Since state-wide conception, the Medicaid agency (OHCA) has approved over $10 million in school-based revenue to Oklahoma school districts. Schools can currently be reimbursed for Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Administrative Claiming. This school year we will also be adding Nursing, Counseling, and Behavioral Health Services. If your school district is interested in learning more about reimbursement through the School-Based Health Services (SBHS) program, please email okffs@pcgus.com to setup a meeting.
The SBHS Participation Agreement for the school year 2024-2025 is available through the Grants Management System. All districts choosing to use this agreement may begin completing their online application. Follow these steps for application completion.
- Select the correct fiscal year (FY25)
- Go to “GMS Access / Select” and scroll to available applications under IDEA.
- Click “Create” on the “School Based Health Part” line. Once you have created the application it will appear under your applications.
- Please agree to all assurances, upload the entire contract, and submit it.
NOTE: The items below need to be completed:
Page 12: Enter district Information
Signature Page: (must have) Signature, Printed Name, Title, and Date of Board Approval
We are happy to announce that once again we will be able to have a Certified School Psychologist on staff to assist Oklahoma Public School Districts. This service aims to provide a support system for Oklahoma's Public Schools who do not have access to a School Psychologist. This service will include a resource for questions about the Referral, Evaluation, and Eligibility process. The following are free services to any school district in the state of Oklahoma who does not have a School Psychologist on staff or is in temporary need of someone to fulfill that role.
- Assist with the completion of the RED form to include all information needed for the required components for each of the thirteen categories.
- Fulfill the role and sign as the Qualified Professional on the RED form.
- Fulfill the role and sign as a Qualified Professional on an Initial MEEGSEEGS during the re-evaluation process that would be discussing a category change, or any other MEEGS that isn’t just a routine reevaluation.
- Review outside Evaluations, Interpret Results and give guidance on what information needs to be included on the RED form and where that information needs to be documented.
- General guidance for questions that are included in the Evaluation/Eligibility process.
Questions about this process, please contact Cami Dotson, 405-522-1706.
When an IEP student accepts the LNH Scholarship for the first time, the State Department of Education (SDE) will notify the Local Education Agency (LEA). If a student from your district accepts the LNH Scholarship for the first time, their name will appear on a list stored in your document library on OK EdPlan.
To review the list:
- Sign in to OK EdPlan.
- Select "Tools."
- Go to "LEA Document Library."
- Click on "LNH."
You will find a list of IEP students who have accepted the LNH Scholarship for the 2024-2025 school year. Upon receiving this documentation, the district must update the student’s status in OK EdPlan:
-
If the student will not receive an Individualized Service Plan (ISP): Inactivate the student in OK EdPlan using the exit reason “Accepting the LNH Scholarship.”
-
If the student is eligible for an ISP: Keep the student active in their enrollment within the Student Information System (SIS) but mark the box indicating that the student is attending a private school and receiving ISP services.
The LNH Scholarship program will continue to approve scholarships for IEP students until December 1 each year. Please check the list regularly to ensure that you have updated the status of any newly approved students.
For any LNH questions, please contact Stacy Eden at (405) 521-4876. For Special Education questions, please contact the Office of Special Education (405) 521-3351.
IDEA requires school districts to engage in timely and meaningful consultation with representatives of private schools and the parents of parentally placed private school students with disabilities. During the consultation process districts and private schools are required to discuss the provision of special education and related services for qualified students attending private schools within a district's boundaries. Following timely and meaningful consultation with the private schools, districts are required to complete an Affirmation of Consultation form.
For more information, please see Private School Guidance Brief
NEW! Opportunity!
The State Personnel Development Grant is seeking applicants for the SPARK initiative. This opportunity is for early career special education teachers who are defined as working in special education for 5 years or less. Educators who apply should carefully read the application in full. Those selected will be expected to fully participate in 20 hours of professional development and complete a minimum of two instructional coaching cycles. The program is anticipated to take the entire 2024-2025 school year to complete. Participants who complete the program in full will receive a $2,000 stipend.
For access to the application, please see attached application. For a direct link to the application form, please click here.
Questions? Reach out to Alexa Hudak or Wendy Hardwick.
