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Welcome to School Year 2023–24!
Watch this overview of our OSPI Special Education August 2023 Monthly Update by Dr. Tania May, OSPI Assistant Superintendent of Special Education!
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Celebrating Our State’s First Integrated Special Education and MTSS Conference!
On August 2–4, 2023, over 600 educators and leaders from across Washington state came together to learn and connect at OSPI’s inaugural integrated Special Education and MTSS Conference in the Tri-Cities, WA. The theme of the conference was Supporting Systems for Leadership and Belonging. Conference participants had the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers and attend breakout sessions from professionals and educators across our state. Keynote addresses were delivered by:
- Jackie Joseph Buzek, the Executive Director of the Rise School of Denver who reminded participants to revisit their why;
- James Whitfield, the Cofounder of Be Culture who presented on the impacts of a leadership gap;
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Jamila Dugan, the coauthor of Street Data who challenged us to radically dream;
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Jennifer Spencer-Iiams, Assistant Superintendent of West Linn-Wilsonville School District who reminded us to engage in self-care and that when we include self-care it improves outcomes for students; and
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Dana Miles, Washington State 2023 Teacher of the Year who provided a framework to help us all embrace advocacy.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming back to Washington state Glenna Gallo, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services who provided two keynote addresses that shared her national work on improving instruction and outcomes for all students. She also talked to us about the importance of focusing on the long game. The integrated conference provided attendees with important reminders that we are all interconnected in our work to improve outcomes for all students and that the ways we interact with each other on behalf of students and families is a critical part of our learning. Thanks to all who joined us to support planning, facilitating, presenting, and learning!
Important Staffing Update:
Pre-endorsement Authorization
The OSPI Special Education division has been working closely with the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to consult on the development of revised language for Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 181-82-110 School district response and support for nonmatched endorsements to course assignment of teachers.
PESB proposes to make the following revisions to WAC 181-82-110 which are anticipated to be accepted and would go into effect September 1, 2023:
- Change the name from pre-endorsement waiver to pre-endorsement authorization,
- Adjust validity period from 5 to 3 years, and
- Establish equivalency for those who were issued pre-endorsement waivers/authorizations before September 1, 2023.
The revised language will allow for the WAC to be in alignment with recent clarifications on Personnel Qualifications guidance under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The materials associated with this WAC revision can be viewed as part of TAB 09 for the May PESB Board Meeting.
It is anticipated that the proposed revisions to WAC 181-82-110 will be accepted and go into effect September 1, 2023. This change means that for candidates seeking the special education pre-endorsement authorization after September 1, 2023, authorizations will be valid for 3 years (and not 5 years, which was the previous timeline). Applications approved for the special education pre-endorsement authorization prior to September 1, 2023, will still have the 5-year validity period. More information on the special education pre-endorsement waiver/authorization can be found on the Personnel Qualifications Guidance page.
2023 Determination Letters on State Implementation of IDEA
On June 26, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued its 2023 determinations for States on their implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for Part B and Part C. The IDEA requires ED to issue an annual determination for every state, based on the State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR), which evaluates the state’s efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of the IDEA, and describes how the state will improve its implementation.
This year, Washington is 1 of just 11 states who earned the highest level under ED’s review – our state’s first time attaining this designation.
Since ED established this review process, Washington state has always met the requirements around compliance with the law. This year, for the first time, the state has also met expectations around student outcomes. These outcomes are based on measures including participation and achievement on state and federal assessments in math and reading, as well as graduation rates. For more information regarding this designation, please see OSPI’s July 11, 2023 News Release.
States are also required to issue annual determinations for all Local Education Agencies (LEAs) within the state. Washington annually issues LEA determination levels on or around November 1. More information about the LEA determinations can be found on OSPI’s website and will be included in the October 2023 monthly update.
OSEP Newly Released Guidance on General Supervision
On July 24, 2023, the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released updated policy guidance, which takes immediate effect, to ensure and strengthen the rights and protections guaranteed to children with disabilities and their families under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The guidance and accompanying Dear Colleague Letter address the IDEA’s “general supervision” requirement, which necessitates states monitor local educational agencies (LEAs) as required by IDEA Part B, and early intervention service (EIS) programs and providers as required by IDEA Part C to ensure children with disabilities and their families access their rights under IDEA. OSEP’s updated guidance will:
- Provide states with accessible and actionable information necessary to timely identify and correct noncompliance;
- Help ensure the rights guaranteed under the IDEA to children with disabilities and their families are protected; and
- Reaffirm expectations across states to help ensure consistent implementation of IDEA.
This updated guidance was created with the intention of ensuring that states have the information needed to build robust general supervision systems that swiftly identifies and corrects noncompliance, increases accountability through the collection of timely and accurate data, and ensures the full implementation of IDEA to improve functional outcomes, early intervention, and educational results for children with disabilities.
Program Improvement Updates
Click here for this month’s Program Improvement updates on the following topics:
- Special Education Monitoring Update
- Disproportionality and Significant Disproportionality Notifications
- IDEA Correction of Non-Compliance for 2023-24
Fiscal and Data Updates
Click here for this month’s Fiscal & Data updates on the following topics:
- FP 18 ARP IDEA B Funds
- FP 267/497, FP 212, and FP 213 Have Launched in EGMS
- EGMS Office Hours
- 2023-24 Annual Activities Calendar
- Special Education Data Office Hours
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Updates
Click here for this month’s ECSE updates on the following topics:
- Emergency Rules for Transition to Kindergarten
- Part C to B Transition Guidance
- Reminder: ECSE Office Hours
Dispute Resolution Updates
Click here for this month’s Dispute Resolution updates on:
- Emerging trends: RTI and Multilingual Learners
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