High-Quality Instructional Materials Technical Assistance Opportunity for LEAs (reminder)
EdReports will offer technical assistance for up to 12 LEAs to support instructional materials adoption, which includes six, 120-minute synchronous virtual working sessions.
Topics for technical assistance sessions may include:
Establishing a materials adoption process
Developing your local instructional lens
Knowing and winnowing your instructional materials choices
Investigating the materials
Making a decision
Launching and implementing new materials
2022 Session Dates: July 11, 18 and 25, and Aug. 1, 8 and 15 (times will be based on participant availability)
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Assessment Opportunity for Local Education Agencies and Schools (reminder) OSSE has received additional ESSER funding to support the continuation of the partnership withSoil and Land Use Technology, Inc. (SaLUT) to conduct indoor air quality assessments for LEAs on an as-needed basis.
The assessment will be provided at no cost to the school, on a first-come, first-served basis, until available funding is exhausted. Services include up to five hours of technical assistance with the contactor to review any findings. The contractor is responsible for arranging a meeting with each school.
Student Health Form Requirements for School Attendance – New Webpage (reminder)
Healthy bodies and minds are the foundation of academic success. Immunizations and regular visits to the doctor help protect students' health and readiness to learn. Make sure your students have everything they need to have a healthy school year on OSSE's new Student Health Form Requirements for School Attendance webpage. This one-stop site for families and school staff contains the required annual student health forms and requirements and resources about immunizations for students.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine Requirements for Students in the 2022-23 School Year (reminder) Under the Coronavirus Immunization of School Students and Early Childhood Workers Amendment Act of 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine is required for all students eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination that is fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their age, beginning in the 2022-23 school year. As of May 4, 2022, the FDA has fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals age 16 and older and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for individuals age 18 and older. If additional approvals occur, OSSE will communicate those updates as soon as possible.
Any student age 16 or older at the start of the 2022-23 school year must have received their primary COVID-19 vaccination series—or be proceeding in accordance with the series—or they risk removal from school.
OSSE has revised the Immunization Attendance Policy for the 2022-23 school year to support schools and families with understanding and implementing this new requirement. Additionally, schools may refer to the OSSE website for new resources on this requirement, includingCOVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for DC Schools and COVID-19 Vaccination Compliance Steps. Facts about the COVID-19 vaccine are also available on the OSSE website, and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and at coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccine.
Revised Immunization Attendance Policy and Resources for the 2022-23 School Year (reminder) Take action now to ensure all students are fully immunized before the next school year! To prevent the spread of infectious diseases, all students must be up to date on their required pediatric immunizations before the start of the 2022-23 school year. Schools should begin identifying non-compliant students now and informing families that they need to be up to date on their immunizations or risk being removed from school next year. Following District law and regulation, beginning next school year,students who are not up to date with their required immunizations risk being removed from school until they come into compliance.
The OSSE Immunization Attendance Policy has been revised for the 2022-23 school year. Schools may access training, frequently asked questions, flow charts, sample letters, best practices and resources on the OSSE website. This page also includes family resources, including flyers, frequently asked questions and facts about immunizations.
Schools are strongly encouraged to review the immunization attendance policy and supporting materials now to start planning and notifying non-compliant families. It's important for families to schedule their immunization and well-child appointments before the back-to-school rush.
School Health and Safety Guidance Technical Assistance (reminder)
OSSE's Health and Wellness Division offers the following technical assistance:
The next School Health and Safety Technical Assistance call is at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, and will include an update on COVID-19 supports available for the 2022-2023 school year. Advance registration is required. Register for the June 21 call here. The audience for these calls includes LEA leaders, principals and other administrators, and school health points of contact. For any school or LEA leader unable to attend the upcoming call or if you have questions that you wish to ask, please submit questions to the Division of Health and Wellness at OSSE.HealthandSafety@dc.gov.
Nationwide Waiver of Local School Wellness Policy Triennial Assessments in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service is establishing a nationwide waiver to support LEAs unable to complete a local wellness policy (LWP) triennial assessment by Thursday, June 30, 2022, as a result of challenges due to COVID-19. OSSE recognizes the impact COVID-19 continues to have on District LEAs’ ability to complete an LWP triennial assessment and has elected to use this waiver.
LEAs that are required to complete an LWP triennial assessment by Thursday, June 30, 2022, may elect to receive a one-year waiver with a new deadline of Friday, June 30, 2023.