It has been brought to our attention that some misinformation has been shared recently about School-based Medicaid Services. School-based Medicaid Services can only be reimbursed for Medicaid-eligible students whose medical necessity is listed on their IEP. We are working with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to expand services beyond the IEP in the school setting sometime in 2025. Once the Medicaid expansion has been approved, OSDE, along with OHCA, will provide detailed requirements and guidance. We are excited to bring new opportunities for districts to support student services in the near future.
For more information on "current" billing procedures and regulations visit the OHCA School-based Medicaid website. Feel free to reach out to Kellie Carter, Manager of School Nursing Programs with OSDE.
We are thrilled to announce the Oklahoma School-Based Therapist Network, sponsored by OSDE-SES and the Lee Mitchener Tolbert Center for Developmental Disabilities. This collaboration aims to provide a robust support system for Oklahoma's public-school Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Speech-Language Pathologists. Navigating the diverse needs of students in special education settings can be challenging, particularly for new therapists. Even seasoned professionals sometimes seek fresh perspectives on evidence-based interventions. Recognizing this, the Oklahoma School-Based Therapist Network, in conjunction with the Tolbert Center, is dedicated to offering resources, training, and consultative services tailored to the unique demands of school-based therapists.
Starting August 2024, the Network will offer:
- Continuing Education Opportunities: Earn CEUs conveniently designed for school-based OTs, PTs, and SLPs, addressing their specific learning needs.
- Technical Support: Access virtual or in-person consultations to address individual challenges and queries.
- Online Resource Library: Sharing a wealth of resources curated to enhance therapeutic practices in school settings.
- Monthly Lunch and Learn Webinars: Engage in free, informative sessions covering a range of pertinent topics.
- First-Year School Therapist Training Series: Equip yourself with essential skills and insights tailored for new practitioners.
Empower yourself with knowledge, support, and community through the Oklahoma School-Based Therapist Network. Together, let's elevate our knowledge to better serve our students.
If you are beginning your first year providing school-based therapy services, click here for more information and to sign up for the free series.
We want to hear from you! What topics would you like more information on? What resources do you need? What times are you most available for continuing education opportunities? Click here for more information.
If you are interested in receiving the listserv that will be sent out for Related Service Providers, please fill out the form.
For more details, please reach out to Michele DeBerry or Amber Davis.
|
You can find the most updated OAAP information for the 2024-2025 school year in the OAAP Memo. Find and access information regarding DLM Score Reports, Test Administrator Training Updates, and DLM Reminders.
A new Caseload Report is available in EDPlan’s Advanced Reporting System, the User Caseload Report. Please note that this report has several tabs. The Data Analysis Guide will answer common questions you may have about the report and its calculations. The Caseload FTE tab includes an FTE calculation for special education teachers. The Caseload Student Summary provides a more detailed view of how caseload weight for each student is determined. The Caseload Details tab includes the type of services and LRE for students. The Speech Caseload Summary tab will display the total caseload number for speech/language service providers.
The WAVE is now online but will only receive your district data if your vendor is sending the new SIF version 2.7 with updated codes as defined in the published mapping document. SIS vendors are working to address WAVE errors. If you are not seeing data in WAVE beginning Wednesday afternoon, reach out to your vendor. There may be needed updates that you must schedule in order to send the updated codes to WAVE.
On the WAVE homepage, you can see the number of objects your vendor is sending. You should expect to at least 8 objects sending this week. This is the minimum number of objects needed to process STNs and get students to EdPlan. Your vendor knows which objects meet the minimum requirement.
|
 You may also access the data validation wizard in WAVE and see any errors in data that have come into the WAVE.
 Communicate with the SIS Administrator in your district as they should know how to work with the SIS vendor to get your data flowing.
Our annual Finance Workshops are now available for registration. Choose the location and date that’s best for you. Hope to see you there!
The FY25 School Based contract has now been loaded into the application. Districts choosing to participate can now complete the contract then upload into the application. This can be found in the GMS under IDEA.
FY25 allocations for Project 618 will be released on the evening of August 13th. Districts qualifying for this project may then begin completing the online application. Should you need assistance contact your finance specialist.
FY25 Project 621 Flow Through and Project 641 Pre School allocations are now available. You can access your application in the GMS. Please contract your finance specialist should you need assistance.
The FY25 allocations for Project 615 are now available. Districts can begin submitting their online budget through the GMS. Once on the GMS Access Select page, you will need to create your Project 615 budget. Applications must be completed and submitted by December 31, 2024. Districts not submitting a budget by December 31 will forfeit their allocation. For assistance, please contact your finance specialist.
