Weekly OSSE School Reopening Health and Safety Calls
Sara Mead Joins OSSE’s Leadership Team as Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning (reminder)
New Resource! Serving English Learners During Distance Learning: FAQs and Provisional Identification Procedure (reminder)
IDEA, Part B Provision of FAPE: Guidance Related to Remote and Blended Learning (reminder)
New LEA Guidance! Early Childhood Transition (C-to-B Transition) FAQs (reminder)
Important Immunization Reminder and Requirements for In-Person Learning (reminder)
Final Guiding Principles for Continuous Education, Supporting Resources and the 2020-21 School Year LEA Continuous Education & School Recovery Plan Application Questions (reminder)
DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) 2020-21 Deadline Extended (reminder)
2020-21 Start of School Campaign Website Now Live(reminder)
With summer flying by and the start to another school year fast approaching, OSSE has launched the 2020-21 Start of School Campaign website. Now in its fourth season, the Start of School Campaign for the coming year aims to support LEAs, their leaders and key points of contact in preparing for smooth and successful operations on the very first day of school in six key areas:
Data connectivity;
Early access applications;
Enrollment audit;
LEA faculty and staff data collection;
Immunization Policy for In-Person Attendance; and
Transportation for students with disabilities.
LEA leaders and LEA-level staff interested in learning more about the 2020-21 Start of School Campaign, including full details and resources for each priority area, checklists for LEA leaders and multiple points of contact, and a comprehensive list of dates and deadlines for getting start-of-school-ready should visit osse.dc.gov/StartofSchool.
2020-21 Start of School Trainings for Key LEA Roles(reminder)
As part of its 2020-21 Start of School Campaign, OSSE now offers a series of summer trainings for key start-of-school LEA roles. The purpose of these trainings is to ensure each LEA has a team of skilled staff who can leverage student-level data from multiple systems to meet state and federally required responsibilities, and to effectively serve students on the first day of school. The summer training series includes orientation trainings for five key start-of-school LEA roles:
LEA Data Managers;
LEA English Learner Coordinators;
LEA Enrollment Audit Points of Contact;
LEA Special Education Points of Contact; and
LEA Transportation Points of Contact.
If your LEA recently hired any new staff members (within the last two years) to serve in one or more of these roles, those staff members are strongly encouraged to attend the “New LEA POC Orientation Training” associated with their role(s). In addition, OSSE has planned regular touchpoints throughout the summer for all start-of-school LEA roles, and additional deep-dive training topics for specific roles pertaining to serving special populations.
Training dates, topics, session descriptions and registration links can be accessed by visiting the OSSE Start of School Campaign website; please share this training information with your relevant staff members. For questions, please contact Annette Thacker-Bartlett at Annette.Thacker@dc.gov.
Weekly OSSE School Reopening Health and Safety Calls
OSSE, in partnership with DC Health, Public Charter School Board (PCSB), DC Public Schools (DCPS) and the Office of Deputy Mayor for Education is hosting a series of technical assistance calls for LEAs and school leaders on the implementation of health and safety guidance during the reopening period.
These weekly Monday calls will take place from 1-2 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 3. The discussion will include a deep dive on immunization requirements and the District of Columbia Immunization Policy for In-Person Attendance. [Register] The audience for these calls includes LEA leaders, principals and other administrators and school health points of contact.
The Monday calls will include, but not be limited to:
Deep dives on topical areas within DC Health and OSSE’s health and safety guidance;
Discussion of resources from OSSE, DC Health, PCSB and DCPS to support implementation of the health and safety guidance;
Answers to live and previously submitted questions; and
Opportunity for attendees to share promising practices related to the implementation of health and safety guidance within their reopening plans.
Sara Mead Joins OSSE’s Leadership Team as Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning (reminder)
On Monday, Aug. 3, Sara Mead will be joining OSSE as the next Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning. Sara is a nationally-recognized expert on early childhood policy and practices from around the country, with 20 years of professional experience on these topics across a number of leading organizations and think tanks, and has experience in the DC education sector as well, having served as a board member on the DC Public Charter School Board from 2009 to 2017. You can reach Sara at Sara.Mead@dc.gov starting Aug. 3.
