all students with established accounts to $1,000
- Families establishing new accounts will receive $1,000
- Families can re-apply for funds after the initial award has been spent
- School corporations can serve as learning partners, providing tutoring support direct to students, without the funds match requirement
- Expansion of service opportunity to include tutoring during the school day (e.g., during lunch or any instructional period except reading or math)
- Individual schools within a school corporation can now apply to serve as learning partners
Indiana Learns is accepting applications for learning partners that can deliver high-quality math or English/language arts tutoring to Hoosier students in-person, virtually, or through a hybrid model. To find information about learning partner requirements and application information, visit the Indiana Learns website.
Interested families can visit IndianaLearns.org to check if their student is now eligible. Families will need to enter their student’s student test number (STN) and date of birth to verify eligibility. Parents can locate their student’s STN on their ILEARN score report or by reaching out to their school’s registrar or office staff. If eligible, families will immediately be able to view available funds and schedule approved services after reviewing multiple learning partners that can provide service in their area. Indiana Learns is continuing to receive applications and approve additional learning partners to serve students. Families with questions can reach out to the Indiana Learns team by emailing info@indianalearns.org or by calling (317) 203-9236.
Upcoming Dates |
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Wednesday, August 23, from 11 a.m. to noon ET
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Part B office hours
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Wednesday, August 30, from 11 a.m. to noon ET
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Part B office hours
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Thursday, August 31
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FY2022 Part B 611, 619, ARP 611, and ARP 619 grant proportionate share waiver requests due
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Thursday, August 31
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School and corporation profile amendment window closes
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Friday, September 1
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RoboKind Grant applications due
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Friday, September 1
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Paraprofessional Training grant application due
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Wednesday, September 6, from 11 a.m. to noon ET
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Part B office hours
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Wednesday, September 13, from 11 a.m. to noon ET
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Part B office hours
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Friday, September 15
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Part B 611 grant applications for FY2024 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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Tuesday, November 28, and Wednesday, November 29
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Elevating Education: Improving Outcomes for All statewide conference
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