Directors of Special Education and Pupil Services 09/26/2025

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 09/26/2025 12:22 PM CDT

Director of Special Education and Pupil Services

Timely Information

December Snapshot will Take Place Tuesday December 9th

Please work with your WISEdata team to review your October 1 Child Count data for 2025-2026 and ensure that all data is correct and complete. This includes reviewing your data for:

Missing Disability Codes
Missing or Mismatched Educational Environment Codes
Significant Development Delay (SDD) code for children who are older than 9 years of age

In addition, please review your 2024-2025 WISEdata records for accuracy and completeness with regards to the following:

Timely Initial Evaluation data (Indicator 11)
Discipline data
Exiting data (Graduation and Drop-out data, especially with regards to HSC exit code)

Finally, please check the applications in your Special Education Portal, especially with regards to 2024-2025 data:

Preschool Outcomes (Indicator 7) application – enter exit dates and outcomes for students who entered kindergarten (5K) this year
Preschool Transitions (Indicator 12) application – acknowledge all referrals and complete all Indicator 12 reporting, especially with regards to referrals received prior to July 1, 2025

The December 2025 Snapshot will be taken on all the data listed above. Next month, data quality (DQ) Alerts and email messages will be sent to LEAs regarding data errors specific to your school district.

Suicide Prevention Annual Model Notice Requirement

Wis. Stat. § 115.365(3) requires that "Each school board and the governing body of each private school annually shall inform their professional staff of the resources available from the department and other sources regarding suicide prevention.” The statute also requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to create a model notice of suicide prevention resources and services available in the state. See Wis. Stat. §115.36 Assistance to schools for suicide prevention programs for additional details. DPI’s dedicated webpages provide resources to equip schools and staff with the tools to support student mental health and well-being and prevent suicide.

New Resources

Updated FBA Resources and Learning Opportunities

In collaboration with partners across the state, the Wisconsin DPI has updated resources on conducting functional behavioral assessments (FBA) for students with individualized education plans (IEPs). The goal of an FBA is to identify the function and underlying root cause of behavior in order to develop a plan for adults to better support the student’s academic and functional needs. The updated information includes building readiness, when teams should consider use of an FBA, consent requirements, the components of an FBA, and using the results. The FBA resources and FBA professional learning opportunities can be found on the DPI Functional Behavioral Assessment webpage. 

School-based Suicide Prevention: Prevention Programming Module

The Prevention Programming module provides a process for developing effective suicide prevention strategies rooted in the Wisconsin School Mental Health Framework. This module provides a flexible approach that allows schools and districts to develop a plan using identified best practices aligned with local strategic plans, resources, and needs. The module contains over 50 resources to help local districts and schools identify, implement, and monitor suicide prevention and mental health and wellness strategies.

Staff Suicide Prevention Presentation Template

This PowerPoint presentation is designed to help districts increase staff knowledge about suicide prevention, school-specific protocols, and available resources. It is intended to supplement, not supplant Gatekeeper training and can be adapted to meet the needs of the school. The presentation template is available on the DPI’s Suicide Prevention webpage in the School Staff Supplemental Training section.

Re-entry With Care: A Guide for Supporting Students During and After Hospitalization for Suicide Risk or a Mental Health Crisis

Re-entry with Care: A Guide for Supporting Students During and After Hospitalization for Suicide Risk or a Mental Health Crisis provides guidance for schools in supporting students returning to school after hospitalization for suicide risk or a mental health crisis. This guide highlights best practices for fostering well-being, collaborative support, student voice, and academic success before, during, and following re-entry. Featuring checklists of key action steps and editable templates for re-entry and safety plans, this resource equips school staff to create a compassionate, coordinated re-entry process.

Other DPI News

EdLeaders Dispatch, September 23, 2025, DPI

Secure 2024-25 Report Cards Available Next Week

EdLeaders Dispatch, September 16, 2025, DPI

Federal Focus: Updates on Latest Federal News
Upcoming Statewide Assessment Data Public Release
Important: Annual Seclusion and Restraint Reporting Requirement
DPI Reorganization and Ongoing Special Education Support
New Federal Digital Acccessibility Requirements for Schools

State Test Scores Show Slight Gains; State Superintendent Dr. Underly

Emphasizes Support for Students, Educators, (09/25/25) DPI News Release

State Supt. Dr. Underly Delivers Urgent Call to Action in 2025 State of Education Address, (09/18/25) DPI News Release

DAC Digest (9/25/25)

September Assessment and Accountability Newsletter (9/22/25)

DAC Digest (9/16/25)

Upcoming Learning Events

Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiative Ongoing Professional Learning Opportunities this Fall

Families As Partners: This series of four educational and leadership sessions for families is focused on building relationships with school staff and other supportive individuals in order to enhance student outcomes. Family members are asked to attend all sessions. Click to Register 10/6/25, 10/13/25, 10/20/25 & 10/27/25 (5:30 pm - 8:30 pm). Link to FLYER with more information.
A Seat at the Table: What It Really Means to Be on a Committee, Board, or Council: In this 3-part series using the Serving on Groups curriculum, participants will: Learn about different types of groups and their purpose, and structure in a school setting; Assess and grow their own personal strengths, knowledge, and skills for effective participation in a group(including IEP meetings); Receive a printed training manual. Click to Register 10/9/25, 10/16/25, 10/23/25 ( 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm). Link to FLYER with more information.