Project 613 and Project 616 applications are now available. Districts may begin completing online budget applications through GMS. Once on the GMS Access Select page, you will need to create your chosen budget. For assistance, please contact your finance specialist
FY 24 Close Outs are now open. Districts must perform a closeout for IDEA projects 618, 621, 623, 625, 641, 642. Projects 613, 615, 616, 619, 626, and 627 do not require a closeout. Closeouts must be completed online through the GMS and completed by September 1st. Closeouts cannot be performed until all submitted claims have been processed. Please contact your finance specialist if assistance is needed.
Mark your calendar and save the dates for the 2024-2025 Alternate Diploma Collaborative (ADC) virtual meetings! We will resume meeting quarterly via Teams this school year. Please share the ADC meeting dates with staff who need to know, learn about, and keep up-to-date about all things “alternate diploma” and 18-22 extended transition programs or services!!! Those who need to know include secondary administrators, special education directors and teachers, school counselors, career advisors, and anyone who is a stakeholder in secondary transition for students who participate in the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) aligned with alternate achievement standards (Essential Elements). A Teams link for ADC meetings will be posted soon!
- September 19, 2024 (3rd Thurs.)
- November 21, 2024 (3rd Thurs.)
- February 20, 2025 (3rd Thurs.)
- April 17, 2025 (3rd Thurs.)
OSDE-SES is hosting an additional AIM Kickoff for Oklahoma educators who teach reading and choose to participate in the AIM Pathways to Proficient Reading.
AIM Kickoff - August 27, 2024 in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
Please register for this event, here. Note: sessions are duplicate you will only need to select 1 time slot.
OSDE-Office of Special Education Services is offering a two-day Directors' Summit. The 2-day Directors' Summit will be in-person, offered at six different regional locations across Oklahoma during the first two weeks in September.
Day One: The first day aims to build the knowledge of the "new" 2024 amendments to the Oklahoma Special Education Policies and Procedures.
Day Two: The second day aims to provide updates to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requirements for monitoring and compliance, and targeted guidance regarding common compliance errors in Oklahoma.
Register for the two day event!
All sessions will start at 8:30 AM
-
Duncan, Oklahoma: September 3-4, 2024
-
Burns Flat, Oklahoma: September 4-5, 2024
-
McAlester, Oklahoma: September 5-6, 2024
-
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: September 6 and September 9, 2024
-
Owasso, Oklahoma: September 9-10, 2024
-
Enid, Oklahoma: September 10-11, 2024
For more information, please see the Agendas.
The program is geared to provide OK certified teachers with knowledge, tools and resources to instruct blind and visually impaired students in core academics and expanded core curriculum skills.
For more information please see the Oklahoma VI Teacher Institute Flyer.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) will be hosting the Smart Beginnings 2024 webinar series August 27 - 29, 2024. The webinars will provide participants with the opportunity to learn about resources for promoting effective early intervention and instruction using data-driven decision-making to support early learners and students with disabilities as we head into a new learning year.
For more information, please see OSEP Smart Beginnings 2024.
Join us for a chance to discuss early childhood data, as well as available tools & resources. This will be an ongoing group to discuss all topics related to early childhood data. This is an opportunity to ask any of your early childhood data questions. Please use this form to suggest questions or topics. In September, we will be discussing available tools and resources for analyzing ECO data.
Join us on September 19, November 14, January 9, March 6, and May 8 from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM.
Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO)
Questions about completing Early Childhood Outcomes? Participants in this course will gain an understanding of the Early Childhood Outcomes process and how outcome data collection supports early special education programs in meeting the needs of students. This course covers ECO basics such as collecting ECO data, determining ratings, and accessing additional resources. Enroll here!
Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Awareness 2024-2025
The OSDE has developed a module that meets the requirements listed in state statute. The Dyslexia Awareness course can be accessed on OSDEConnect.
The course contains “required” components to receive a certificate of completion, but there are several additional sections that are optional, if you or any of your staff want a deeper dive or just to save for resources later.
EDPlan webinar scheduled is now available for registration.
Training Includes
- Introduction to OK EdPlan
- Navigating EDPlan
- EDPlan Administrator Training
- OK Eligibility Training
- OK EdPlan IEP Process
- OK EdPlan 504 Training
Please register for the July and August EdPlan training with PCG.
