Results Driven Accountability (RDA) Dashboard Released
The RDA dashboard for 2023 was released on Thursday, November 16. This dashboard contains information on determinations and levels of differentiated support for all local educational agencies (LEAs), as well as findings of noncompliance for the six compliance indicators of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B State Performance Plan-Annual Performance Report (SPP-APR). Special education directors can access the dashboard through the LINK portal by clicking on the "ED-DATA" tile. Please direct questions to OSE Monitoring & Compliance.
Waiver Extension Request Comment Period Open through Friday, December 1
IDOE is seeking public comment on its request for a waiver extension on the number of students tested using an alternate assessment as part of annual statewide assessment. For each subject for which assessments are administered, the total number of students assessed using an alternate assessment may not exceed 1% of the total number of students in the state assessed in that subject. If the state anticipates exceeding the 1% cap, a waiver extension request must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. Please see the 2022-2023 Waiver Extension Request and this additional information regarding the federal requirement. Public comment will be accepted via this form through Friday, December 1. Contact OSEData@doe.in.gov with any questions.
Last Day to Request Financial Year (FY) 2022 and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Part B Grant Reimbursements
All FY 2022 and ARP Part B grants closed on September 30. Friday, December 15, is the last day to claim reimbursements for encumbered expenditures in approved FY 2022 Part B 611, 619, ARP 611, and ARP 619 grant budgets. Please send any questions to partbgrants@doe.in.gov.
Part B Fiscal Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Office Hours Before Submission Deadline
OSE will host two additional MOE Office Hours webinars to provide technical assistance and answer specific MOE-related questions on the new process to demonstrate LEA compliance with the IDEA Part B requirement to maintain year-to-year state/local funding for special education programming. The new 10-year MOE workbook is to be completed by each individual LEA, even if the LEA is part of a special education consortium. Because completion of this workbook requires coordination, LEA special education and business office staff are both encouraged to attend the webinar. Please use the links below to join either or both sessions:
Monday, November 27, at 1:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, November 29, at 4 p.m. ET
New MOE Template Posted and Completed Forms Due
OSE fiscal specialists have emailed a new MOE workbook and the LEA’s Form 9 Reports for MOE workbook years one and two (July 2020 to June 2021 and July 2021 to June 2022) to the majority of LEAs. A revised MOE workbook template was posted in the OSE Moodle community Fiscal Section under Part B Grants for Special Education on Monday, November 6. Completed MOE workbooks for both year one and two are due on or before Thursday, November 30.
Submit completed MOE workbooks in the Grant Management System under FY22/23 611 Part 2 Application Documents. LEAs that do not submit the completed MOE workbook by the due date will be unable to claim reimbursement from their FY 2024 Part B grant funds until the workbook is received.
Please note: LEAs that reported 0 Child Counts during these two prior periods have not yet been sent MOE workbooks and Form 9 Reports for July 2020 to June 2021 and July 2021 to June 2022. The affected LEAs will be notified of the applicable deadline when those workbooks are issued.
Part B Reimbursement Requests Must Be Submitted the Month After Expenditures Occur
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. Please email any questions to partbgrants@doe.in.gov.
Annually Required December 1 Special Education Child Count
The annual special education child count will be conducted through Data Exchange (DEX). This count is required for state and federal funding purposes and for Part B monitoring required under IDEA and Article 7. Please consult Data Exchange Knowledge Hub and the Office of Special Education Moodle community for details.
Special Education Data Reporting
Students who were identified as eligible for special education and who selected the Choice school to provide special education services will be reported by the Choice school in December. Only students enrolled and expected in attendance on Friday, December 1, may be included in the data submission. Students who receive special education services from the public school corporation will be reported by the public school corporation. If you have questions or need assistance with data submissions, contact your Student Information System (SIS) provider first and if the SIS is unable to assist you, submit a helpdesk ticket.
