Listserv News and Updates

What is ListServ (SELs/SELs2)?

February 2000, the Office of Special Education created the Special Education Listserv (SELS).  It has been and continues to be a limited e-mail group (with listserv being a misnomer since it really isn’t a listserv) available to only one contact person per school district/responsible public agency. It is used by the Office to disseminate important special education information concerning funding, compliance, data collection, professional development, etc. 

The Office has created a second e-mail group called SELs2.  This e-mail group is open to anyone wanting to subscribe (principals, teachers, parents, etc.). It will allow subscribers to receive the EXACT same messages as subscribers to SELs. By creating this second e-mail group, all constituents interested in special education will have the opportunity to receive the Office’s e-mail messages, not just one contact per school district/responsible public agency. It also allows DESE to maintain the ability to make sure that every district has at least one contact person per district receiving these messages. Messages are from DESE only and may only be posted by the manager (Lina Browner, Office of Special Education). Members may not post messages to either SELs or SELs2.

How Do I Subscribe?

Those interested in subscribing to SELs2 can do so by going to the following the links below. 

Questions or Problems Subscribing to SELs and/or needing to change SELs information, contact Lina Browner, Executive Assistant, Office of Special Education at (573) 751-5739 or via email at Lina.Browner@dese.mo.gov

SELs

SELs2

SELs Archives

Braille Challenge 2024 Registration Now Open!

Source: Outreach at Missouri School for the Blind (MSB)/Missouri Deaf/Blind Technical Assistance Project

Intended Audience: LEAs serving students with visual impairments who are learning braille

Date:  December 5, 2023

MSB is happy to announce that the Braille Challenge 2024 registration is now open! Contestants, volunteers, and chaperones can now register to participate in this exciting celebration of braille literacy!

MSB will host the 2024 St. Louis Regional Braille Challenge on February 21, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., at the campus of the Missouri School for the Blind at 3815 Magnolia Avenue in St. Louis.

If you are unfamiliar with the Braille Challenge, it is a national braille contest created and sponsored by the Braille Institute of America. Designed to support and enrich the reading and writing of braille, the Braille Challenge is an exciting competition for all students! MSB hosts a preliminary Challenge for students in the St. Louis region who read and write in braille.

Students of all braille reading/writing levels are invited.

 

Please coordinate registration with your student’s parents, as this event is in-person and requires parent/guardian permission.

If you have any questions, please contact Dena at dena.molen@msb.dese.mo.gov.

2024 Transition Training Institute – Facing the Future—Together SAVE THE DATE!

Source: Office of Special Education

Intended Audience: Superintendents, Middle and High School Principals, Special Education Directors, General and Special Education Teachers, Counselors, School Psychologists, and Parents

Date: December 5, 2023

The 2024 Transition Training Institute will be held in-person from June 26-28, 2024, in Columbia, MO.

The institute will focus on programs and structures to support students in graduating and moving toward postsecondary goals. There will be a variety of presentations which will focus on compliance, work-based learning, self-advocacy, employment, social/emotional intelligence, and career readiness with an emphasis on students with special needs. Specific enrollment instructions and additional information will be provided at a later date.

If you have questions, please contact Marsha Campe at 573-751-2512 or Marsha.Campe@dese.mo.gov.

Special Education Child Count Reporting

Source: Mary Corey, Special Education Data

Intended Audience: Special Education Administrators, Core Data/MOSIS Personnel

Date: December 5, 2023

The December special education child count is due December 15, 2023, via the December MOSIS Student Core submission. Every student with an IEP or services plan who is receiving services on December 1 should be reported by one, and only one, district. All students receiving special education services under an IEP (including ECSE speech-only or itinerant students) and parentally-placed private school students receiving services under a services plan are to be reported. 

ECSE note: ECSE children should generally be reported by the district providing the services to the child in order to align the child count reporting with the expenditure reporting/reimbursements. Non-resident children must be reported with a residency status of NR: non-resident.

