Category: News

Annual DeafBlind Child Count for Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Students (February 28, 2026)

Annually, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), requires the Pennsylvania DeafBlind Project to conduct the National DeafBlind Child Count. The DeafBlind Child Count records the number of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students who have deafblindness or who are at risk of developing deafblindness, and who are enrolled in early intervention or special education as of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) child count on , 2025.

The count began with Approved Private School programs in and is in the phase for LEAs and Infant Toddler and Preschool Early Intervention Programs in . You must verify and submit your information no later than , 2026. It is important for Pennsylvania to have an accurate DeafBlind Child Count as this information is tied to funding research, training, and technical assistance for this population of children.

Please be aware that for the DeafBlind Child Count, the federal definition of deafblindness is more inclusive and extensive than the one used for the IDEA child count. Children ages birth through 21 years should be reported in the count if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
1. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students who have a diagnosis of deafblindness and/or receive both vision and hearing support services;
2. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students who have a mild to profound hearing loss and mild to profound vision loss with correction that still requires adaptations or modifications;
3. Infants and toddlers (ages birth-to-three; i.e. Part C) who have a diagnosis that places them at-risk for an intellectual disability with inconsistent responses to visual input and sound. (At-risk means a diagnosis that does not guarantee hearing/vision loss); or
4. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students with multiple disabilities who may demonstrate inconsistent responses to visual input and sound.

It is important for each Early Intervention Program and Local Educational Agency (LEA) to participate in the DeafBlind Child Count.
1. If you do not have any infants, toddlers, preschoolers, or students with deafblindness, you will still need to log in and identify that you are not educating anyone with deafblindness at the present time.
2. If you are educating an infant, toddler, preschooler, or student with deafblindness, you will need to either enter a new record or verify information about a child who already exists in the system.
3. School-Age and Preschool Early Intervention Programs are encouraged to work closely with contracted providers (e.g., Approved Private Schools, Charter Schools for the Deaf or Blind) to ensure an accurate count of children.
4. Connecting families of children who are deafblind with supporting networks and information is vital. A feature of the DeafBlind Child Count is a letter which you will be asked to send to the family of each child listed in your count. The letter provides information which will link families to support and information related to deafblindness.

DeafBlind Child Count – Approved Private School Entries
All Approved Private Schools (APSs) entered their student data prior to the DeafBlind Child Count being opened for Early Intervention Programs, school districts, charter schools, and service providers.  While there are few infants and toddlers served at APSs, you may see a child in the DeafBlind Child Count which has been entered by an APS. For those programs with many students who qualify, this will save them valuable time. This was done by all APSs even if there are no students who qualify for the DeafBlind Child Count enrolled in their school. As the Early Intervention Program or LEA for these respective children, you must either confirm that the child is your responsibility or reject them if the child is not within your catchment area or in the age range of children you serve. Please be aware that exceptions may exist. After you confirm that you are the Early Intervention Program or LEA for the child, you can update other data as necessary.

DeafBlind Child Count – Early Intervention Programs
If you are the Early Intervention Program responsible for providing Early Intervention Services to the entered child, you should confirm that the child is your responsibility. If the child is not the responsibility of your program (i.e., the child is not within your catchment area or in the age range of children you serve), please email dbchildcount@pattankop.net.

Log In Information
This year, login has been transitioned to the PDE Integrated Monitoring System, or PDE-IMS.
If you believe that you should be receiving these communications and need to be added OR should no longer be receiving these communications and need to be removed, please contact your Chief School Administrator.
When you log into IMS at https://www.pdeims.com, the DeafBlind Child Count is labeled as DeafBlind under the Bureau of Special Education section. All functionality in the application remains the same. 
If you have any questions regarding the data collection system or your responsibilities for entering child data into the DeafBlind Child Count, please email dbchildcount@pattankop.net.

PDE Sends PA Kindergarten Entry Inventory – 2026-2027 School Year Invitation to Participate (February 24, 2026)

All elementary schools are encouraged to implement Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) in the 2026-2027 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. The 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; it 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 for 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 Early 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 2026-2027 school year, send the POC name, email address, and phone number to RA-PWOCDELKEI@pa.gov by May 30, 2026.