Serving English Learners During Distance Learning: FAQs and Provisional Identification Procedure(reminder)
As a part of the District’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States, OSSE has released frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the responsibilities of states and LEAs to English learners (ELs) and their parents during extended school closures and remote learning, to accompany guidance issued by the US Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. OSSE has also released Provisional Pre-K-12 EL Identification Procedure During Distance Learning. LEAs should use these FAQs as a reference when developing plans for serving EL students in the coming school year. For questions, please contact Jennifer Norton at Jennifer.Norton@dc.gov.
IDEA, Part B Provision of FAPE: Guidance Related to Remote and Blended Learning(reminder) On July 21, 2020, OSSE issued IDEA, Part B Provision of FAPE: Guidance Related to Remote and Blended Learning, available on OSSE’s website. This publication contains guidance on LEA responsibilities under Part B of IDEA relating to the provision of free appropriate public education (FAPE) in instances where LEAs are required to close their doors or limit access to buildings because of a local or national emergency and transition to distance or blended learning models. Previously issued guidance related to the provision of IDEA Part B is consolidated throughout and is organized to be consistent with special education processes. This document also provides newly issued guidance on procedures related to IDEA Part B, specifically with regard to parent training as a related service, telehealth, homebound instruction and optional distance learning, and servings students who are medically fragile.LEAs are encouraged to review this guidance to support their delivery of special education to students with disabilities during their transition to blended learning models for the 2020-21 school year. For questions, please contact the Division of Systems and Supports, K-12 policy team at OSSE.DSEpolicy@dc.gov.
Early Childhood Transition (C-to-B Transition) FAQs(reminder)
OSSE has released the new Early Childhood Transition Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) guidance addressing issues and LEA obligations related to children transitioning from IDEA Part C early intervention services (provided by DC Strong Start Early Intervention Program) to IDEA Part B preschool special education and related services. The document was developed through engagement with the Early Childhood Transition Working Group convened in 2019. The document is intended to provide clarity to LEAs on obligations and processes associated with early childhood transition, also called “C-to-B transition”, including responsibilities for transition conference meetings, initial evaluations, IEP development, and service provision. For questions, please contact the Division of Systems and Supports, K-12 policy team at OSSE.DSEpolicy@dc.gov.
Important Immunization Reminder and Requirements for In-Person Learning (reminder)
As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, District physicians have recorded an extremely low rate of pediatric immunization administrations this year. According to DC Health, the rate of pediatric immunization administrations has dropped by 70 percent in the District as families have avoided or not had access to well-child care during the emergency period. Due to this, many children in the District are not fully immunized, creating a high risk for an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable infectious disease such as measles among our students. DC Health has advised that such an outbreak of another infectious disease could be as much, or even more, of a public health risk for school communities than COVID-19 itself, and would add another complex obstacle for school operations this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of protecting children against contagious diseases. Now, more than ever, families should make appointments and receive their necessary immunizations and flu shots. DC Health is prepared to support schools and families by providing more information on the importance of immunizations and details on where to access immunizations in the District. A list of health providers and locations offering pediatric immunizations is available on the DC Health website. Health providers are prepared to continue accepting appointments for administering immunizations throughout the duration of the health emergency and are taking protective measures to ensure safety of patients.
Due to the dangerously low pediatric immunization compliance and in an effort to protect the health and safety of all students, DC Health and OSSE have advised that all schools are to adopt the Immunization Policy for In-Person Attendance beginning in the 2020-21 school year. This includes notifying and potentially removing non-compliant students from in-person instruction after a 20-school day period due to the public health risks of in-person congregation without up-to-date immunizations. We request your assistance with communicating immunization requirements to all families now to give them as much time as possible to make appointments with their health care providers before the start of school.
OSSE's website has resources, training and information available for schools and families to support meeting immunization requirements. For questions about the Immunization Policy for In-Person Attendance, please contact OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov. For questions about immunization information, data, and locations where families can receive immunizations, schools can contact DC Health at SHS.Program@dc.gov or visit the DC Health Immunization Program webpage.
Final Guiding Principles for Continuous Education, Supporting Resources and the 2020-21 School Year LEA Continuous Education & School Recovery Plan Application Questions (reminder)
The District’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued use of social distance measures to protect public health will require schools to prepare for both in-person and distance learning for the 2020-21 school year. While we need to keep students and staff safe, ensuring that students continue to learn and grow is critical now more than ever. In response to this need, OSSE developed a set of guiding principles to provide LEAs and families with clear and consistent expectations for the continuous education that should take place during the 2020-21 school year. We solicited feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders on a draft of these guiding principles and are now publishing the final guiding principles along with a collection of resources to support the effective implementation of these principles.
