The U.S. Education Department (USDE) has released the first in a series of school surveys intended to provide a national view of learning during the pandemic. It reveals that the percentage of students who are still attending school virtually may be higher than previously understood. Please click here for the full article from NPR.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes specific funding to support students who experience disabilities. In fact, the ARPA provides $3 billion in additional IDEA funding, which includes $250 million for Part C and $200 million for Part B Section 619. As part of the tens of billions of dollars for K-12 education, the package includes more than $2.5 billion in state grants to support K-12 students with disabilities, including the aforementioned $200 million to support preschoolers with disabilities, and $250 million for infants and toddlers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The ARPA is the first COVID-19 package to include this type of dedicated funding.

On March 1, 2020, the U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Miguel Cardona as the new Secretary of Education in a 64-33 vote. Before the vote was held, a number of Senators commented on Dr. Cardona’s dedication to public schools, as an advocate for marginalized students, and his experience as an English language learner. They also spoke of his expressing the urgency of reopening schools and to prioritize educators for vaccinations. His leadership abilities were also praised b y lawmakers.

On Monday, February 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) provided guidance to states emphasizing the importance of flexibility in administering assessments this year as a result of the pandemic and supporting the use of assessment data as a source of information for parents and educators to target resources and support, rather than for accountability purposes this year.

State assessments and accountability systems play an important role in advancing educational equity, identifying student needs, and targeting the resources to address them. At the same time, some schools and districts may not be able to safely administer statewide summative assessments this spring using their standard practices, while others may wish to prioritize learning time during the scant in-person schooling time this year in many communities. The pandemic requires that states have significant flexibility in implementing this work for the 2020-2021 school year and ED’s guidance is a practical approach that balances these two priorities.

“The Department of Education is committed to supporting all states in assessing student learning during the pandemic to help target resources and support to the students with the greatest needs,” said Ian Rosenblum, acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education. “We also recognize that at a time when everything in our education system is different, there need to be different ways that states can administer state tests like moving them to the fall so that precious in-person learning time this year can be spent on instruction. Balancing these priorities is the best approach.”

The USDE’s guidance makes clear that states should consider the ways they can do things differently this year. Flexibility available to states includes:
-Extending the testing window and moving assessments to the summer or fall;
-Giving the assessment remotely, where feasible;
-Shortening the state assessment, to make testing more feasible to implement and prioritize in-person learning time.

The USDE also recognizes that individual states may need additional assessment flexibility based on the specific circumstances across or within the state. The USDE is prepared to work with states to address their individual needs and conditions while ensuring the maximum available statewide data to inform the targeting of resources and support.

In addition to encouraging flexibility around assessments, the USDE is allowing states to request a waiver for the Every Student Succeeds Act’s accountability and school identification requirements. This flexibility will explicitly include waiving the accountability provisions relating to having a 95 percent test participation rate.

The USDE’s letter to Chief State School Officers outlining its plans for the 2020-2021 school year can be found here

Immediately following the CDC’s February 12, 2021 release of its Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation, the US Department of Education (USDE) released U.S. Department of Education COVID-19 Handbook Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools. The first volume supplements CDC’s Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation. ED’s handbook provides practical examples and roadmaps to provide educators and staff with the tools they need to implement CDC’s recommended safe practices for in-person learning. Access the handbook by clicking here or by going to:

https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-covid-19-handbook-volume-1-strategies-safely-reopening-elementary-and-secondary-schools?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=