Pennsylvania is looking for outstanding school employees who go above and beyond for their students. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is now accepting nominations for the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award, a national honor from the U.S. Department of Education that celebrates non-teaching staff who make a difference in pre-kindergarten through high school.

“School employees — whether teachers, librarians, custodians, counselors, or paraprofessionals — play a critical role in the health, well-being, and development of young learners,” said Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. “Pennsylvania is proud to recognize the individuals who dedicate their time and care to their communities, and we encourage schools across the Commonwealth to nominate an exemplary professional who is making a difference.”

The RISE Award was created to recognize and promote the commitment and excellence exhibited by classified school employees. Each state is invited to nominate up to two individuals to be recognized. One of last year’s Pennsylvania RISE recipients, Officer Jim Green from Butler Area School District, was named the national RISE Award winner for his exemplary service to his school community. Recently, Officer Green lent his voice to the You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania pep talk phone line, directing callers to select from menu options to hear advice, encouragement, and jokes from early elementary through high school students.

To be eligible for the RISE Award, an individual must be a full- or part-time non-teaching school employee, including paraprofessionals, clerical and administrative services, transportation services, food and nutrition services, custodial and maintenance services, security services, health and student services, technical services, and skilled trades. Nominations may be submitted by local education agencies, school administrators, professional associations, labor organizations, educational service agencies, nonprofit entities, or parents and students.

To nominate someone for the RISE Award, complete the online Nomination Form by June 30, 2025.

More information can be found on the PDE website.

On March 5, 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced up to $300,000 is available through the Keystone Telepresence Grant Program for intermediate units (IUs) for equipment and services to help educate students who are at home recovering from serious medical conditions, up to $30,000 per IU.

“All learners in Pennsylvania deserve to be able to access the world-class education offered in the Commonwealth, despite extenuating circumstances in their lives,” said Acting Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe. “Reducing barriers for students who aren’t physically able to travel to their school buildings is just one way we can support learners who may otherwise be prevented from accessing the important learning that takes place each and every day.”

Intermediate units can use the grants to purchase audio and video equipment. An IU’s member school districts can then borrow the equipment and place it within the homes of students who are recovering from an accident or medical procedure or are experiencing a serious or chronic illness. The equipment enables students to participate in daily educational activities with their classmates and teachers in real time. IUs can also use the funds to train personnel on how to use the equipment.

An intermediate unit that purchases telepresence equipment with a grant may not charge a public school or nonpublic school within the intermediate unit for the use of the telepresence equipment or related services when the equipment is used to support the educational needs of students.

To receive reimbursement for grant related activities, all awardees will be required to submit invoices to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Keystone Telepresence Grant covers the expenditures incurred within the timeframe of the grant period, which consists of only one year. Intermediate Units will only receive reimbursement for the one-year period of the grant, regarding any service contract with a vendor, regardless of the length of the contract.

IUs interested in applying must apply through the eGrants system beginning now until March 14, 2024. Awarded grant funding will run to the end of the fiscal year.

Click here to access the press release.

The accountability requirement under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 mandates each state determines the extent to which students are achieving transition outcomes (State Performance Plan – Indicator 14). To meet the federal reporting requirement, each local educational agency (LEA) is mandated to administer an Exit Process and Post-School Surveys to students (who have graduated, dropped out or reached the maximum age) with individualized education programs (IEPs) once over a five-year period, based on the LEA’s assignment to a targeted sampling year.

To meet this federal reporting requirement, once over a five-year period, each local educational agency (LEA) is required to survey all students with IEPs who graduate, dropout, or age out. The My Plan For Success process (MP4S) will be used to gather this data. The random sampling process used to assign each LEA to one of the five years in each cycle ensures that the LEAs selected each year are representative of the state as a whole with regard to LEA size, disability category, ethnicity, gender, and exiting status.

During the 2023-2024 school year, LEAs assigned to Target Sampling Cohort 4 completed the exit process. The LEAs assigned to MP4S Cohort 4 need to be aware of the following points as they must fulfill the post-survey requirements during the 2024-2025 school year:

• No earlier than one year after the student left school and no later than September 26, 2025, the LEA will need to administer the MP4S post survey to former students who had an IEP and who graduated, dropped out, or aged out at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. (These former students should have been administered the exit survey in Spring of 2023). All this information will be entered by your LEA through the Leader Services online system.
• Intermediate Unit and Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) transition consultants will monitor the LEA’s progress and assist as needed with the MP4S procedure.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education will provide training on the implementation and electronic submission of the MP4S Target Year 1 to LEAs via a webinar scheduled for April 10, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Please register for the webinar on the PaTTAN webpage.

For questions about this process, please contact Hillary Mangis, Educational Consultant at the PaTTAN-Pittsburgh Office, at (800) 446-5607, ext. 6878 (inside PA) or via email at [email protected].