Special Education

Special Education News Archives

2019
04/18/19	Special Education Guidelines for School Districts on Dyslexia and other Learning Disabilities RFR is available on COMMBUYS.
04/18/19	Explore new IDEA Equitable Services (proportionate share) resources including DESE IDEA Equitable Services PowerPoint Presentation, Sample Consultation Invitation, Quick Reference Guides and more!
04/18/19	DESE is offering a series of webinars regarding IDEA regulations on significant disproportionality by race and ethnicity in special education identification, placement, and discipline. Register now!
04/03/19	Educación especial Vacancias en el Consejo Asesor Estatal de Educación Especial - Responder antes del 30 de abril de 2019
04/01/19	Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-2: Extended Evaluations
03/29/19	April 2019 Regional Special Education Administrators Meetings Agenda and Registration
03/26/19	Vacancies on the State Special Education Advisory Council — Respond by April 30, 2019
03/14/19	Special Education Professional Development Series "Intent to Post" RFR is available on COMMBUYS
03/13/19	An error in Appendix B: LEA Assignment Quick Reference Guide has been corrected as of 03-15-19.
03/04/19	Notice of Public Comment on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Annual State Application — Deadline for submission is 4/1/2019.
02/26/19	FY19 Fund Code 274 and Fund Code 249 discretionary grant programs
02/11/19	A Request for Information (RFI) regarding the previously posted Bid entitled Guidelines for School Districts on Dyslexia and Other Learning Disabilities is posted to COMMBUYS
01/31/19	Registration information for the Building Inclusive Communities in Early Childhood Conference, March 15, 2019 (Snow date of April 23rd).
01/23/19	The Office of Special Education Planning & Policy Development (SEPP) is seeking an unpaid student intern whose work will focus on secondary transition services for students with disabilities
01/23/19	Register for the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Visions of Collaboration Conference
01/17/19	Technical Assistance Advisory SPED 2019-1: Transition from Early Intervention Programs to Early Childhood Special Education
2018
12/21/18	Update available for Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-1 for Attachment D: Summary of District Obligations.
12/20/18	IEP Improvement Project Update — an Executive Summary of AnLar's Research, Planning and Recommendation Report
12/11/18	Explore DESE's Specific Learning Disability: Dyslexia webpage
11/30/18	FY19 298 Early Childhood Special Education Discretionary Federal Program Improvement Grant — Application Deadline is February 27, 2019
11/07/18	Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) invites schools, families and community providers to attend listening sessions in November 2018 on Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
11/07/18	2018 Determinations of Need for Special Education Technical Assistance or Intervention Memorandum: How the Department Made Determinations
09/18/18	The Bureau of Special Education Appeals is soliciting public comment on proposed amendments to Hearing Rules for Special Education Appeals
09/05/18	Revised Technical Assistance Advisory SPED 2012-1: Certain IEP Services Not Provided by the Department in Institutional Settings — Revised August 2018 to address all host agency settings (DYS, DMH, DPH, CHC)
08/31/18	Update on Data Collection Activities for the Massachusetts State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR)
08/29/18	Districts in Cohort Four and Boston must submit a completed Special Education Program Plan Statement by Monday, October 1, 2018.
07/31/18	Updated Administrative Advisory 2013-1: Parental Consent to Access MassHealth (Medicaid) and the School-Based Medicaid Expansion Program (Additional Services and Eligibility Update)
07/30/18	2018 Special Education Professional Development Series
07/24/18	Webinar: Children with Disabilities Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools
07/13/18	Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-1 revised July 2018 to include reference to Grant Fund Code 262 which DESE will administer starting in FY19.
07/11/18	Massachusetts State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (MA SPP/APR) for FFY2016
07/03/18	Special Education Administrative Advisory 2019-1: Recovery High Schools
06/29/18	Save The Dates: MA DESE Experienced Directors of Special Education Leadership Institute & Community of Practice: 2018-2019
06/27/18	Technical Assistance Advisory SPED 2018-4: Joint Advisory from Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE): MCB/DESE Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Technical Assistance Advisory
06/22/18	Memo from Russell Johnston, IDEA Proportionate share calculations for FY18 and FY19
06/12/18	Register Now for the Early Childhood Coordinators Administrative Leadership Institute and Community of Practice for 2018-2019.
06/08/18	Memorandum from Russell Johnston regarding DESE's appointment of an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ombudsperson
06/08/18	FY19 Fund Code 274 discretionary grant program
06/04/18	The Federal Grants webpage at DESE has launched! Information about the IDEA grants (Fund Code 240 and 262) can be found on this new site.