All Kindergarten teachers who have not previously participated must complete a required professional development course online 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 website.

Below are the tentative training schedule and timeline for participation:
–March-September: Required professional development online course available
–August-September: PA KEI systems professional development opportunities available
–By the start of school: Implementing Kindergarten teachers must have completed the required professional development online course and a certificate of completion on file to gain systems access
–45 calendar days from start of school: Observation and evidence collection/scoring completed
–60 calendar days from start of school: Data submissions (student outcomes) finalized within data system

Questions about this communication may be sent to RA-PWOCDELKEI@pa.gov

FY26 Budget Discourages USDE Outsourcing (February 24, 2026)

Although the recently passed fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget for the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) did not ban the outsourcing of certain education programs to other federal agencies, it strongly condemned and discouraged the transfer of key programs out of the USDE. The bicameral and bipartisan statement said that no authorities exist for the USDE “to transfer its fundamental responsibilities under numerous authorizing and appropriations laws” to other federal agencies. It also raised concerns that “fragmenting responsibilities for education programs across multiple agencies will create inefficiencies, result in additional costs to the American taxpayer, and cause delays and administrative challenges in Federal funding reaching States, school districts; and schools.” It also said that there are concerns the interagency agreements will “weaken Federal support to protect the rights of students, children, youth, and families under Federal education laws.”

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Special Ed. Numbers Continue to Rise Nationwide (February 25, 2026)

A according to federal data analyzed by The Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of people with disabilities, the number of students with disabilities ages 3-21 who qualify for special education services in the U.S. rose 3.8% — or by 301,991 students — in 2024 when compared to the year before. In fact, approximately 8.2 million students ages 3-21 qualified for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2024. IDEA also served 458,920 infants and toddlers through IDEA’s Part C early intervention services, according to The Advocacy Institute’ analysis of data collected by the U.S. Department of Education. Nationally, the number of students ages 3-21 qualifying for IDEA Part B special education and related services rose 12.6% between 2019 and 2024.

The enrollment data mirror trends that many local and state special and general education administrators have noted in recent years — that while their overall student counts are decreasing, the numbers of students with disabilities are on the rise and education experts point to several influencing factors, including more awareness and earlier identification of conditions like autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the use of universal screeners for certain learning disabilities, and heightened attention to children’s mental well-being.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

State Board of Higher Ed. Adopts Historic Strategic Plan to Transform Postsecondary Education in PA (February 20, 2026)

On February 19, 2026, the Pennsylvania State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) voted unanimously to adopt a strategic plan for higher education – Pennsylvania’s first in more than two decades – designed to support and align the higher education sector, increase affordability and degree attainment, and strengthen the economic well-being of Pennsylvania communities.

Driving a Prosperous Pennsylvania: A Statewide Agenda for Higher Education was developed through an extensive public engagement process that elicited feedback from more than 1,300 Pennsylvanians. Building on the strengths of Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities, the plan calls for coordination to align resources, policies, and efforts to address the pressing needs of the higher education sector. The plan is based on the premise that affordable, world-class postsecondary education fuels Pennsylvania’s economy and provides affordable pathways to good-paying, family-sustaining careers.

The plan is anchored in six goals that include increasing postsecondary attainment, creating affordable pathways to postsecondary credentials, supporting the economic and workforce development needs of the Commonwealth, ensuring accountability and the efficient, effective use of state funds, and strengthening the fiscal health and stability of the sector.

Driving a Prosperous Pennsylvania has received strong support from a wide array of stakeholders who have endorsed the Board’s collaborative approach to developing the plan and its emphasis on economic prosperity.

Created in 2024, the SBHE provides leadership, capacity and support to higher education, industry, and the public sector to achieve critical economic development, workforce, and educational benefits for the Commonwealth. To read what stakeholders have to say about the plan and to read the entire press release, click here.