These courses fulfill the requirements listed in 70 O.S. § 1210.196.5: Guidelines for Training of Volunteer Diabetes Care Assistants.
If you have any questions, please contact Diabetes Training.
Live Classes:
Live Virtual Registration:
On-demand virtual Classes on OSDE Connect will open on July 1, 2024:
This course fulfills the requirements listed in 70 O.S § 1210.284: Vision Screening - Recommendations on Standards - Comprehensive Eye Exam on Failure - Annual Reports.
If you have any questions, please send them to Kellie Carter
Class options:
Vision Screening Provider Training-
Vision Screening Trainer of Provider (only available to those who are certified in Vision Screening Provider Training)
Join SoonerStart and OSDE this fall to discuss early childhood transition from SoonerStart to the LEA. Choose from one of 5 locations (OKC, Tulsa, McAlester, Enid, or Lawton) and meet your transition partners to discuss policies, practices, guidance and resources to ensure a ‘smooth and effective transition’.
Objectives for this training include:
- To provide SoonerStart, LEA personnel and other community agencies/programs with the knowledge of requirements under IDEA Part B and C regarding transition.
- To offer SoonerStart and LEA personnel the opportunity to get real time technical assistance regarding guidance from the Office of Special Education Program.
- To foster relationships between SoonerStart, LEAs and other community agencies/programs that serve our families.
For more information and to register, please see From Part C to Part B: Early Childhood Transition Flyer.
OSDE-SES will host CPI Verbal Intervention Regional Trainings with no associated costs to districts. Verbal interventions will not include de-escalation techniques or holds/restrictions. This training is reimbursable through Project 615 for substitutes, travel, and lodging at least 60 miles one-way. Registration is limited to 4 participants per district.
- August 29, 2024: Stillwater, Oklahoma
- September 5, 2024: Ardmore, Oklahoma
- October 4, 2024: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma *sold out
- January 17, 2025: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- February 7, 2025: Guymon, Oklahoma
- February 21, 2025: Lawton, Oklahoma
While OSDE will be pressing forward with verbal interventions, prior blue card certifications are applicable to the content of the training until the expiration date. At that time the district has two options.
- One option is to send a district representative to become a train-the-trainer with certification from the CPI "institute".
- The second option is attending a training for verbal interventions hosted by OSDE.
Should districts choose to train with the CPI institute those associated costs are reimbursable through Project 615 as well. Lastly, the individual trained can only train within their base of employment.
Oklahoma's Engaging Support Conference 2024
You Bring the Magic: Your Magic, Your Impact
The Oklahoma State Department of Education, Office of Special Education Services will be hosting our Annual Conference for Support Staff for the 2024-2025 School Year.
If you have any questions about the Oklahoma's Engaging Support Conference, please email Megan Salisbury or Abby Johnson.
OSDE-SES is partnering with LRP Publications to bring tailored professional development to all support personnel who serve students with disabilities and assist with improving student outcomes. To access the 10 available courses please print the instructions to create an account for the paraprofessionals or support staff in your district to participate. Only support personnel, please.
For more information, please see the DirectSTEP Flyer.
Districts may now submit 2023-2024 school year documentation related to special education to receive bonus points. Bonus points are located on the annual Determination report to be released November 2024. A district can earn up to two bonus points for professional development, transition planning and parent advisory committee meetings.
To access the bonus point survey, go to EdPlan>Tools>LEA Document Library>PD Bonus. Complete the survey and upload all professional development documentation (agenda with summarized description and sign-in sheet), transition planning and parent advisory committee meetings to the PD Bonus tab. Instructions to upload documentation are also located under the PD Bonus tab.
Documentation must meet the following criteria:
- Must have 3 hours on the same topic.
- Can be divided into shorter time segments
- Must include general education and special education teachers.
- Topics related to special education only (no general district training)
- Documentation required includes topic, agenda and summary with date and times, and dated sign-in sheet.
Districts assigned "level 2, 3, or 4" DMR support through the differentiated monitoring process will automatically receive bonus point credit for completion of monitoring requirements.
Email Felica Denton when submission is ready for review or if you have questions. The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 27, 2024.
If your district employs educational interpreters, please verify that they are on the OSDE Educational Interpreter Registry. All interpreters in an educational setting are required to be on the registry and are required to obtain yearly CEUs.
|
