PDE’s Bureau of Special Education (BSE) is working with a committee of stakeholders to update the monitoring system used to evaluate school districts and charter schools. The committee includes parents/guardians, advocates, LEA representatives, peer monitors, and others. This update is necessary to affirm that the monitoring system aligns with the requirements of Chapters 14 and 711, and for BSE to continue to fulfill the general supervision monitoring requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. BSE welcomes recommendations from the public about the monitoring system. To view updates, BSE is offering an online webcast that can be viewed on the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network website at www.pattan.net. The webcast will be made available beginning on May 6, 2019, through June 6, 2019. Registration is available now. You will be required to provide your first and last name, position/role, LEA or agency represented (if appropriate). The draft monitoring document also will be available for review online. During this period, the documents can be accessed at www.pattan.net. Recommendations by interested parties may be emailed to [email protected] or submitted by fax to 717.783.6139, attention Jill Deitrich, BSE. Persons providing comments through email or fax must also provide their first and last name, email, position/role, and LEA or agency represented (if appropriate). All e-mail and/or fax comments must be received by June 6, 2019.
Category: Government Actions
Sen. Aument Steps Down, Sen. Langerholc Takes Over as State Senate Ed. Committee Chair (May 3, 2019)
PA State Senator Ryan Aument (R-36) has relinquished has role as chair of the Senate Education Committee after about four months in the position. He will remain on the committee, but now needs to focus on his new leadership role as the Senate Republican Caucus Secretary. Republican Wayne Langerholc (R-35) has taken over as the chair of the Senate Education Committee.
PDE Sends Memo on Mental Health Consent to Treatment FAQs (April 28, 2019)
On Friday, April 26th, Pat Hollinger, PDE’s Administrative/Fiscal Officer, Office for Safe Schools, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, sent a PennLink containing two documents on Mental Health Consent to Treatment FAQs. To view those documents, click below:
Consent to Mental Health Treatment for Minors FAQs – June 29, 2018
Age of Consent to Mental Health Treatment in PA – Handout #11
PDE Reminds LEAs of SpEd Reporting Requirement Window Open from April 29th to May 3rd (April 26, 2019)
On Friday, April 26, 2019 Pat Hozella, Interim Director of PDE’s Bureau of Special Education, released a PennLink communique titled “Local Educational Agency Special Education Data Reports Online Preview.” That document reminded readers that this year states are required to report LEA performance on the following State Performance Plan school-age indicators for students with disabilities: Graduation Rates; Dropout Rates; Participation and Performance on Statewide Assessments; Suspension Rates; Educational Environments; School-Facilitated Parent Involvement; Disproportionate Representation by Race/Ethnicity Receiving Special Education; Disproportionate Representation by Race/Ethnicity in Specific Disability Categories; Timelines for Initial Evaluation; Individualized Education Program Secondary Transition Goals and Services; and Post-School Outcomes.
To fulfill the State Performance Plan public reporting requirement for the 2017-18 school year, each LEA will have an online Special Education Data Report (SEDR) that shows local performance on the above indicators. In some instances, an LEA’s report will not have data for every indicator (e.g., the data comes from cyclical monitoring and the LEA was not monitored in 2017-18 or the data set is too small to be reliable) and a reason code will be on the report.
Prior to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) publishing these reports publicly, LEAs will have an opportunity to preview the site and their reports. The preview period will begin April 29, 2019, and end on May 3, 2019. To review your State Performance Plan SEDR, visit Preview of LEA SEDR and click on SEDR Reports. Once on the SEDR preview landing page, select your LEA from either of the Public Reporting Preview drop-downs. The accompanying narrative explains how data are obtained and how to interpret the reports. If your LEA has questions or concerns about the data displayed, first consult your Intermediate Unit Data Manager to ensure that the data submitted to the state matches what your LEA provided. If questions remain following these internal reviews and verifications, contact Jodi Rissinger, Data Manager with PDE, via email at [email protected].
When the SEDR Reports go live on the public site, they can be accessed by visiting the PennData homepage at PennData Webpage and clicking on Public Reporting. The most current State Performance Plan approved by the U.S. Department of Education is available for reference on the PDE website at www.education.pa.gov and the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network website at www.pattan.net.
PDE to Help Economically Disadvantaged Students with AP Test Fees (April 20, 2019)
In an April 18, 2019 news release, PDE announced a new initiative, resulting from a partnership forged with the College Board, which would allow economically disadvantaged high school students to possibly earn college credit through taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams at a reduced cost of $20 per exam, rather than the normal cost of $85 per test.
Beginning with the 2019 exams, the Commonwealth will pay $33 toward the $85 cost for each exam for economically disadvantaged students, which along with the College Board’s $32 fee reduction, will allow students who qualify to pay only $20 per test. Students are considered low-income if they qualify for free or reduced lunch.
The College Board will bill PDE for each qualifying student who takes an AP test at the end of an AP course.
Economically disadvantaged students may also potentially benefit from taking AP courses and scoring well on the end-of-course test, since some colleges use AP scores to exempt students from intro courses, which could result in saving money and reducing the time it would take to earn a degree.
In an April 18, 2019 news release, PDE announced a new initiative, resulting from a partnership forged with the College Board, which would allow economically disadvantaged high school students to possibly earn college credit through taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams at a reduced cost of $20 per exam, rather than the normal cost of $85 per test.
Beginning with the 2019 exams, the Commonwealth will pay $33 toward the $85 cost for each exam for economically disadvantaged students, which along with the College Board’s $32 fee reduction, will allow students who qualify to pay only $20 per test. Students are considered low-income if they qualify for free or reduced lunch.
The College Board will bill PDE for each qualifying student who takes an AP test at the end of an AP course.
Economically disadvantaged students may also potentially benefit from taking AP courses and scoring well on the end-of-course test, since some colleges use AP scores to exempt students from intro courses, which could result in saving money and reducing the time it would take to earn a degree.