Category: News in the Field

PDE Introduces New Benchmarking Tool to Measure Student Achievement (October 7, 2024)

On October 2, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced a new voluntary and free tool to help schools to track student achievement, The Pennsylvania Firefly Student Progress Indicators (PA Firefly) is a PA-specific tool that will allow educators to assess students’ mastery of material taught in PA classrooms and covered on end-of-year exams, and intervene earlier to help students who need more help to fully master certain material.

“Pennsylvania’s new PA Firefly benchmarking tool provides a comprehensive view of student learning in real time, helping teachers meet day-to-day goals and end-of-year targets,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “We want students across the Commonwealth to succeed and have all the tools necessary to do so at their fingertips. Resources like PA Firefly help to gauge where students are at, so we can meet them there and help them grow and thrive.”

Earlier this year, Governor Josh Shapiro announced changes to the state’s system of school assessments that will reduce the amount of time students spend taking standardized tests, mitigate stress and anxiety around testing by adopting question types that match how students learn, help teachers spend more time teaching, and save the Commonwealth millions of dollars.

PA Firefly will be available in Pennsylvania schools to support student learning throughout the year, starting this school year. The diagnostic exam is fully aligned to Pennsylvania standards to reflect and measure the same student knowledge and skills measured by the summative end-of-year and end-of-course assessments. It signals student readiness for Pennsylvania’s end-of-year exams and lights the way with high-quality reporting and instructional resources for teachers throughout the year.

As a custom benchmark assessment built specifically for Pennsylvania classrooms, PA Firefly will support student learning throughout the year and provide feedback relative to on-grade expectations, as well as predictions for student performance on end-of-year assessments.

PA Firefly is a fully online, computer-adaptive assessment designed to be administered as single-session tests on the same platform as Pennsylvania’s summative assessments. Testing is available throughout the year, beginning in the fall and ending with the spring assessments. Seasonal testing windows will enable educators to track progress and help learners meet milestones throughout the school year. 

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

DHS Proposes Increases in Medicaid Behavioral HealthChoices Rates Through Mid-Year Adjustment to Support Behavioral and Mental Health Care (October 6, 2024)

On September 30, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) announced its intent to increase rates paid in its Behavioral HealthChoices program, which provides access to mental health, substance use disorder, and other behavioral health services for Medicaid recipients. Once approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the new rates to the Behavioral HelathChoices (BHC) Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will be retroactive to July 1, 2024 for their current 2024 contract agreements with DHS.

The increase to BH-MCO rates come following a mid-year review of managed care organizations’ enrollment and what services and supports beneficiaries are using the most. The increased rates, if approved by CMS, will support access to behavioral health care for Medicaid recipients and ensure these MCOs are better positioned to appropriately compensate providers working in the behavioral health field, ultimately helping to recruit and retain this critical workforce.

More information on behavioral health and crisis resources in Pennsylvania is available on DHS’ website.

Schools can Effectively Approach Concerning Student Behavior Using Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams (October 2, 2024)

A steady increase in school shootings in recent years, combined with a flurry of violent threats and swatting calls, has school districts on edge as they begin the 2024-25 school year. How to receive and handle tips regarding potentially harmful behavior is a major concern for schools. Although some tips are found to be baseless, tips received by schools can also be credible. For example, before the recent mass school shooting in Georgia, student Colt Gray’s mother reportedly voiced concerns about her son to the school counselor at Apalachee High School before Gray killed two students and two teachers on September 4th. There is also speculation that one of Gray’s teachers noted concerning behavior prior to the shooting.

According to a report by K-12 Dive, to evaluate the credibility of concerning student behavior, schools should have in place a behavioral threat assessment team that investigates all concerns — no matter how big or small — and to which teachers, students, parents, and bus drivers can make a report that is ultimately routed to the team for evaluation. To encourage that kind of reporting, however, classroom culture needs to shift from one where teachers feel judged for student misbehavior to one where reporting is expected.

In addition, behavioral threat assessment is not disciplinary; rather, it is meant to identify students who may need specific support, like mental health resources, and provide that resource while also keeping students and communities safe.

For more information from K-12 Dive, click here.

Registration Open for PaTTAN Technology Adventure for Students with Vision and Hearing Needs (October 2, 2024)

The first annual Technology Adventure for Students with Vision and Hearing Needs is offered by the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education. It is designed to support educators and families in making informed decisions about assistive technology (AT) for students across the commonwealth with blindness, low vision, deafblindness, or who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Attendees can explore a wide range of vision and hearing assistive technologies, engage with more than 20 Assistive Technology (AT) vendors, and learn about the latest advancements in the field of AT. Additionally, valuable information on post-graduation support for students requiring assistive technology will be provided.

Over 6,000 PK-12 students in the commonwealth have a sensory impairment of blindness, low vision, deafblindness, or are deaf or hard of hearing. Assistive Technology is a vital tool as it provides equitable access to information, ensuring these students can participate in the general education curriculum alongside their sighted and hearing peers. AT can be a simple adaptive device or tool, an advanced high-tech software or hardware, or any service that directly helps a student with a disability in selecting, acquiring, or using an assistive technology device.

Registration is now open for the October 22 and October 23 Sessions.

Please register at the PATTAN Technology Adventure for Students with Vision and Hearing Needs webpage. 

2024-25 PA Budget Invests in Services for Those with ID and Autism (September 30, 2024)

The bipartisan 2024-25 budget for Pennsylvanians significantly added funding to help those with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A). The budget includes historic investments in Pennsylvanians with ID/A and the direct support professionals (DSPs) who care for them by securing $354.8 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers. The funding includes $280 million to help raise wages for DSPs and $74.8 million to begin the process of clearing the emergency waiting list. This investment in provider rates will support recruitment, retention, and wages for DSPs who make inclusive, enriching lives possible for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. 

The 2024-25 budget investment in ID/A services sets a transformative course to eliminate the emergency waiting list for services for adults and reduce barriers to care for thousands of Pennsylvanians over the next several years. It will also make Pennsylvania one of a handful of states to end its emergency waiting list and help ID/A community members access vital services to live independently, pursue education and job opportunities, and participate in the Everyday Lives they deserve. 

Learn more about services and resources through the DHS Office of Developmental Programs.