Review October 1 Pupil Enrollment (PE) Counts
Special education administrators are encouraged to review their districts’ October 1 PE counts as these will be used in calculating fiscal year (FY) 2025 Part B grant allocations.
Preschool Special Education Data Collection Office Hours
OSE will hold office hours to support schools in accurate data collection for preschoolers with individualized education plans. This is an opportunity for schools to ask questions following the Learning Lab presentation on Preschool Special Education Data Collection, which can be viewed here. Registration is not required. Please use the links below to join any of these upcoming sessions.
Reminder of New Process to Resolve Conflicts for Membership
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.
IDEA Part B Maintenance of Fiscal Effort (MOE) Training in November
Please watch for OSE Moodle community announcements about upcoming IDEA Part B MOE training and office hours in November. Special education directors and business officers should plan to attend this important orientation and training on the new Part B MOE process being implemented this year. Session dates and times with links to participate will be posted soon in OSE Moodle Community Announcements. Email questions to partbgrants@doe.in.gov.
FY 2024 IDEA Part B Grant Application Now Available in Moodle
FY 2024 IDEA Part B special education grant application workbooks are available in the Office of Special Education Community in Moodle. Submit completed applications in the IDOE Grant Management System. The grant application workbooks include a checklist to address common errors; and a separate document containing instructions for completing each budget category section is posted with the applications 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.
IDEA Part B Grant Reimbursements and Fiscal Monitoring
OSE is implementing new fiscal monitoring of Part B grant funds. Reimbursement requests must be submitted the month after the expenditures occur. Part B reimbursement requests may be made on the first and fifteenth of each month. School corporations, cooperatives, and interlocals will no longer be permitted to keep reimbursement requests open until the end of the grant award period. The FY 2024 Part B grant reimbursement template is now available in the FY 2024 Grant Information folder in the Fiscal section of the OSE Moodle community. Please email any questions to partbgrants@doe.in.gov.
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. User guides and information are available on the ICHAMP website.
Dispute Resolution Options and Information
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.
Science of Reading Special Educator Training Series
IDOE is offering a three-part science of reading series designed for special education staff (e.g., special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, paraprofessionals) and features both virtual and in-person opportunities on word recognition, language comprehension, multi-tiered systems of support, and more. Find more information and register for upcoming in-person sessions here. Virtual sessions can be viewed live or on-demand in the Indiana Learning Lab. Contact IDOE’s Office of Special Education with any questions.
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.
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.
From Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS)
September 26 marked the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), in conjunction with other partners, released the following to commemorate the event:
Grant Award to Indiana Resource Center for Families of Students with Special Needs
On October 11, the U.S. Department of Education announced $11.4 million in new grants to improve and strengthen family engagement programs in the U.S. INSOURCE is one of 12 organizations in states and school districts across the country to receive one of these grants.
From National Center on Deaf-Blindness
Click “Key Topics for Families” to access tips, strategies, and supports that families of children who are deafblind can use to help them navigate their child's services and their family's everyday life. Topics are arranged by categories that include early intervention, educational services, learning at home, and transition.
From National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM)
The AEM glossary, which provides definitions of key terms, has been updated. Consider bookmarking and/or downloading this resource that is intended to be used as a reference by a general audience. Have a recommended term and definition for the AEM Glossary? Contact AEM at aem@cast.org.
From IDOE's Office of Teaching and Learning: Educators Needed for New Content Connector Meetings
IDOE seeks qualified educators to participate in committee reviews of Indiana’s redesigned Content Connectors which are used to measure the knowledge and skills of students with significant cognitive disabilities and assessed by Indiana’s alternate assessment, I AM. Content Connectors will align with the future-focused 2023 Indiana Academic Standards (IAS) for English/Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, and the newly-developed Indiana Academic Standards for Integrated STEM. Content Connectors are designed to help ensure students can access grade-level content that is achievable, appropriate, aligned, articulated, and applicable to real-life skills. Educators with expertise in one of the five content areas listed above and experience teaching students with significant cognitive disabilities are encouraged to apply. Selected candidates will serve on virtual committees to review newly drafted Content Connectors and related public comment feedback. Contact IDOE’s Office of Teaching and Learning with any questions regarding this process or committee opportunity.
From Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS)
DHHS is offering new communication car visors for student drivers, preferably high school juniors and seniors, who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. These car visors are designed to assist law enforcement in routine traffic stops or emergencies and include a variety of icons and phrases. These do not replace ADA accommodations for more serious offenses or communications. To request visor cards, click this link; or email dhhshelp@fssa.in.gov, or call (317) 542-3325, and be sure to include name, phone number and address.
From the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) Early Childhood Center: Help Develop Training for Families of Young Children with Disabilities
IIDC Early Childhood Center is seeking families of young children with disabilities and early childhood professionals who have worked with children with disabilities to help develop a series of “micro-trainings” for families of young children with disabilities. Interested families and professionals are asked to complete this survey and someone will be in touch. Please email questions to Dr. Katie Herron at kgherron@indiana.edu.
From Promoting Achievement through Technology and INstruction for all Students (PATINS)
Join staff of the PATINS Project for weekly virtual Office Hours discussions about supporting the success of all students in the classroom. Topics include Accessible Educational Materials (AEM), Assistive Technology (AT), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). You can find the complete calendar and registration information on the PATINS Virtual Office Hours Site. For questions, please contact the PATINS Project.
From Keep Indiana Learning: PD for Instructional Coaches
A fall and spring cadre is now forming to support new and veteran instructional coaches in strengthening their coaching practices. Learn more about this opportunity and register here. Contact Keep Indiana Learning with any questions.
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