LEAs wishing to accept a new deadline must inform OSSE on or before Thursday, June 30, 2022, by emailing OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov, citing “LWP waiver extension” in the subject line. OSSE will acknowledge receipt of the message.
OSSE must receive notice from LEAs wishing to utilize the one-year waiver by Thursday, June 30, 2022.
LEAs are not required to utilize the one-year waiver and may choose to complete their local wellness policy triennial assessment by Thursday, June 30, 2022. If you are not sure if your LEA local wellness policy triennial assessment is due or if you have questions, please email OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov, citing “LWP waiver extension” in the subject line.
LEAs may request technical assistance with completing triennial assessments and updates to LWPs from OSSE at OSSE.SchoolHealth@dc.gov. OSSE has released additional resources to support LEAs in the development of high-quality LWPs.
New Date: Division of Student Transportation’s June Family Engagement Event
Are you interested in knowing more about OSSE’s Division of Transportation (DOT) and the services offered? Do you have a transportation-eligible student in your household? Join OSSE DOT on Saturday, June 25 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and enjoy music, games, raffles, information sessions, school bus tours and more.
2022 Health and Physical Education Assessment (HPEA): Reminders and Updates
Between April 4 and June 24, 2022, all District public and public charter schools are required to administer the Health and Physical Education Assessment (HPEA) for grades 5, 8 and high school (high school students enrolled in a health class in the 2021-22 school year).
We thank you for your patience with the outage on the Alchemer platform between May 19-25, 2022 that temporarily impacted the administration of the Health and Physical Education Assessment (HPEA). As shared with HPEA points of contact (POCs) and Heads of School via email on May 26, 2022, at 9:26 a.m., the HPEA platform issues have been fully resolved and administration has been resumed.
Important Next Steps and Key Resources:
The 2022 LEA Guide, HPEA Proctor Script, and a 20-minute training are available here under 2021-22 School Year Resources.
Assessment IDs are available for all LEAs in Box. Print and distribute to schools before your LEA assessment date.
Before June 24, log in to the HPEA Qlik application regularly during your LEA assessment window to review completion rates and follow up with schools to ensure 100 percent assessment completion.
Notice of Final Rulemaking – Special Education Regulations On Friday, May 27, 2022, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) posted in the DC Register a Notice of Final Rulemaking for Chapter 30 of Title 5-A in the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations governing the education of students with disabilities. The final rulemaking also makes conforming changes to Chapter 28 of Title 5-A related to students with disabilities attending nonpublic schools. The final regulations go into effect on July 1, 2022, and replace the current Chapter 30 special education regulations found in Title 5-E. Please access the final regulations in theDC Register, or onOSSE’s website. Prior to July 1, OSSE’s Office of Special Education will release trainings and resources to support LEAs in implementing the new regulations.
For questions regarding the final regulations, please contact Christie Weaver-Harris atChristie.Weaver-Harris@dc.gov.
Updated Instructional Day Guidance (reminder) 5-A DCMR § 2100.3 establishes minimum requirements for the quantity of time a school must be open for instruction for attendance purposes – otherwise known as the instructional day requirements. These requirements include a minimum of 180 days of six hours of instruction. However, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education has approved a number of flexibilities in meeting this requirement. These flexibilities include the opportunity for schools to apply for a waiver to offer half-day instruction once per week. OSSE’s Instructional Day Guidance has been updated for the 2022-23 school year. This guidance document outlines instructional day requirements for schools, circumstances appropriate for waiver requests, links to the new waiver form and includes details on flexibilities available to school leaders for managing unforeseen circumstances, including when schools may convert to situational distance learning.
Please review this policy and submit your instructional calendars for the 2022-23 school year in eSchoolPLUS at least 45 days prior to the start of next school year (see CalendarCreation in eSchoolPLUS). For additional questions, please contact Andrew Gall at Andrew.Gall@dc.gov.
Call for Education Preparation Provider (EPP) and EPP Subject Area Program Reviewers (reminder)
Are you an experienced educator, subject area expert or passionate leader in education? Consider serving as an Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) or subject area program reviewer to support OSSE’s EPP and subject-area program state approval and review process.
By participating in this review process, you will:
Review documents submitted by an EPP or subject-area program, including narratives, a curriculum map and supporting materials described on this OSSE webpage.
Provide OSSE with a recommendation regarding whether an EPP or subject area program has met the required standards.
