The next Special Education Leaders’ Meeting will be held tomorrow, Friday, September 16, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Zoom link for this meeting has already been sent to Special Education Leaders in a separate email.
Effective Behavioral Intervention Program Master Agreement
On September 10, 2021, the Department issued a guidance document titled Reducing or Eliminating the Use of Time-Out Rooms During the 2021-2022 School Year. Among other topics described is the importance of schools and districts maximizing the amount of time students spend learning with their peers by adopting alternatives to use of time-out rooms. On June 25, 2022, DESE issued a Master Agreement to further assist schools and districts to identify providers from a pre-qualified partner list that can assist them with adopting alternatives to the use of time-out rooms. The Master Agreement and associated documents for “Effective Behavioral Intervention Programs" can be found at 23MASESMN1 on COMMBUYS. Please share with your colleagues who may be interested in applying to become a pre-qualified partner with DESE.
Indicator 7 Webinar
There is an upcoming webinar on Indicator 7 data and the use of the ECOS database. As a reminder, starting with the 2022-2023 school year, all districts will submit data on an annual basis. To better support you in understanding and implementing these data collection changes, our external evaluators for Indicator 7 and SSIP, Dr. Zach Weingarten and Dr. Taletha Derrington, will be holding a webinar on Wednesday, October 12, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Drs. Weingarten and Derrington will present a short review of the ECOS database and what annual data collection will look like this year. Please ensure that your district is represented at this training, as this will be the perfect opportunity to ask questions and get clarification on Indicator 7 data submission. Districts must register for the webinar by following this link.
Indicator 14: Post-School Outcomes
As a reminder, the data collection window for Indicator 14: Post-School Outcomes, will close on Friday, September 30. LEAs in Cohort 3 are surveying exiters, or students who were on an IEP and who left the school district in or before June of 2021. For LEAs in Cohort 3 who need support or assistance, or for more information about Indicator 14, please contact Greg Tobey in the Office of Special Education Planning and Policy at gregory.tobey@mass.gov.
Also important to note that this is the last year Indicator 14 will be collected in a Cohort model. Massachusetts is moving to statewide data collection in June of 2023. All LEAs should begin thinking about processes to collect exiting student information, and how best to contact exiters from this past June.
Professional Development Opportunity
There is a new professional development opportunity titled Paving the Way for Reading Proficiency for All Students Including Those with Dyslexia: A Course for Interdisciplinary District Decision-Making Teams. This course runs from October 3, 2022 - December 12, 2022. Enrollment is open to all Massachusetts public school districts, charter schools, and collaboratives. Districts may send a team of 5 district and/or school staff such as: literacy specialists/coaches; special education directors; language acquisition specialists; district administrators responsible for decisions related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment; building administrators; general education teachers; and special educators. To register please visit the following link Application Form for Fall Cohort
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Event
The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) is hosting their annual White Cane Day celebration on Friday, October 14 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. This event will once again be virtual and people can register here https://massgov.formstack.com/forms/mcb_white_cane_event_registration
Please share details about this event among Orientation & Mobility Specialists in your districts. Additionally, MCB is seeking nominations for the Meg Robertson Mobility Award, which has a category for students. For more information about the award and to submit a nomination, please follow this link: https://conta.cc/3QEzGZW
Contracted Ombudsperson Job Posting
The Office of Special Education Planning and Policy (SEPP) within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is seeking to hire a part-time contractor to serve as an ombudsperson for IDEA special education equitable services.
Please note that in order to more efficiently communicate with Special Education Leaders, any time sensitive or urgent matters will not only be announced in the DESE Special Education Updates, but also posted directly the Special Education homepage. Please ensure that you have bookmarked this page and pay attention for any important announcements.
In Case You Missed It
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