Policy Memos & Advisories

Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2021-2: Assignment of Financial and Programmatic Responsibility for Special Education and Enforcement of Assignments
Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-3: Updated State Mandated Form for Documentation of Medicaid Service Delivery in Out-of-District Programs (28M/12)
Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-2: Extended Evaluations
Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-1: Recovery High Schools
Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-3: Guidance on Amendments to Special Education Regulations, 603 CMR 28.10, to Align with ESSA Foster Care Provisions
Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-2: Secondary Transition Services and Graduation with a High School Diploma — Superseded by Special Education Policy Memo SY2025-2026 — 2
Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-1: Guidance and Workbook for Calculating and Providing Proportionate Share Services for Students with Disabilities Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools — Revised July 2018 to include reference to Grant Fund Code 262 which DESE will administer starting in FY19
Administrative Advisory SPED 2017-1: Guidance on Students with Disabilities and Subminimum Wage Employment
Administrative Advisory SPED 2016-2: Requirements related to Maintenance of Effort — Withdrawn pending updates
Administrative Advisory SPED 2016-1: SIMS Data Reporting
Administrative Advisory SPED 2015-2R: Special Education Parent Advisory Councils, Acceptable Alternatives, and Use of Social Media
Administrative Advisory SPED 2014-1: Demonstration of performance skills of educational interpreters
Administrative Advisory SPED 2013-1: Parental Consent to Access MassHealth — Updated July 16, 2018 to address the School-Based Medicaid Expansion Program applicable to all MassHealth eligible students
- Questions and Answers on Parental Consent and MassHealth — updated March 2019
- Mandated form (28M/13) — Parental Notice and Consent to Access MassHealth (Medicaid) Benefits
  Translated versions available in Spanish, Haitian, Chinese, and Portuguese.
Administrative Advisory SPED 2011-1: Age of Majority
Administrative Advisory SPED 2010-2: School-Based Medicaid and Nursing Services
Administrative Advisory SPED 2008-1: IDEA-2004 and Requirements related to Maintenance of Effort — Withdrawn November 2015
- Cumulative Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Adjustment For All Districts as of FY14 — Withdrawn November 2015
Administrative Advisory SPED 2007-2: IDEA-2004 and Private School Students — Withdrawn July 2017 — Replaced by Administrative Advisory 2018-1.
Administrative Advisory SPED 2004-4: School District Responsibility For Children in Special Education Day Schools Who Are Transferred to a Residential School by the Department of Social Services
Administrative Advisory SPED 2004-1: Independent Educational Evaluations — Superseded by Special Education Policy Memo SY2024-2025 — 7
Administrative Advisory SPED 2003-1: Changes to Massachusetts Special Education Law
Administrative Advisory SPED 2002-5: Special Education Contracts Between School Districts and Out-of District Programs [603 CMR 28.06(3)(f)]
Administrative Advisory SPED 2002-4: Under Revision: Special Education Students in Out-of-District Placements — Participation in MCAS Testing and High School Graduation Standards
Administrative Advisory SPED 2002-3: Vocational Educational Services for Students with Disabilities
Administrative Advisory SPED 2002-2: Requirement to Review Refusals to Evaluate for Special Education Eligibility
Administrative Advisory SPED 2001-4: Finding of No Eligibility for Special Education

Last Updated: February 5, 2026