In order to grant LEAs the calendar flexibility that will be needed for the 2020-21 school year, OSSE and the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) will require LEAs to develop Continuous Education and School Recovery Plans for 2020-21. OSSE and DC PCSB are sharing this LEA Continuous Education and School Recovery Plan jointly to streamline operations and reduce burden for LEAs so each entity may fulfill its lawful functions. The application is aligned to OSSE’s Continuous Education Guiding Principles and the questions can be found on OSSE's website. The application is due Friday, Aug. 7.
At this time, OSSE and DC PCSB are providing LEAs with the application questions, so they may begin to work on their responses. Next week, OSSE and DC PCSB will provide information on the process for submission and review. For additional questions, please contact Justin Tooley at Justin.Tooley@dc.gov.
2019-20 School Year Approved Distance Learning Plans Published: In May, LEAs submitted distance learning plans as part of their application to waive school calendar requirements of 5-A DCMR 2100.3. LEAs were allowed this flexibility in order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. These plans have been approved and OSSE sent LEAs their approval letters. As we communicated earlier with LEAs, these plans are being shared publicly on OSSE's website. For additional questions, please contact Justin Tooley at Justin.Tooley@dc.gov.
Guidance Defining Attendance for the 2020-21 School Year: Earlier this month, OSSE released draft policy guidance on attendance for the 2020-21 school year. OSSE extended the opportunity for stakeholders to provide feedback on the draft. OSSE has updated the guidance document to lay out the attendance collection for the 2020-21 school year in response to the feedback gathered. You can find the final guidance on OSSE's website. This guidance is being issued to prepare LEAs and schools for attendance collection for the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. OSSE will move forward to emergency and proposed rulemaking based on the policy outlined in this document. For additional questions, please contact Justin Tooley at Justin.Tooley@dc.gov.
DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) 2020-21 Deadline Extended (reminder)
OSSE is extending the deadline for applicants to complete the DCTAG application and submit all supporting documentation from Thursday, July 23,2020 to Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. View guidance on OSSE's website.
The DCTAG application opened Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 for the 2020-21 academic year, which includes the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Applicants must submit certain supporting documentation to prove domicile in the District of Columbia. A prior year Certified D-40 Tax Return from the DC Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) is a commonly used document to demonstrate domicile.
In response to coronavirus (COVID-19), Mayor Bowser and OTR extended the District of Columbia’s tax filing deadline from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. OSSE’s extension of the DCTAG application deadline to Sept. 7, 2020 will allow families taking advantage of the extended tax filing deadline to use the Certified D-40 Tax Return to demonstrate domicile for DCTAG. Also, DCTAG has been allowed to make an exception to accept non certified D-40 taxes for the 2020-21 school year only. For students who are planning to apply for DCTAG for the 2021-22 school year, the certified 2019 D-40 and the certified 2020 D-40 will be required.
For more information, please visit the DCTAG website.
Summer 2020 Virtual PD Sessions for DC Educators
OSSE's Division of Teaching and Learning (TAL) is offering a robust Summer 2020 PD Series, all of which will be hosted through virtual platforms. Our summer series includes a diverse range of content topics, but a common theme of preparing educators to meet the needs of students this fall, whether that be inside the walls of a classroom, through distance learning, or a blended learning model.
Who Can Attend? Sessions are open to all educators serving in public and public charters schools in the District. Most courses will provide OSSE professional learning units (PLUs). Please reference the individual course descriptions for more details on PLU requirements, target audience, and session objectives.
How Do I Register? Beginning this summer, and moving forward into the fall, all OSSE TAL PD trainings will be advertised and open for registration within the OSSE Training Registration app in QuickBase. To view a list of all summer 2020 PD sessions, please view the July 2020 TAL PD Bulletin. For questions, please contact the relevant member of the TAL PD Team.
