Category Archives: Administrative Advisories

Administrative and technical guidance on special education laws, regulations, and policies from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education.

Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-3

Date: May 10th, 2019 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-3:
Updated State Mandated Form for Documentation of Medicaid Service Delivery in Out-of-District Programs (28M/12)

To: Administrators of Special Education, Executive Directors of Collaboratives and Executive, Program Directors of Approved Special Education Schools, Medicaid Contractors and other Interested Parties
From: Russell Johnston, Senior Associate Commissioner
Rachelle Engler Bennett, Associate Commissioner
Date: May 10, 2019
As part of recent updates to the Medicaid claiming process, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) has updated Form 28M/12.
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-2

Date: April 1st, 2019 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-2: Extended Evaluations

To: Superintendents, Administrators of Special Education, Executive Directors of Collaboratives and Executive and Program Directors of Approved Special Education Schools
From: Russell Johnston, Senior Associate Commissioner
Date: April 1, 2019

Purpose

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has received numerous questions from special education directors, directors of approved special education schools and other stakeholders regarding the use of extended evaluations, particularly when the extended evaluation is conducted at an approved special education school or in a collaborative program setting.
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-1:

Date: June 21st, 2018 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-1:
Recovery High Schools and Students Eligible for Special Education

To: Administrators of Special Education and Other Interested Parties
From: Russell Johnston, Senior Associate Commissioner for District Support, and
Cliff Chuang, Senior Associate Commissioner for Educational Options
Date: June 21, 2018
The purpose of this advisory is to address special education service delivery for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) who are attending or planning to enroll in recovery high school (RHS) programs.
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Administrative Assistance Advisory SPED 2018-3:

Date: May 15th, 2018 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Assistance Advisory SPED 2018-3:
Guidance on Amendments to Special Education Regulations, 603 CMR 28.10, to Align with ESSA Foster Care Provisions

To: Administrators of Special Education, School Business Officers, Special Educators, General Educators, Superintendents, Parents, Students, and Other Interested Parties
From: Teri Williams Valentine, Director, Office of Special Education Planning and Policy Development
Date: May 15, 2018

Purpose

On March 27, 2018, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (the Board) adopted amendments to the Massachusetts Special Education Regulations at 603 CMR 28.10,
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-2:

Date: March 26th, 2018 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-2:
Secondary Transition Services and Graduation with a High School Diploma

To: Administrators of Special Education, Superintendents, Parents, Students, and Other Interested Parties
From: Russell Johnston, State Director of Special Education
Date: March 26, 2018

Purpose

Massachusetts state law does not explicitly address graduation requirements for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-1:

Date: July 27th, 2017 in Administrative Advisories

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

To: Superintendents, Special Education Administrators, Business and Other Education Personnel
From: Russell Johnston, Senior Associate Commissioner and State Director of Special Education
Date: July 27, 2017 — Revised July 2018 to include reference to Grant Fund Code 262 which DESE will administer starting in FY19
Print Version
There will be 6 attachments as part of the advisory:
Attachment A: Proportionate Share Timeline (Page 19)
Attachment B: Suggested Roles for Proportionate Share Activities (Page 20)
  
Attachment C: Sample Written Affirmation (Page 21)
Attachment D: Summary of District Obligations (Page 22)
  
Attachment E: Sample “Services Plan” Form (Page 23)
Attachment F: Frequently Asked Questions (Page 24–26)

Introduction

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provides this consolidated Advisory to guide Massachusetts public school districts in meeting their federal obligations regarding students with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private schools, including secular, non-secular, and independent schools, or home schooled within the district.
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2017-1:

Date: September 19th, 2016 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2017-1:
Guidance Regarding the WIOA Prohibition on Contracting with Entities for the Purpose of Operating a Program Under Which a Youth with a Disability is Engaged in Subminimum Wage Employment

To: Superintendents, Special Education Administrators, and Other Education Personnel
From: Marcia Mittnacht
State Director of Special Education
Date: September 19, 2016
This advisory provides guidance in accordance with the regulations recently promulgated under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, specifically 34 CFR § 397.31.
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2016-1:

Date: August 25th, 2015 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2016-1:
SIMS Data Reporting

To: Administrators of Special Education, District Data Managers, and Other Interested Parties
From: Marcia Mittnacht
State Director of Special Education
Date: August 25, 2015
The purpose of this advisory is to clarify both the purpose of several student information management system (SIMS) data elements and appropriate responses for certain situations.
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2015-2R:

Date: March 18th, 2015 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2015-2R:
Special Education Parent Advisory Councils, Acceptable Alternatives, and Use of Social Media

To: Superintendents, Administrators of Special Education, and Other Interested Parties
From: Marcia Mittnacht
State Director of Special Education
Date: March 18, 2015 (Section on Social Media revised 5/26/2015, 9/11/2015)
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) issues this advisory relative to Special Education Parent Advisory Councils (PACs or SEPACs) and alternatives.
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Administrative Advisory SPED 2014-1

Date: March 5th, 2014 in Administrative Advisories

Administrative Advisory SPED 2014-1
Demonstration of performance skills of educational interpreters

To: Educational Interpreters for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard Of Hearing, School Districts, Approved Private Special Education Schools, and Collaborative Programs
From: Heidi Reed, Commissioner, MA Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Marcia Mittnacht, State Director for Special Education, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Date: March 5, 2014
The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH) and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) have collaborated to provide this guidance to educational interpreters for public school students who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and to the school districts (including charter schools), approved private special education programs, and collaborative programs1 that employ such interpreters.
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