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. 

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1963 to provide affordable access to higher education for PA students and families. Through the years, PHEAA has evolved into one of the nation’s leading providers of student financial aid services, including the Commonwealth’s state-based student loan program—PA Forward.

To that end, PHEAA is now accepting applications from local education agencies (LEA) interested in participating in the PA Mental Health Education Learning Program in Schools (PA HELPS), a state-funded program to support Pennsylvania students with completing internships required for certification and employment as a school nurse, school counselor, school social worker, or school psychologist.

The funds are awarded and disbursed to the LEA where the student completes their internship.

To be considered for PA HELPS an LEA must:
-Be located in Pennsylvania;
-Be a school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, regional charter school, or cyber charter school;
-Complete and execute a PA HELPS LEA Application and Agreement;
-Provide PHEAA with a copy of the agreement establishing the internship between the LEA and the school the intern is attending for their Educational Specialist Preparation Program;
-Employ a site supervisor for the intern that holds a certification in the same field that the intern is pursuing; and
​-Use 100% of the awarded funds to compensate the intern for their internship.

All LEAs are encouraged to apply.

For more information about the application process and student eligibility, please visit www.pheaa.org/PAHELPS.

Carole L. Clancy, Ed.D. PDE Director of the Bureau of Special Education Dr. Carole L. Clancy has informed LEAs that Act 16 of 2000 (24 PS §13-1372(8)) requires the Reporting of Expenditures Relating to Exceptional Students. School districts and charter schools must report the number of students with disabilities for which expenditures fall in one of five categories. The categories will be 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, and 3B for the 2022-23 school year. The dollar amounts for these categories will be posted on PDE’s website at Act 16 – Reporting of Expenditures Relating to Exceptional Students. The 2023-24 PIMS Manual will also be updated to reflect the dollar amounts to be reported.

According to Director Clancy, this report will now be collected at the student level through PIMS using the Student Fact Template for Special Education Act 16 Funds. The template will be collected during Collection #1 (opening October 2 and closing with a deadline of October 13, 2023). Data is to be based on expenditures incurred during the entire 2022-2023 school year.

Guidelines regarding the Act 16 reporting can be found at Act 16 Information.

The Student Fact Template for Special Education Act 16 Funds can be found in the 2022-23 PIMS Manual.

Please note that failure to complete the Student Fact Template for Special Education Act 16 Funds report may have an adverse effect on your local education agency’s special education funding.

Questions regarding this reporting requirement may be emailed to [email protected]. A copy of this information is being provided to each intermediate unit so they may assist school districts and charter schools with report preparation, as needed.