As we prepare to change our clocks and spring forward on Sunday, March 13, discussions need to start on education opportunities offered in the summer. Summer school, summer enrichment, or summer camps are often offered to students to accelerate learning prior to the following school year. Students with disabilities must be offered the same opportunity as non-disabled peers. Extended School Year may be written into the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) but that does not preclude them from participating in other available opportunities.

SE Collection in Data Exchange

This year the April 1, 2022 child count, required by IC 20-43-7-1, will be collected in Data Exchange. This count does not influence funding or monitoring.

Reminder: Secondary Transition Topical Tuesdays

The IDOE Office of Special Education and INSTRC host Transition Office Hours every second and fourth Tuesday from 2:30 to 4 p.m. ET. There is no need to register in advance; simply click this Zoom link at any time during these office hours to join the discussion.

Help with Preschool Transition Planning

IDOE has compiled kindergarten enrollment guidance, resources to support children's learning prior to coming to kindergarten, and considerations for students with IEPs into this Kickstarting Kindergarten Collection. Meant to support schools in assuring children are ready for kindergarten and schools are ready for them, this is a helpful resource as schools prepare for preschool transition of children with disabilities.

Results Driven Accountability (RDA) Data Retreat Recording Available

To access the recording of the Results Driven Accountability (RDA) data technical assistance sessions conducted by the Office of Special Education (OSE), click this link.

New for IndianaMAC-Participating Districts

Beginning Tuesday, March 1, communications from the statewide IndianaMAC school-based Medicaid administrative claiming contractor will now be sent from the email address inmac@pcgclaimingsystem.zendesk.com. The email to contact customer service, inmac@pcgus.com, remains unchanged. Additional customer service improvements in March include:

• A built-in support widget allowing Indiana MAC coordinators to submit questions directly from the PCG Claiming System, which will receive an email reply from inmac@pcgclaimingsystem.zendesk.com.
• Elimination of automated menu prompts and connection directly to available PCG staff when calling Indiana MAC customer service.

Contact the Office of Special Education with questions about these changes.

American Rescue Plan (ARP) Part B Grants Reminder

Supplemental ARP Part B 611 and 619 grant funds are available through September 30, 2023 and are subject to all the same allowable cost criteria as "regular" Part B grant funds. ARP Part B allocations and applications are available in the Office of Special Education Moodle Community, along with guidance, an important FAQ document, and additional resources regarding use of this temporary supplemental funding. All Part B grant forms, guidance, and related announcements are accessible in the IDOE Office of Special Education Moodle Community under Fiscal/Part B Grants for Special Education.

Discipline of A Student Not Yet Determined Eligible for Special Education Services

Recent Dispute Resolution articles focused on removals, suspensions, and discipline of students with IEPs. This month’s focus is on discipline of a student not yet determined eligible for special education and related services when the public agency had knowledge that the student was a student with a disability before the student engaged in behavior that violated a rule or code of conduct of the public agency. Article 7 protections may be afforded to such a student.

Does the public agency have knowledge that the student is a student with a disability?

A public agency is deemed to have knowledge that a student is a student with a disability if:

• the student’s parent expressed concern, in writing to licensed personnel, that the student is in need of special education and related services;

• the parent or the public agency has requested an educational evaluation; or
• a teacher or other public agency personnel expressed a specific concern to supervisory personnel of the public agency about a pattern of behavior demonstrated by the student.

A public agency shall not be deemed to have knowledge that a student is a student with a disability if:

• the parent has not allowed the student to be evaluated;
  
• the parent of the student refused services under Article 7;
• the public agency conducted an educational evaluation, determined the student was not a student with a disability, and provided notice to the student’s parent; or
• the parent revoked consent for special education and related services.

If it is determined that the public agency did not have knowledge, the student may be subjected to the same disciplinary measures applied to nondisabled students.

Initial evaluations during disciplinary proceedings

If an initial education evaluation referral is made while the student is being subjected to a suspension, expulsion, or placement in an interim alternative educational setting, the evaluation must be expedited, meaning the evaluation is completed and the case conference committee (CCC) convenes within 20 instructional days from the date of the parent’s written consent to evaluate. The evaluation report must be provided to the parent at the CCC meeting. Until the evaluation is complete, the student remains in the educational placement determined by school authorities, which may include suspension or expulsion without educational services.

