Director of Special Education and Pupil Services
Timely Information
DPI Job Announcement Reminders
A reminder that two positions offering the opportunity for statewide leadership in special education and pupil services will close on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. The DPI Special Education Program Advisor and DPI Student Services Section Leaders positions are posted on the wisc.jobs webpage. For questions, contact Maria Butters, DPI Human Resources Specialist-Senior, Maria.Butters@dpi.wi.gov.
2026 American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Federal Quota Program of Blind Students
Wisconsin public school students, aged 3-21 years, who are blind, visually impaired or deafblind and are being served in school districts or home schooled may be eligible to be formally registered in the APH Federal Quota program through the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI). Please submit this APH Microsoft Form, no later than December 26, 2025, to designate the vision program coordinator or Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired (TVI) who will complete your APH Federal Quota Census paperwork for your district. Even if you do not currently have students in these categories, please submit the form to report no current students. This form will take less than 1 minute to complete. For more information, please refer to the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI) website to review Public and Home School Messaging, timelines and support for LEAs and school leaders.
Reminder of Parental consent to bill Medicaid (non-IDEA eligible students)
Prior to billing for Medicaid services for non-IDEA eligible students, each Local Educational Agency (LEA) is responsible for meeting the requirements for obtaining parental consent prior to disclosing personally identifiable information as required under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 34 CFR § 300.622, and Wisconsin statute 118.125 related to pupil records. For Medicaid billing for students without IEPs, LEAs should use their existing general release forms to obtain parental consent to disclose personally identifiable information. For more information on Medicaid School-Based Services see The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) ForwardHealth Resources for School-Based Providers webpage.
2025-26 Special Education Induction Programs Updates
Wisconsin Special Educator Induction Program
Now in its third year, Wisconsin’s Special Educator Induction Program provides new special educators with targeted professional learning, individualized coaching, and a support network facilitated by trained professional learning specialists and coaches across each Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA). The program centers on High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) and special education requirements, with 275 first-year educators enrolled this year—approximately half serving at the elementary level, 73% in cross-categorical roles, and 35% fully licensed.
This year, the program expanded to offer continued support beyond the first year, including focused learning on explicit instruction, specially designed instruction, data-driven planning, and intensifying interventions. Each participant selects an HLP and SMART goal and receives individualized coaching to support their progress. A total of 186 educators have returned for a second or third year of participation. Among those returning, about half teach at the middle or high school level, 83% work in cross-categorical roles, and 50% are fully licensed.
Participating school districts receive a financial incentive for each educator who completes the program to help offset participation costs. The program is funded through IDEA discretionary funds. For more information, please see DPI webpage for Resources to Attract, Prepare, and Retain Special Educators and Related Service Providers.
Wisconsin Induction Program for Special Education Leadership (WIPSEL)
WIPSEL is in its inaugural year of development and implementation. Through a partnership between the Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS), the twelve CESAs’ Regional Special Education Network (RSN), and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), the program aims to provide professional learning, coaching, and a support network for special education leaders in their first five years of service. Focus groups conducted with Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) and current directors of special education and pupil services revealed that, while preparation programs offer strong foundational training, new directors face notable gaps in navigating compliance, complex systems, and day-to-day leadership demands—challenges that can lead to steep learning curves and potential burnout. This feedback strongly affirmed the need for a statewide induction program.
WCASS and the RSNs are currently designing statewide professional learning, a coaching framework, and a data collection and evaluation plan. The hybrid professional learning model will blend in-person and virtual opportunities. Usability testing for the first two learning sessions is scheduled for early April 2026 with 20 new special education leaders.
For more information, please see the DPI Special Education Leadership Induction Program webpage.
New Resources
New Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) Sample Notice and Consent Worksheet
Based on requests from the FBA Community of Practice and FBA CESA Training Series, DPI has developed a sample notice and consent worksheet that schools may use to get parental consent for a Functional Behavioral Assessment. This sample notice and consent should NOT be used for an initial evaluation or reevaluation. If an FBA is needed as part of a comprehensive special education initial evaluation or reevaluation, use DPI sample form IE-3 or RE-5 found on the DPI IEP Forms webpage.
If an FBA is used solely outside of an initial evaluation or reevaluation, to address the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports when the student’s behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others, parental notification and consent are recommended but not required.
Parental notification and consent are required before conducting an FBA when:
- an FBA is part of required manifestation determination procedures, or
- a student with an IEP is secluded or restrained twice in a school year. Under this circumstance, the IEP team must review the IEP to ensure it contains appropriate positive behavioral interventions and supports based on an FBA of the behavior of concern, if a recent FBA has not been completed on the behavior of concern.
To view the sample consent worksheet, go to the DPI Functional Behavioral Assessment webpage or click on the link for FBA Notice and Consent PDF version or FBA Notice and Consent Editable version to download.
Other DPI News
Connect-Ed
- Celebrating Excellence and Achievement in Wisconsin Schools, December 05, 2025
News Releases
- DPI Report Shows Full Participation, Strong Commitment by Schools During First Year of Early Literacy Requirements, December 01, 2025
Dac Digest, December 03, 2025
Upcoming Learning Events
12/12/25: Supporting Neurodiverse Students: Resilience: Coping and Relationships
12/10/25: Special Education and Pupil Services Leadership Virtual Academy- December
12/10-11/25: Building Hearts of Successful Schools Conference
04/23-25, 2026: Autism Society’s 37th Annual Conference
Recurring Events
1/22/26, 2/19/26, 3/19/26, 4/16/26: Functional Behavioral Assessment Community of Practice
Monthly, every third Wednesday, 12:30-1:15: Specific Learning Disabilities Community of Practice registration link
November 2025 - January 1, 2026: 2025 WI CEC ON Demand Conference, Synergy: The Power of Working Together
Monthly October 2025 - March 2026: Supporting Neurodiverse Students: Year Long Cohort
Second Tuesdays, 1-2pm: New School Social Worker Resource Sharing Sessions
Ongoing in-person events through January: Big Feelings, Bright Futures: Understanding, Responding, and Teaching Emotional Skills in Early Childhood, Early Learning Technical Assistance and Implementation Project
For questions about this email list, please contact Daniel Parker, daniel.parker@dpi.wi.gov. Past updates for this email list can be found on the DPI Weekly News webpage.
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