Human Trafficking Awareness and Mandated Reporter Training
OSSE’s Division of Systems and Supports, K-12, in collaboration with the DC Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), will host a combined virtual Human Trafficking Awareness and Mandated Reporter Training. Mandated reporters are professionals obligated by the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and DC law to report known or suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect. In DC, mandated reporters who should be trained include school officials, teachers, athletic coaches, counselors, social service workers and other direct care professionals. This training is for new mandated reporters, previously identified mandated reporters, as well as DC educators and school staff who interact with District students.
OSSE invites you to attend the virtual Human Trafficking Awareness and Mandated Reporter training on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, from 12-4 p.m. For additional details and to register, please visit OSSE's website. For more information or questions, contact OSSE Special Programs Unit at OSSE.SPU@dc.gov.
Implementing the DC Early Learning Standards Training-of-Trainers Session DC Child Care Connections (DC CCC) is offering a training-of-trainers session unpacking the newly updated DC Early Learning Standards (DC ELS). This in-depth, interactive training will describe the purpose and procedures for effectively introducing the DC ELS. It will also offer techniques and resources to support educators in implementing the DC ELS in their classrooms.
This is a six-hour training conducted via webinar. Upon completion of this training and assessment results showing at least 80 percent mastery of the training content, participants will be certified to train on the DC ELS and will receive a certificate. If the participant is a certified trainer through the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE) Trainer Approval Program (TAP), the DC ELS certification will be added to their TAP records on file as well as added to their entry in the Professional Development Information System (PDIS) trainer list. Webinar dates are below:
Option One
Modules One and Two: Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Registration for this training is by invitation only and limited to one trainer per DC Public School or DC Public Charter School campus. For more information or questions, please contact DC CCC at OSSE.DCchildcareconnections@dc.gov.
Addressing Unfinished Teaching and Learning in Academic Content Areas: Understand, Diagnose and Take Action(reminder)
The Academic Content Team in OSSE's Division of Teaching and Learning is excited to host a three-part professional learning series for school teams to support unfinished teaching and learning as a result of COVID-19. In this series, school teams will have the opportunity to collaboratively engage in a foundational session to support their understanding of where students are in relation to grade-level content mastery. The teams will then have the opportunity to divide and conquer content area supports in order to diagnose through the lens of content specific needs and take action based on classroom level content needs.
Session 1: Understanding in Order to Diagnose & Take Action This Fall: this session is a prerequisite for subsequent sessions.
Participants are encouraged to register as a school team to ensure the cycle of understanding, diagnosing and taking action (UDT cycle) can be implemented across all content areas. Full participants will have the additional opportunity to sign up for a content specific work group to further collaborate with colleagues and receive technical assistance. For more information, please contact Lauren Allen at Lauren.Allen@dc.gov, Tanaga Rodgers at Tanaga.Rodgers@dc.gov or Ashleigh Tillman at Ashleigh.Tillman@dc.gov.
New Leaders’ Self-Paced Series: Virtual Leadership Academy(reminder)
New Leaders is offering a free comprehensive resource to support principals and their teams in planning for the return of families, students and staff to a dynamic and complex school year. New Leaders Virtual Leadership Academy (VLA) supports school and systems leaders to seize this moment to maximize learning, advance equity, and transform schools and communities for the better.
The VLA is self-paced. District of Columbia school leaders can access it anywhere, at any time. The online learning series help leaders prepare for multiple contingencies -- including planning to start the year in remote, hybrid and standard learning environments -- all while prioritizing the safety and well-being of staff, students and families:
Learning Series 1: How to Start Planning for Transformation
Learning Series 2: The What, Why and How of Transformation in the Year Ahead
Learning Series 3: How to Orient Your School Community to the Promises of What’s to Come
School leaders can register at any time. For more information or questions, please contact Kimberly Washington at Kwashington@newleaders.org.
Fiscal Year 2021 MOAAA African American Community Grant(reminder)
The Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs (MOAAA) is soliciting grant applications for its fiscal year 2021 (FY21) African American Affairs Community Grant from qualified community-based organizations (CBOs) providing direct services to the District’s African American community.
Funding priority areas identified for FY21 are aligned with Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration budget priorities:
OSSE will continue to update and redistribute these resources quarterly. If you have a question not addressed in these resources, please contact OSSE Communications at OSSE.Communications@dc.gov.
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To subscribe to OSSE's LEA Look Forward, please contact OSSE Communications at OSSE.Communications@dc.gov and provide your first name, last name, and email address.