Special Education Endorsement Forms
Eligible students who receive special education services from the Choice school need to have a Special Education Endorsement Form (SF) signed by the school and the parent/guardian and uploaded to IDOE via the STN Application Center between Monday, December 4, and Thursday, January 11, 2024. SF will be available to download in the STN Application Center after the special education data has been reported in Data Exchange. There will be a delay of at least one day between Data Exchange submission and availability of the form in the STN Application Center. A special education payment will not be made for any student that does not have an SF uploaded by the posted deadline.
Student Choice Records
It is required that student Choice files are kept for three years. The current year files should be in physical form. Prior years may be scanned and maintained digitally.
Nominations Open for Distinguished Educators Recognition
IDOE’s Office of Educator Talent is looking for confidential recommendations of teachers representing the very best educators in Indiana. These emerging leaders must have between five and 15 years of experience, demonstrate leadership beyond the classroom, and positively impact school culture and student achievement. Superintendents and principals may submit recommendations here. Nominations must be submitted by May 26, 2024. Contact Rebecca Estes with any questions.
Educator Licensing Office Hours
The IDOE Office of Educator Licensing is offering office hours every Thursday morning from 10:30 a.m. 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 the Office of Educator Licensing with any questions.
Shortened Instructional Days
The length of the instructional day for students with disabilities must be the same as the instructional day for nondisabled students. 511 IAC 7-36-4. Indiana Code (IC) 20-30-2-2(a) specifies that a school must provide at least 180 days of instruction per school year. A student instructional day consists of at least five hours of instruction for grades one through six, and at least six hours of instruction for grades seven through 12. Lunch and recess are not considered instructional time. There are three notable exceptions to this requirement:
- IDOE has traditionally allowed for delays or early dismissals of up to two hours for unforeseen circumstances that could endanger the safety of students or staff.
- IC 20-24.2-13-2 allows performance-qualified school districts and high schools to meet the minimum instructional requirements by using minutes rather than days.
- IC 20-31-4.1 allows school districts to petition the State Board of Education (SBOE) to waive certain requirements, providing flexibility regarding instructional time for the school year.
A case conference committee (CCC) should use caution when placing a student on a shortened day. The only time it is appropriate to shorten the school day for a student with a disability is when the student’s CCC determines a shortened day is required to address the student’s unique disability-related needs. A student’s IEP should include the CCC discussion of the continuum of services and placement, including shortened day and any alternatives considered, as appropriate. When a student’s school day is shortened, the student’s IEP must include an explanation of why the student’s disability-related needs require a shortened day (511 IAC 7-42-6(f)), a clear explanation of the unique need or skill gap prohibiting the student from attending a full day of school (511 IAC 7-42-6(f)(4)), a clear connection to the growth and progress expected to be achieved by shortening the student’s school day (511 IAC 7-42-6(f)(3)), and a plan for the student’s return to school for a full day. The student should return to a full day as soon as he or she is able, and under most circumstances, a shortened day should be in place for only a limited amount of time. The CCC should meet as often as necessary to review the plan and determine when the student is able to return to school full-time.
A school may not reduce a student’s instructional time as a form of punishment or in lieu of a suspension or an expulsion. The CCC must develop an IEP that addresses the student’s behavioral needs. If the student’s behavior impedes the student’s learning or that of others, the IEP must include positive behavioral interventions, supports, and strategies reasonably calculated to enable the student to participate in the full school day.
For examples of positive, proactive, and responsive classroom behavior intervention and support strategies for teachers, please see Supporting and Responding to Behavior - Evidence-Based Classroom Strategies for Teachers (U.S. Office of Special Education Programs, 2015).
Do You Know Your Digital Rights Manager (DRM)?
IDOE guidelines allow a maximum of five DRMs per school corporation or charter school. A DRM is primarily responsible for assuring copyright protections on behalf of the school corporations. This is a streamlined process where the DRM agrees to the Limited User's Agreement when they log into the Indiana Center for Accessible Materials (ICAM) web ordering system. The DRM is authorized to register students in the online database and order AEM for qualifying students. ICAM provides digital content to DRMs for dissemination to students. For example, DRMs might order braille and large print materials or tangible aids and accessories from the American Printing House catalog for students who have a visual impairment. These are ordered from the Indiana Education Resource Center (IERC) through the ICAM web ordering system. DRMs also order textbooks and other titles from ICAM, as well as from Bookshare for students with a physical impairment or a specific learning difference, such as dyslexia. For students who enjoy reading popular fiction for pleasure or an assignment, DRMs can order from over 700,000 titles offered by MackinVia, most are in eBook and audio formats. This includes non-fiction titles that reinforce subject content and enrich vocabulary. Please contact ICAM if you are unsure of the DRM for your school corporation.