OSSE will host a training for all state program reviewers in August. The full review cycle may take up to 16 hours across multiple days, and current educators who complete at least one review are eligible to receive up to 16 professional learning units (PLUs) for their commitment and efforts.
If you are interested in participating as an OSSE EPP or subject-area program reviewer, please email Sean.Elliott@dc.gov by June 20, 2022. Please be sure to include your name, resume, and contact information in that communication.
Engaging English Learners in Instruction Through Social Emotional Learning, Part 2 (reminder)
OSSE invites all K-12 teachers and school leaders to get support in laying the groundwork for English learner (EL) student success by recognizing that social emotional needs have a direct impact on their potential for academic success. Register here for Part 2 of this virtual series, taking place on Wednesday, June 15, 2022,9-10:30 a.m.
Summer Professional Learning Opportunities for Educators and Leaders
View the June 2022 Teaching and Learning PD Bulletin to learn about upcoming professional learning opportunities happening summer 2022, including:
Smithsonian National Education Summit
Smithsonian Summer Sessions
Restorative Justice: PD trainings for all educators and customized technical assistance for school leaders
Foundations of Special Education Self-Paced Modules and Micro-credential opportunity
Consultation hours for teachers, staff and school leaders with special education experts
Trauma-informed supports PD
For questions about professional learning hosted by the OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning (TAL) please contact the relevant team member listed on their team website. OSSE invites all educators to stay informed of professional learning opportunities by subscribing to the monthly TAL PD Bulletin.
Mini-Professional Development Institute Summer 2022 (reminder)
Help Students Succeed and Get the Outcomes You Need: Managing the Learning Environment for Student Persistence in Education, Training and Workforce Programs
OSSE Adult and Family Education (OSSE AFE), in collaboration with the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), will host a Mini-Professional Development Institute for adult education providers, training providers, workforce development providers, partner agencies and other stakeholders from Monday, June 6 to Wednesday, June 8, 2022. There are two one-hour sessions scheduled each day. All sessions will be hosted online.
Registration is not required. To participate, click on the link provided for each session in the Schedule of Events. For additional information, contact osse.afeta@dc.gov.
Upcoming Virtual Professional Learning for DC Educators
OSSE's Division of Teaching and Learning (TAL) offers a robust menu of virtual professional learning opportunities, including live virtual sessions, multi-session series, and asynchronous modules. Find more details and registration links in the OSSE Training Registration application. For questions, please contact therelevant member of the TAL Professional Learning Team.
New Reimbursement Submission Policy for FY23
OSSE has created a new policy that outlines the minimum requirement for submitting reimbursement requests in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) that will go into effect with all fiscal year 2023 (FY23) grants. The policy can be found on OSSE’s websiteGrantee Reimbursement Request Submission Policy.The new minimum standard for submitting reimbursement requests will be quarterly, for all grants that have an application status of approved and have also expended funds in that quarter. This new requirement will be on all FY23 grant award notifications (GANs), except for grant programs that specifically state a more frequent reimbursement requirement submission on their GANs.
The quarters are as follows:
Q1.: Oct. 1-Dec. 31
Q2.: Jan. 1-March 31
Q3 April 1-June 30
Q4.: July 1-Sept. 30
Final reimbursement requests are due Dec. 1 each year, unless the first falls on the weekend. On those years, the final reimbursements would be due the following business day. Reimbursement requests may certainly occur more often; however, this is the minimum standard. If you have any questions, please reach out to your grant manager or Nancy Mahon in the Office of Grants Management and Compliance atNancy.Mahon@dc.gov.
FY23 ESEA Titles I-IV ConApp and IDEA Part B Phase I Applications Open on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 LEAs are required to submit assurances as the first step to applying for fiscal year 2023 (FY23) Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B grants. These assurances are completed in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) as a Phase I application. Once Phase I assurances are approved, your LEA may complete the Phase II ESEA and IDEA grant applications when they are available on July 1, 2022.
The ESEA Phase I application includes assurances for Titles I-A, II-A, III-A and IV-A and is available in EGMS on June 1. IDEA Phase I applications will also be available on June 1. Both the ESEA and IDEA Phase I applications are due by June 30 at 3 p.m. EST.
For questions or additional information about ESEA Titles I-IV, Part A please contact Bonnie Bacon atBonnie.Bacon@dc.gov. For questions or additional information about IDEA Part B, please contact Kieran Bowen atKieran.Bowen@dc.gov.
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.
Subscribe to LEA Look Forward
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.
