DPA IDEA Newsletter January 2025

Students at Fond du Lac Ojibwe School in Cloquet, Minnesota, pull a sled across the snowy playground.

Happy New Year, BIE funded schools!

The Division of Performance and Accountability Special Education team has been preparing for opportunities in the new year. The staff has begun planning for the upcoming activities this spring.

A revised Special Education Parent Survey has been updated so it is easier for parents to understand and complete. The survey is for parents of students receiving special education services, and their responses will help guide efforts to improve services and results for children and families. Additional information will be forthcoming on upcoming webinars and when the surveys will be sent to schools in February. The surveys will remain open from February through June 30, 2025.

As the spring statewide assessments begin, we would like to remind special education staff to ensure that students with IEPs must participate in statewide assessments, with the exception of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who may be eligible for alternate assessments as determined by their IEP team. The IEP team decides if a student takes the standard assessment or alternate assessment and what accommodations they may need to participate effectively.

Finally, we are happy to announce the addition of two new Education Program Specialists: Joann Fields and Detroit James. Joann transferred from Tribally Controlled Schools, and Detroit comes from a public school district. Both have excellent special knowledge and experience, and we welcome them in joining the DPA team.

Sincerely,

Dr. Eugene Thompson (Diné), Supervisory Education Specialist

As assessment season approaches, it is essential that our BIE funded schools are prepared to support all students, including students with disabilities. One of the key priorities is ensuring that every student, regardless of their disability, participates in the upcoming state/district-wide assessments. Unless the student’s grade level is not participating in these assessments, federal and state regulations require that all students, regardless of their disability, must participate (or take the Alternate Assessment, if appropriate). The participation of students with disabilities in state/district-wide assessments is critical for meeting legal requirements and ensuring that all students are provided the opportunity to demonstrate their academic knowledge. School leaders and educators must ensure that students with disabilities receive the necessary support to succeed when taking their assessments.

To ensure participation, schools must guarantee that all accommodations specified in student’s Individualized Education Programs are fully implemented. IEPs may include accommodations, as determined by IEP teams, such as extended testing time, a separate testing environment, or the use of assistive technology. Educators and test administrators must review each student's IEP well before testing to confirm that all accommodations are clearly understood and arranged. The IEP team must address any updates or changes to a student’s accommodations at least annually, and all relevant staff should be trained on how to administer these supports during the test correctly.

Preparation also involves clear communication with students and families. Schools should ensure that students with disabilities know their accommodations and how these supports will help them succeed. It is also important to keep parents/guardians informed about the upcoming assessments and any accommodations their child will receive. Lastly, by working closely with families and creating a comprehensive plan for accommodations, schools can foster an environment where students with disabilities feel supported and confident as we approach spring assessments.

Should you have any questions regarding the participation of students with disabilities and state/district-wide assessments, please get in touch with the DPA IDEA team.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is now accepting applications for its Youth Delegate Program until March 3, 2025.

Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old, living in the United States or Canada, have a valid passport/visa, and be able to attend the entire conference.

Accepted applications will:

• Meet and network with like-minded young adults and professionals.
• Attend career development training events to increase employability and create meaningful relationships.
• Be matched with an established professional in the sector during the conference.

In October 2024, the BIE DPA emailed each school’s administrator their annual special education determination letter for FFY 2022 (SY 2022-2023), which assessed how well schools implemented the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The determination letter included enforcement, if applicable, for specific determinations. The email also included a determination matrix that showed the point system and each school’s determination level.

The DPA staff have now begun following up with schools as needed. The determination data will be used for programmatic school support to meet IDEA requirements and identify schools for fiscal and programmatic monitoring.

The BIE will share an updated version of the parent survey (paper version and online link), administrator letter and parent letter in February 2025 for all schools to use. For any questions, please contact Melanie Star at melanie.star@bie.edu.

The last BIE Advisory Board meeting took place January 16-17, 2025. Next month's newsletter will include a meeting summary. The upcoming BIE Advisory Board for Exceptional Children meeting is scheduled for April 23-25, 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The agenda and Zoom links will be sent at a later date.

For further information about the advisory board, contact Jennifer Davis, Designated Federal Officer.

The Wingate High School Robotics Team in Ft. Wingate, New Mexico, is reaching new heights in its second year of competition, growing in both size and ambition. This year, the team welcomed freshmen and introduced drone competitions, broadening their technical skills and competitive opportunities.

Competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge Arizona league, students embraced this year’s theme, Into the Deep, which focuses on marine robotics research. Their challenge? Designing a robot with an advanced arm mechanism to strategically place tokens while maneuvering around a submersion chamber at the center of the arena.

With each competition, students are refining their engineering skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork, all while deepening their passion for robotics. The team’s enthusiasm and dedication continue to drive their success, making them a rising force in STEM education.

