OSDE - SES September 16, 2021 - External

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Announcement

Pandemic benefits FAQs for schools and families

Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) is a program that helps children who would have received free or reduced-price meals at school if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting as soon as Friday, students who qualify will receive a debit card preloaded with funds that can be used for groceries. 

For the 2020-21 school year, schoolchildren must meet two important eligibility requirements: 

  • Children must have been enrolled in a school district that participates in a federal meal program where meals are served at a school, and 
  • Children must qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on income and have turned in the free or reduced-priced meals application to school for 2020-21, OR be enrolled in a school that participated in the Community Eligible Provision, Provision 2 or Provision 3 federal program in 2020-21. 

See a list of participating schools. 

There is no application process for these benefits. Families will receive benefits automatically if their school has identified to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) that a student qualifies.  

To learn more about eligibility requirements, what role your school plays in the program, and other details about P-EBT, OSDE developed a set of Frequently Asked Questions. 

Please share these documents with your staff and your families. 


ACT Streamlines Accommodations Eligibility Requirements for Students with IEPs, 504 Plans

ACT

ACT Streamlines Accommodations Eligibility Requirements for Students with IEPs, 504 Plans Policy Change for 2021-22 School Year Expedites Process to Save Educators, Families, Students Time

IOWA CITY, Iowa—ACT, the nonprofit developer of the ACT test, today announced plans to increase accessibility to the ACT test for students with disabilities by streamlining accommodations eligibility requirements. ACT will approve allowable accommodations already included in students’ Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans.

Beginning with the 2021-22 testing year, students who already receive accommodations at their school under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act will automatically be eligible to receive the allowable testing accommodations when they register for the ACT with accommodations.

The IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act contain rigorous requirements that public schools must follow in determining who is an eligible student with a disability and what accommodations eligible students need to access their education. This includes what accommodations are needed to access classroom and standardized tests, like the ACT test.

“Students with disabilities already face many barriers in their lives, and we don’t want the accommodations process for taking the ACT to be one of them,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “This policy change simplifies and expedites the process for requesting accommodations, so that students can focus on learning all that they can in school and showing what they know on test day.”

In conjunction with the policy change, ACT is updating its system for requesting accommodations to require less information and documentation to support requests submitted on behalf of students with a current IEP or 504 plan.

“By aligning to a standard that is already applied in schools where the majority of our students with accommodations are learning, we simplify and expedite the process for students, families, and educators,” said ACT Senior Director of Accessibility Katie Featherston.

While this change benefits the majority of students who test with accommodations, ACT will continue to offer accommodations to test-takers who do not have a current IEP or 504 plan. The organization will continue to use the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standard to determine whether there is a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity” and whether the requested accommodations are reasonable for the ACT test.

More information about the Policy Change and Process for Requesting Accommodations


Free Pre-Employment Transition Services are available for Students with Disabilities!

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) help students with disabilities get an early start in identifying career interests to achieve community integration, independence, post-secondary education, and/or competitive integrated employment.

See Pre-ETS Fact Sheet for more information.

finance

UPDATED: Project 613

OSDE sponsored events, professional development, and conferences are beneficial to special education teachers and staff. Additionally, Project 613 does not have a deadline to submit an application. Districts can submit an application at any time. 

Please Note: All upcoming activities and events are subject to being rescheduled, canceled, or move to an online format. Information about any changes will be posted to the listserv.

Trainings/Webinars

EdPlan Webinar Trainings for September Include:

EdPlan Administrator Training – Training is for EdPlan Administrators and will cover the new EdPlan as well as Calendars, Reporting Periods, Adding and Removing staff, Caseloads and Impersonation rights.

Introduction to EdPlan – Training is for anyone new to EdPlan and is a pre-requisite to other trainings by EdPlan.  This is also suggested for experienced EdPlan users to see and understand how to navigate the New EdPlan.

IEP Process-   This training is for EdPlan users responsible for creating IEP paperwork in EdPlan.  This will cover organizing the student caseload, IEP at a Glance, Creating Contact Logs, Batch Printing, etc.

Eligibility Process – Training is for users responsible for Eligibility Determination.  Training will cover the navigation and paperwork requirements to finalize an Eligibility Determination in EdPlan.  We will complete a RED, Parent Consent, documenting assessments, completing the MEEGS and running reports to organize due dates.

504 Process – Training is for users responsible for 504 Eligibility and the 504 Student Plans.  Training will cover the 504 Eligibility Process and creating a 504 Student Plan as well as running reports, batch printing, etc. 

The webinar schedule and registration link are located in EdPlan on the Main page at the bottom under Documents.  Click on the Help Links tab and click on Early September Webinar Schedule. 

Once the document is opened, you can choose which date and time works best.  To register for a particular webinar, click on the Registration Link next to the one you want to attend.


OSDE CPI Fall 21 Regional Training

The Oklahoma State Department of Education Special Education Services Division and the Office of School Safety and Security are offering Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training for small and rural school districts across the state. Districts may register up to 4 staff members to participate in the 2-day training. All participants must attend both days of the training session.

The Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® program is a safe and effective behavior management system designed to help educators provide the best Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security for students in distress. This training is designed to equip school staff members with tools to use in crisis prevention and de-escalation techniques and physical interventions.


Family Matters Virtual Conference

family matters

Virtual Sessions: Two-Days- Tuesday, September 23rd and Thursday, September 23rd. 

 

Attention Parents and Caregivers of children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities this is for you!

We invite you to our conference hosted by Oklahoma Family Network, the Developmental Disabilities Council of Oklahoma , NAMI Oklahoma and Pervasive Parenting Center, funded by the partners and Oklahoma Human Services.

Sessions will run for two days Sept. 21 and Sept. 23 from noon to 7:30pm, each session lasting from 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Register early to secure your spot!

View our Flyer for more information! 


16th Annual Oklahoma Transition Institute (OTI)

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Save the Date!

October 26 - October 28

Mapping the Future of Transition!

Join us for three days of sharing, learning, networking and planning. 

This event will be virtual!   

For more information and questions, please contact Yolanda Scott or Jennifer Randle

Other News

Come Grow with Us!

Join Our Team

OKLAHOMA ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (OAAP) SPECIALIST

Office of Assessment, Oliver Hodge Building in OKC! 

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is the primary agency charged with overseeing K-12 public education in Oklahoma.  We work directly with the state’s 500+ school districts and the legislature to ensure that Oklahoma students receive the quality education they deserve.  If you are looking for a rewarding career that positively affects the lives of children, you are in the right place! If you would love to be a wonderful part of the OSDE, See the Application for the OAAP Specialist! 


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