On September 28, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that $3.5 million is now available to expand access to gifted education programming in schools and serve more students through the Pennsylvania Gifted Equity Initiative (PGEI).

Research shows there is severe underrepresentation of African American, American Indian, and Hispanic/Latino students in gifted education. PGEI will provide school districts with the tools, training, and resources necessary to implement identification procedures that will increase the number of culturally, linguistically, and economically disadvantaged students that are identified as gifted.

The program will use federal Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program funding to develop systemic technical assistance and support to close the excellence and achievement gap currently found in Pennsylvania school districts by the identification of and provision of services to gifted students who are not traditionally identified. This will allow educators to use culturally responsive tools to recognize potential in students; increase identification and retention rates of underrepresented students in gifted education; encourage collaboration between institutions of higher education to prepare pre-service teachers to better serve underrepresented gifted students; and provide support and training to families.

PGEI will develop a statewide support team including state level leads, Intermediate Units (IUs), local education agencies (LEAs), and national leaders in equity to advance the equitable practices in gifted identification across the Commonwealth and will interact with 400 school districts—or 80% of school districts—over the course of the five-year grant. IUs will work directly with LEAs to implement the programming.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website.

On October 3, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) launched a new website to provide resources and information to individuals interested in becoming educators in the Commonwealth. The website includes testimonials from real-life teachers, career and certification process guidance, information about individualized pathways to becoming an educator, and more.

Earlier this year, PDE announced that processing timelines for In-State Level I certificates have been reduced by approximately 10 weeks since 2022. PDE also launched a new feature on its website to improve transparency and responsiveness in the educator certification process. The certification “clock” on PDE’s Certification page shows, in real time, the length of time needed to process a certificate once all required information is submitted to PDE.

Additionally, last year, PDE revamped its website to allow current and prospective educators to more easily access information related to certifications. Changes to the Certification page include more easy-to-follow breakdowns on common topics that educators are searching for; condensed and updated frequently asked questions; a step-by-step guide and instructional YouTube video for first-time users; and more.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website.

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh is reminding Pennsylvanians who receive health care coverage through Medicaid (called Medical Assistance or MA in Pennsylvania) or CHIP, as well as the health care professionals who work with them, that the cost of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatment are covered by the programs. 

Medicaid, including the Medicaid managed care organizations, is required to provide coverage for COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine administration, testing, treatment, and stand-alone vaccine counseling for beneficiaries under 21 without cost sharing, at least through September 30, 2024. This includes new booster shots as they are approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, Medicaid must cover all types of FDA-approved COVID-19 diagnostic and screening tests, including those done at testing sites, at home tests that are sent to a laboratory for processing, and at-home tests that do not require a laboratory.   

CHIP contracted managed care organizations must ensure continued coverage without cost sharing for all FDA-approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine administration, screening and testing, treatment, and stand-alone vaccine counseling. Stand-alone vaccine counseling occurs when a patient or caregiver receives vaccine information from a provider, but a vaccine is not administered in the same visit.  

In addition to free testing available through Medicaid, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that beginning September 25, 2023, all U.S. households can order four free at-home tests to be delivered to them.  

More information on Medicaid and CHIP, including applying for these and other benefits, is available on the DHS website.