QUALIFIER 1: November 23 in White Mountain - Show Low Qualifier

• This was the team's first event. Although they did not place in the top five, they began improving their robot, especially the arm design.

QUALIFIER 2: December 7 in High Country - Flagstaff Qualifier

• In Flagstaff, Arizona, the team finished sixth out of 16. Their design improved, and they started scoring more points. This event was held at Coconino High School, the lead sponsor school, which provided technical support to all teams.

QUALIFIER 3: December 14 in Chinle - RezBotics Qualifier

• For the second time, the Wingate High School Robotics Team competed against top Navajo teams from the Four Corners region at REZBOTICS, held in Chinle High School’s renowned arena, dedicated to Canyon De Chelly. The team showcased their skills and determination, bringing home two trophies—the Qualifying Finalist Team award and the Judges’ Choice award! Their strong performance secured them a spot among the top teams, and they will continue their journey in the next round of competition in the second semester.

Yá’át’ééh! I am Laura Nez Tsosie, an Education Program Specialist with the Bureau of Indian Education, Division of Performance and Accountability, Special Education Program, at the Albuquerque Office. I have been a part of the BIE DPA IDEA Staff for 17.5 years. I specialize in special education, English as a Second Language, math education, and science education.

My role with DPA is to provide technical assistance on special education regulations and their application in general and special education classrooms. I am also the lead for fiscal accountability for IDEA Part B Allocations, including reviewing and accepting critical documents for assigned schools for accountability purposes, collaborating with the team for reporting, and accountability monitoring. I am particularly proud of responding to inquiries immediately and providing technical assistance to schools, programs and organizations.

I am excited to be part of the BIE’s mission “to provide Native American Indian students enrolled at BIE-funded schools with a culturally relevant, high-quality education and behaviors needed to prosper in the opportunities of tomorrow, to lead their communities and sovereign nations to thrive and to preserve their unique cultural identities."

Outside of work, you can find me watching YouTube videos on sheep farming and tiny house building and spending precious time with my family: my daughter, Daya, and son-in-law, Ryan; son, Dathan; sister, Grace; niece, Savannah; grandson, Ethan; and niece, Nisha. These are my all-around supporters, and I am grateful to the creator for the blessings.

If you need technical assistance, please email me or call me at 202-563-5286. Ahé’héé’ nitsáago (A big thank you to you all).

Each state is required to report publicly on the performance of each local education agency annually; the BIE’s LEAs are each BIE-funded school. The DPA-IDEA’s data team leads this work, found on the BIE website under Performance—Data & Statistics.

These data include each BIE-funded school's performance on required IDEA data collections within the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report that BIE submits annually to the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs by February 1.

BIE observes the suppression rules, meaning it will not publicly report data for schools with 10 or fewer special education students. For questions about public reporting or the SPP/APR, please contact Jennifer Davis or Ronald Worst.

The Unmet Needs Application deadline closed on November 15, 2024, with 25 schools successfully submitting their applications. We appreciate all the schools that applied on time.

The primary goal of the Unmet Needs program is to allocate IDEA Part B funds to schools based on the following categories:

• Priority 1 - Increased high-needs enrollment
• Priority 2 - Substantial (10%) increase enrollment of students with disabilities
• Priority 3 - Unique circumstances related to students with disabilities and can't be a schoolwide need.

Schools are encouraged not to apply for both Priority 1 and Priority 2. For Priority 1 and Priority 2, schools should attach a current NASIS AdHoc Report - Special Education students receiving service.

The SY 2024-25 Unmet Needs Applications have been reviewed. The application status will be shared within the next few weeks, and schools will be contacted with any follow-up questions. Please contact Laura Tsosie (202-860-5286) or Alyssa Yeppa with any questions or concerns.

This is a friendly reminder to schools that the first LSPP Checkpoint Textbox closed on January 21, 2025, in the Native Star portal. The assigned DPA-IDEA Education Specialist will evaluate the progress of all improvement activities for the applicable SPP/APR Indicators.

The Second and Final LSPP Checkpoint opens on February 28, 2025, and is due by March 30, 2025. If you have questions about the LSPP, contact Dr. Eleanor Francis-Jones, Education Specialist, at 202-860-7885.

NASIS Micro Training Series

• Session 1 – Secondary Transition Components; Passcode: +s6iAmpN
• Session 2 – Secondary Transition Components Continued; Passcode: $s*QCW9X
• Session 3 – NASIS Module IEP Editors; Passcode: *205YAKq
• Session 4 – New Look IEP module changes; Passcode: @zOb4sw&
• Session 5 – NASIS Infinite Campus IEP review Micro Training; Passcode: 01tSbwY%
• Session 6 – IEP Module Team Meeting Participants Page; Passcode: C4bK8m.h
• Session 7 – IEP Module Problem Solving; Passcode: +!I^V8HQ
• Session 8 – IEP Module Open Discussion; Passcode: !bc2*2L&