Points to consider:

• As with any situation where a parent is requesting an evaluation, make sure the request is documented by the public agency personnel and the public agency is mindful of the potential need for an expedited evaluation dependent on when the evaluation is requested. As a reminder, a request by a parent for an educational evaluation may be made verbally or in writing.
• A question that comes up often is: if the public agency has knowledge that the student is in need of special education and a manifestation determination meeting must be held, how can the CCC determine whether the behavior in question is a manifestation of the student’s disability with limited data on the student? Our response has been for the CCC to work with the data they have for the student, whether that be teacher observations, parent information, grades, or related medical documentation, to make the manifestation determination with the understanding that the educational evaluation will provide more information when it is completed and the CCC reconvenes. Please see this January 2019 letter from USDOE for additional information regarding how to proceed with the manifestation determination meeting when a school is deemed to have knowledge that the student is a student with a disability.

IDOE’s Office of Student Assessment (OSA) and Office of Special Education (OSE), in partnership with IEP Resource Center, have released recorded webinars on assessment accommodations for the I AM, ILEARN, ISTEP+ Retest, and IREAD-3 assessments in the 2021-2022 school year. Each video includes new and notable accommodations available for these assessments, tutorials on how accommodations appear in Indiana IEP, and answers to frequently asked questions. Please reach out to the Office of Student Assessment with questions.

IDOE Accessibility and Accommodations Resources

The 2021-2022 Accessibility and Accommodations Information for Statewide Assessments booklet is a reference resource on universal and designated features and accommodations available on statewide assessments. Please contact the Office of Student Assessment with questions.

The Indiana Center for Accessible Materials (ICAM) announces its new alliance with Bookshare.org, which enables a Digital Rights Manager (DRM) to request Bookshare titles through the ICAM Web Ordering System. For more details, visit the PATINS/ICAM website. For questions on the new Bookshare ordering process, please contact the ICAM staff.

The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) offers open office hours for Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio discussions via Zoom on Thursdays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET. To ask questions or to listen to your colleagues’ questions, access the Zoom link under Transition IEP and Portfolio Office Hours at the bottom of the INSTRC Transition Portfolio Training and Support webpage or on the Training and Technical Assistance for Transition IEPs webpage.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

IDOE and IN*SOURCE Office Hours

The IDOE Office of Special Education is partnering with IN*SOURCE to hold joint office hours this spring. Two sessions, each including discussion and Q&A on that month's special education topic, will be offered one Tuesday per month from March through May. Visit the IN*SOURCE website for full details. Email questions to the Office of Special Education.

Proactive Best Practices to Foster Positive Parent Relationships

IN*SOURCE will host a webinar for school personnel seeking to foster positive relationships with parents. This event is free and open to the public. Please register by 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 15. For full details and online registration, click here.

2022 Capacity Building Institute Virtual Conference in April

The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) will host its annual Capacity Building Institute (CBI) on Wednesday, April 27 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET. The theme of this year’s virtual conference is Opening Doors, and Paralympian Hope Bevilhymer will deliver the keynote address. Conference topics include customized employment and how to create accessible transition assessments, among others. Click here to learn more.

Promoting Positive Outcomes: Shaping a Better Future Through Effective Inclusion, Collaboration, and Transition

The Early Childhood Center at Indiana University recently announced that the upcoming Early Childhood Special Education Conference has shifted to a virtual format. Sessions will be live on Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 20, and recorded for those unable to participate live. Registration for this virtual conference is now free. To learn more about the conference and to register, click here. Contact Sally Reed Crawford at sreedcra@indiana.edu with questions.

Tech Expo 2022

The PATINS Project and IN*SOURCE are teaming up again to present Tech Expo 2022 on Thursday, April 14, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 pm ET. The event is open to all interested Indiana administrators, teachers, family members, students, and pre-service/grad students. Register for a no-cost ticket by Wednesday, April 6.

Make It-Take It Workshops

HANDS in Autism® is currently offering free virtual interactive workshops to learn about and create tools to support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Each is designed to educate participants about evidence-based strategies, how to use these strategies across settings to support individuals with ASD, and how to tailor materials for the individual(s) you know. Register for one or more of the upcoming workshops at https://handsinautism.iupui.edu/services/workshops/miti/.

Virtual Autism Art Expo

Groups of students, individuals, and anyone who wants to support Autism Acceptance Month (April) are invited to participate in the 12th Annual Autism Art Expo. Learn more about this year’s expo, “Au-wesome Possibilities” at https://handsinautism.iupui.edu/collaborations/art-expo/.

OTHER RESOURCES:

Free Online Tutoring Available for Indiana Students
A partnership between IDOE and Schoolhouse.world provides support for students in grades eight through 12 with free tutoring for SAT preparation, math courses, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The nonprofit connects students with live, small-group tutoring through Zoom at no cost. Tutoring currently focuses on SAT reading, writing, and math, with a math focus on pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus and statistics. Support is also available for AP courses including AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Physics and AP Computer Science. More information on free tutoring services through Schoolhouse.world is available here.