The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is dedicated to equality, so all students in the Commonwealth have access to a high-quality, safe, and appropriate education, regardless of location. To ensure parity for one of the most vulnerable populations, PDE has created a Publicly Placed Complaint process to be utilized by anyone to raise concerns regarding the education and treatment of school-aged students placed by a court or child welfare agency in a facility with an on-grounds school or educational program. Under this system, PDE will review and, to the extent permitted by law, investigate complaints regarding the education of publicly placed students. With notice from concerned persons in the Commonwealth, PDE will increase the oversight of all publicly placed students attending on-grounds schools or on-grounds educational programs.
For additional information or information on how to submit a Publicly Placed Education Complaint, please visit the Publicly Placed Complaint webpage.
On February 4, 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro presented his 2025-26 budget proposal to the General Assembly and the people of Pennsylvania. Calling it a “Proposal to Cut Costs, Drive Economic Growth, Strengthen Public Safety, Fund Our Kids’ Education, and Continue to Get Stuff Done for Pennsylvanians.” According to a press release, the proposal “places a special emphasis on workforce development; reduces health care, housing, and energy costs; invests in economic development; and continues bipartisan efforts to support Pennsylvania students – all while maintaining fiscal responsibility.”
All elementary schools are encouraged to implement Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) in the 2025-2026 school year to assist in meeting federal requirements.
PA KEI is a reliable reporting tool that offers teachers an instructional strategy for understanding and tracking a student’s proficiency at kindergarten entry. The PA KEI is available to all local education agencies (LEAs) at no cost.
The PA KEI collects information on a consistent set of standards-based indicators across the Commonwealth. The PA KEI is based on Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood and the Pennsylvania Core Standards. PA KEI includes 30 indicators and provides a comprehensive profile that includes the domains of: Social and Emotional Development; English Language Arts; Mathematics; Approaches to Learning; and Health, Wellness and Physical Development. PA KEI is intended to be used by kindergarten teachers to record a student’s demonstration of skills within the first 45 calendar days of the kindergarten year. More information is available at www.kei-pa.org.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities to strengthen the contribution of high-quality early childhood education in school reform and improvement efforts. The law recognizes that school success starts before a student enters the K-12 setting and calls on states to describe how they will assist LEAs and elementary schools to collaborate with early childhood education programs, and to invest in evidence-based practices. ESSA supports early learning and LEA collaboration in three main ways: (1) expanding access to high-quality early learning; (2) encouraging alignment and collaboration from birth through third grade; and (3) supporting educators. The PA KEI is a tangible tool to assist LEAs in understanding the comprehensive learning strengths and needs of students entering the K-12 setting, establishing common expectations and language for beginning and extending collaborative conversations with pre-kindergarten programs and families, and planning and implementing joint professional development opportunities that focus on strengthening evidence-based practices for young learners.
Implementing the PA KEI requires a Point of Contact (POC) who will serve as the liaison between LEA administrative staff, implementing kindergarten teachers, the Office of Child Development and Learning (OCDEL), and data systems staff. A dedicated POC ensures effective communication and implementation throughout the PA KEI process.
To initiate PA KEI participation in the 2025-2026 school year, send the POC name, email address, and phone number to [email protected] by May 30, 2025.
All kindergarten teachers who have not previously participated must complete a required professional development online course and obtain a certificate of completion. Teachers with an expired proficient user certificate (more than five years since certification) must also complete the professional development online course. More information about taking the online course is available on the KEI Professional Development webpage.
Questions about this communication may be sent to [email protected].
As Governor Shapiro marks two years in office, he has begun to tout the accomplishments his administration has made in the are of education. As per a recent Governor’s Office press release, the governor has visited communities across the Commonwealth hundreds of times, has listened to the priorities of everyday Pennsylvanians, and will continue his work towards funding our public schools, investing in our students, and supporting our teachers.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that the first-ever cohort of 142 students at 14 institutions of higher education have completed the Accelerated Special Educator Certification program to become special educators in the Commonwealth.
Announced in March 2023, the Accelerated Special Educator Certification Program delivered $1.5 million in grant funding o bolster teacher pipeline. The first-ever cohort of special education teachers certified through this program fill critical educator workforce gaps.
Grants were made available to colleges and universities with approved PK-12 special education certification programs to partner with at least one school district, approved private school, career and technical center, charter school, cyber charter school, or intermediate unit to provide bachelor’s degrees holders with summer field experiences, mentoring by experienced special educators during the school year, and deliver a postbaccalaureate program for PK-12 special education teacher certification within 18 months. Programs offered most of the coursework during summer 2023 and summer 2024; provided a combination of in-person and virtual options for flexibility and support to the accelerated program participants working full-time; and ensured a minimum of 12 weeks of student teaching.
“Like many other states across the nation, Pennsylvania has been facing an educator workforce shortage—with a particularly critical need to fill thousands of special educator vacancies,” said Interim Acting Secretary Angela Fitterer. “Special educators play an essential role in the lives of their students and families, and this cohort of new teachers will make a lasting impact in classrooms across the Commonwealth for years to come.” As of the 2023-2024 school year, Pennsylvania’s teacher workforce stands at 123,190, with the largest shortages in Grades 4-8, Special Education PK-12, Mathematics 7-12, Life & Physical Sciences 7-12, and Career and Technical Education 7-12. The United States Department of Education have designated these areas as critical shortages, and currently, Pennsylvania needs 1,670 special educators.