When the MOSIS file is certified, the special education child count data are populated to Screen 11 of Core Data. Since there is no submit process in Core Data for the December cycle, the certified MOSIS file is considered the officially submitted data. 

The special education child count requires verification. The verification report is located on the MCDS Portal and can be accessed the day after certifying the MOSIS December Student Core file. Only the first page of the report should be returned. Instructions for accessing the report and returning the verification sheet for the 2023-24 (2024 report option) school year can be found here https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/child-count-verification-instructions.

Several technical assistance documents, including training slides are available at https://dese.mo.gov/special-education/special-education-data/data-collections#ChildCount.

Questions can be directed to Special Education Data Coordination at speddata@dese.mo.gov. 

ARP IDEA Final Expenditure Report (FER) - Due December 31

Source: Special Education Finance

Intended Audience: Special Education Directors, Financial Administrators, Superintendents

Date: December 4, 2023

The ARP IDEA FER is now available for data entry and is due on December 31, 2023. For step-by-step instructions on completing and submitting the ARP IDEA FER, review the FER Guide located at https://dese.mo.gov/financial-admin-services/special-education-finance/special-education-finance-resources. 

The FER expenditure data will autofill from the last submitted 2021-22 and 2022-23 Annual Secretary of the Board Reports (ASBR) into the FER Grid. Only expenditures with correct coding in the ASBR will pull into the FER. To ensure correct coding, go into the ASBR, select detail reports from the main menu, and then select Part III B. This will pull a report by function code, object code, source code, and project code. The Special Education Expenditure Coding guidance document is posted at https://dese.mo.gov/financial-admin-services/special-education-finance/fiscal-monitoring for more information regarding special education function, source, and project codes.

Remaining unexpended ARP IDEA 611 and ARP IDEA ECSE 619 funds cannot be carried over and will lapse due to the expiration of the grant period. Please direct any questions to your technical assistance contact as listed below.

County District Codes 001-090 through 045-078:

Vacant Position - contact Alicia Hunt Ketterman, Director

Alicia.HuntKetterman@dese.mo.gov

573-751-4385

County District Codes 054-039 through 092-091, 097-116 through 107-154:

Valerie Hoover

Valerie.Hoover@dese.mo.gov

573-751-6904

County District Codes 046-128 through 054-037, 093-120 through 096-119, and 107-155 through 115-933:

Laura Robinson

Laura.Robinson@dese.mo.gov

573-751-0622

Special Education Finance Monthly Webinar Cancelled for December

Source: Special Education Finance

Intended Audience: Special Education Directors, Financial Administrators, ECSE Directors

Date: December 4, 2023

The Special Education Finance Section will not hold a December monthly webinar. The next webinar will be February 6, 2024. Previously recorded webinars are available for viewing on the Special Education Finance Training webpage https://dese.mo.gov/financial-admin-services/special-education-finance/special-education-finance-training-monthly-webinars.

If you have any questions, please email the Special Education Finance Section at spedfunding@dese.mo.gov.

Free Asynchronous Training Modules for Supporting Students’ Development of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills

Source: James Bouslaugh, Director of Effective Practices, Office of Special Education

Intended Audience: Superintendents, School Administrators, Special Education Directors, Curriculum Directors

Date: December 4, 2023

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is fundamental to students’ successful transition and post-school endeavors but finding the time to attend quality SEL professional development can be a challenge. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), in collaboration with the University of Kansas Research Collaboration, offers competency-specific instructional activities to Missouri school educators through asynchronous self-paced learning modules.

What can Educators Expect?

Schools or individual educators can find numerous instructional activities for each of the four competencies listed below. Then, they register for access to the Virtual Learning Platform (VLP) here. The four-hour self-paced learning modules can be found on the VLP in the Effective Teaching and Learning pillar under the Social-Emotional Learning Academy tab. The modules include video examples, research-based instructional activities, and planning tools. The module is asynchronous learning, so educators can complete the module during times convenient to them.

