ND School Services, Money Not Affected By Federal Admin Moves
State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler says an internal restructuring of the U.S. Department of Education, which includes several new federal interagency agreements that affect department functions, will not affect “programs, services, or expectations for our students, teachers, school districts, or families.”
Federal programs such as Title I, special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Indian education programs remain fully funded by law, with oversight and civil-rights protections intact. Congress controls these programs, not federal agencies, and no changes to federal law have been made, she said.
“Federal funding remains. All protections remain. Accountability remains,” the superintendent said. “This is an internal administrative change.”
The reorganization shifts the administrative work of certain Education Department programs to federal agencies that are already aligned with those programs, while keeping the underlying laws, funding, and protections.
In North Dakota, Superintendent Baesler has led similar efforts by:
- Creating interagency partnerships with other state agencies;
- Eliminating duplicative administrative work;
- Improving service delivery for districts; and
- Increasing job satisfaction within NDDPI — all while saving taxpayer dollars.
“Every time we reduce bureaucratic red tape, teachers gain more time with students. That is the goal,” she said. “For years, educators have told us that mission creep and federal paperwork are taking time away from teaching. This restructuring is one step toward fixing that.”
Insights Dashboard & Accountability Updates: New Data Finalized and Resources Available
NDDPI has finalized all 2024–2025 accountability data. While the data review period has officially closed, the public release of the updated Insights dashboard will occur in the first week of December. This short delay allows the Department to enhance visuals, communication materials, and supports that will help educators and families better understand the new assessment results. An Insights Public Release webinar is scheduled for Monday, Dec.1, at 2 p.m. CST.
In addition, the Accountability, Support, and Improvement webpage has been updated with new resources to support your work. These updates include the latest information on Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), and ND Fostering Improved Results for School Transformation (ND FIRST) programs. The webpage also features important details about the North Dakota Student Engagement Survey (NDSES), administered statewide each February to students in grades 3–12. This survey measures behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement, as well as students’ sense of belonging, with a statewide participation goal of 95% to ensure accurate and meaningful results.
These resources are designed to support ongoing school improvement and accountability efforts. Be sure to visit the Accountability, Support, and Improvement webpages to explore the new materials and stay informed. If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Peterson at 701-328-3545.
BRIDGE Implementation Update
NDCDE Infinite Campus Access
As part of the statewide transition to a new student information system, the North Dakota Center for Distance Education (NDCDE) will have its own district instance of Infinite Campus, providing staff with secure access to key student information that was previously unavailable to them. This expanded access will help NDCDE better understand individual learning needs and provide more consistent support to students enrolled in online courses.
No Change to Enrollment
A critical point for districts: this change does not affect the NDCDE enrollment process. Schools and families will not enroll students in NDCDE courses through Infinite Campus.
Enrollment will continue exactly as it does today:
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Visit the NDCDE website
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View available courses
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Districts enroll and pay using existing procedures
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Parents may continue to enroll students directly, when applicable
Data Sharing
NDDPI and NDCDE are still finalizing the data-sharing framework, including what information NDCDE will be able to access within Infinite Campus and whether any additional data will need to be provided by districts. More guidance will be shared as those details are completed.
Consultadd District Support Team
Consultadd, the state’s contracted vendor for data migration, is finalizing its district-support team. District engagement is expected to begin shortly, and more details will be shared once scheduling has been confirmed.
Special Education Unit Training
Similar to REAs, Special Education Unit team members supporting districts with Infinite Campus implementation must be added to at least one district’s implementation team to access training. Even if supporting multiple districts, each participant only needs to be added to one district list to gain access.
FAQs
Q: Is eTranscript going away?
A: The current eTranscripts solution will continue to be used for the immediate timeframe. The BRIDGE team will continue to analyze and explore long-term options for this and other related solutions post-launch.
Q: Does the data migration contract include support for Special Education Units moving data from Tienet to Infinite Campus?
A: Yes. Consultadd will work directly with Special Education Units to manage Tienet-to-Infinite Campus data extraction, cleansing, and migration. Units will be directly involved throughout the process.
Q: How will Special Education Units access student data if it is housed at the district level?
A: Special Education Units will log in to each district's instance of Infinite Campus to access district-specific information.
November BRIDGE Office Hours
November Office Hours provided an opportunity for district staff to engage directly with the BRIDGE team, ask questions, and receive updates on implementation timelines and key activities. If you were unable to attend, the session recordings are available below:
More Office Hours are planned as the project moves into upcoming implementation phases.
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