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), featuring both virtual and in-person opportunities on word recognition, language comprehension, multi-tiered systems of support, and more! Find more information and registration for 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.
Secondary EL Resources for Special Education Students
IDOE’s Office of English Learning and Migrant Education is pleased to share the updated Secondary English Learner (EL) Toolkit. This resource provides guidance on a variety of topics pertaining to secondary EL students, such as awarding credits, scheduling EL services, differentiation, and more. This resource can also be found in the Indiana EL Community in Moodle. Contact IDOE’s Office of English Learning and Migrant Education with questions.
Student-Led Decision Making
The second blog post in a secondary transition series from OSERS is now available. This post discusses student-led decision-making in schools. Additional updates on important resources, events, and information will be posted on OSEP’s Expect, Engage, and Empower: Successful Transition for All homepage.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Request For Pre-Employment Training (Pre-ETS) Services Now Open
Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) has released a VR Pre-ETS Request for Services to select multiple vendors that can satisfy the state’s need for the ongoing provision and expansion of pre-ETS throughout the state, through arranging for and delivering required activities to students with disabilities who are either eligible or potentially eligible to receive services from the DDRS VR services program and to potentially enhance or expand existing services, as well as leveraging and incorporating best practices to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Local education agencies, public universities, and state agencies may submit proposals until 3 p.m. ET, Wednesday, January 17. All information regarding the Pre-ETS Request for Services (RFS-24-77904) can be located in Current Business Opportunities on the Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA) website.
IEP Components Learning Series Covers the What and Why of the Statement of Services and Aids
The PROGRESS Center recently released a new course, The What and Why of the Statement of Services and Aids, that explains IDEA requirements for the statement of services and aids, the critical role of the statement of services and aids in the development of a high-quality IEP, and how to differentiate between specially designed instruction, related services, supplementary aids and services, and program modifications and supports. This course can be used as a self-paced learning opportunity, within in-service professional learning, or by faculty supporting preservice educators and/or administrators. It is part of a larger series of courses covering IEP components. Additional courses in the series will be added over time.
Resources for Military-Connected Children with Disabilities
The families of military-connected children with disabilities may experience additional challenges of frequent separation from support networks and disruptions in the continuity of early intervention services and special education and related services under IDEA.
This Letter on Military-Connected Children with Disabilities from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs Director Valerie C. Williams to state special education leaders emphasized the need to support these children and their families through the numerous educational and life transitions they may face. Access these resources to help support educators, parents, families, and others to meet the unique needs of these children and ensure the timely provision of required early intervention, special education, and related services. Contact IDOE’s Office of Special Education with any questions.
PATINS is Hiring
The PATINS Project is hiring an ICAM DRM Services Technical Assistance Specialist. This position assists LEAs, through a collaborative state-wide network, in building their capacity to ensure that Indiana K-12 students with documented print disabilities have access to accessible educational materials so they can participate and progress in their educational programs. This involves assistive technology, accessible educational materials, and principles of universal design for learning. For additional details regarding salary, benefits, job description, requirements and application, visit the PATINS website. Please contact PATINS Director, Daniel McNulty with any questions regarding this position.
Upcoming Dates |
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Monday, November 27, at 1:30 p.m. ET
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Part B MOE Office Hours
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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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Wednesday, November 29, at 4 p.m. ET
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Part B MOE Office Hours
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Tuesday, November 30
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Completed MOE year one and two workbooks due
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Friday, December 1
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Annually required special education child count
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Friday, December 1
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Waiver extension public comment period closes
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Monday, December 4
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Window to submit Special Education Endorsement Forms opens
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Friday, December 15
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FY 2022 and ARP Part B Grant Reimbursements request deadline
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