After educators complete the module, trained improvement consultants can provide additional support in beginning competency instruction, determining how to embed competency instruction into any content area and customizing the instructional activities to meet the specific needs of each classroom. Contact Marsha Campe at Marsha.Campe@dese.mo.gov for a list of trained improvement consultants near you.

 

  • Self-Regulation is a proactive, self-directed process for attaining goals, learning skills, managing emotional reactions, and accomplishing tasks. Do your students have difficulty turning in homework, getting to school on time, or managing their emotions? Self-regulation instruction can help. Modules available for primary (K-2), intermediate (3-6), and secondary educators.

 

  • Self-Efficacy is an individual’s perceptions about their capabilities to perform at an expected level, achieve goals, and complete moderately challenging tasks. Do your students lack confidence in their abilities or give up easily when they encounter obstacles? Self-efficacy instruction can help. Modules available for primary (K-2), intermediate (3-6), and secondary educators.

 

  • Assertiveness is the ability to express your beliefs, wants, or feelings in a self-assured and direct manner while respecting others. Do your students have difficulty expressing themselves, asking for help when they do not understand, or standing up to their peers? Assertiveness instruction can help. Modules available for primary (K-2) and secondary educators.

 

  • Conflict Management is knowing your usual response to conflict, the reasons behind specific conflicts, and what steps to take to resolve conflicts. Do your students respond aggressively when their needs are not being met? Do they become overwhelmed when they experience a disagreement? Conflict management instruction can help. Module available for secondary educators.

 

For questions or more information, contact Marsha Campe, Assistant Director for Effective Practices, at Marsha.Campe@dese.mo.gov.

Online Fall 2023 Autism Educator Network (AEN) Meeting

Source: Kristin Funk, Assistant Director, Effective Practices

Intended Audience: Special Education Directors, Special Education Teachers, Process Coordinators, and Building Principals

Date: December 4, 2023

Dr. Tim Lewis will be presenting “Reduced School Days: Shortened Obligations or Shortened Path to a Lawsuit?” during the December 12 Online Fall 2023 Autism Educator Network (AEN) meeting from 10:00 a.m. to noon. He will discuss considerations related to reducing the school day for children with IEPs including the necessity or appropriateness, legal considerations, importance of conducting functional behavior assessments, and reducing school days due to behavior. Topics to be covered during this meeting include: reduced school days, especially school days that may have shortened due to behavior; legal considerations for shortening a school day, and whether reducing a school day is necessary or appropriate; and the importance of functional behavior assessment. 

The webinar will be recorded for later viewing on demand for a limited time. Please use the following registration link to register to attend live or to register to be notified when the recording is available for viewing on demand.

Register online: https://bit.ly/fall23AEN

Flier: https://apps.missouristate.edu/education/projectaccess/aen/aenfall2023flier.pdf

Please direct questions or comments to Project ACCESS at projectaccess@missouristate.edu or feel free to call 866-481-3841 or 417-836-6657.

Free Online Autism Educator Academy Workshops

Source: Kristin Funk, Assistant Director, Effective Practices

Intended Audience: Special Education Directors, Process Coordinators, Special Education Teachers, and Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Paraprofessionals

Date: November 22, 2023

Project ACCESS is offering free online Autism Educator Academy (AEA) workshops to any educator who is interested in improving their knowledge of autism and educational autism interventions. Workshops cover autism evidence-based interventions and autism classroom strategies. Workshops can be completed at any time and offer an instructor to answer questions and give feedback on activity submissions. Accounts are active until June 30, 2024. Project ACCESS will issue professional development certificates to all who complete. Workshops are typically two to four hours to complete and are designed for paraprofessionals, teachers and related service personnel who serve students with autism. Registration is available at https://projectaccess.missouristate.edu/Training/Academy/default.htm.

Please direct questions or comments to Project ACCESS at projectaccess@missouristate.edu or feel free to call 866-481-3841 or 417-836-6657.