Hello amazing educators!

Below you will find another edition of the DPF update. Looking for that one link you use every week… or day… or hour? We’ve got you. Check out the brand‑new Resource Hub that is being built out at the bottom of this page, designed to bring your most important special education tools together in one easy-to-find spot. As always, we hope this newsletter supports the amazing work you do each day. 

Sincerely, 

💌 Your Special Education DPF Team

📢 Curriculum Pilot Update: Onboarding in Progress

All three pilot curriculums — Everyday Speech, RethinkEd, and Flocabulary — are now completing or wrapping up onboarding and initial professional learning. Thank you to everyone participating and engaging in this important work.

✅ Current Status

• Vendor-supported introductions are complete

• Asynchronous onboarding and PD are underway or finishing up

• Participants should now have access to their assigned platforms

Your early engagement and feedback will help inform future curriculum decisions and support structures.

🤝 Optional Support & Connection

I’ve opened optional office hours for pilot participants who would like to connect on their pilots.

🔗 Book a time to connect:
👉 Booking Link

These sessions are completely optional and meant to support you however you need as you begin using the platforms.

📚 Google Classroom Access

Each pilot already has a dedicated Google Classroom that is live and accessible. While the classrooms are active, content has not yet been added. Beginning February 24, after the onboarding process is completed, I will begin uploading onboarding materials, training links, and shared resources.

The primary purpose of these classrooms is to provide a space for staff to connect, collaborate, and share ideas asynchronously. Participation and engagement in the relevant Google Classrooms is 100% voluntary and is intended solely to support pilot implementation and collaboration.

• Everyday Speech Google Classroom Link

• RethinkEd Google Classroom Link

• Flocabulary Google Classroom Link

For now, I just need pilot participants to join their assigned Classroom using the link above. I'll be sending email invitations later this week to ensure everyone who wants to participate can join.

💬 Questions?

If you have questions about access, onboarding, or expectations, or need additional support, please reach out:

📧 tyler.jachim@mpls.k12.mn.us

More pilot-specific guidance and next steps will continue to be shared as implementation moves forward. Thank you again for your collaboration and commitment to this work.

📣 Coming Soon: $100 Kits are on their way🎉

🌱 Social-Emotional & Wellness Support for Staff and Students

Trauma Toolkit – RethinkEd

Recognizing the emotional demands educators and students may be experiencing, RethinkEd is offering free access to a Trauma Toolkit designed to support emotional safety, connection, and resilience. 

The toolkit includes:

• Staff resources on coping with trauma, grief, and compassion fatigue

• Short, developmentally appropriate student lessons (3–7 minutes)

• Guidance for community circles and reflective discussions

• A suggested 6-week implementation sequence that can be adapted based on site needs

• Materials available for all grade levels, accessed through Clever

📘 Access the Trauma Toolkit:  RethinkEd's Trauma Toolkit
RethinkEd Trauma ToolkitThese resources are optional and may be used in ways that best align with your students, staff, and school context.

💻Online Learning extended until April 6th

MPS is planning to continue online learning through April 6th for families that need it. 

Families that are participating in temporary online learning have the opportunity to return to in person on Wednesday, February 18th.

Families will need to let us know by Tuesday, February 10th if they'd like to continue with online learning to allow enough time for processing. Click here for a script to use with your families if you are the main contact.

Due process documentation for families that would like to remain online until April, 6th.

For families that would like their student to remain on line, case managers should call parent(s)/guardians to discuss this change and document it in the following two ways.

1. Send out a new Prior Written Notice (PWN) similar to one you used for the first online learning period, updating the dates of remaining online until March 26th and returning for in person learning on April 6th.

2. Document this phone call and change in Edplan due process contacts. 

🚨Third Party Billing Reminder🚨

Interpreter Service: Please continue to add “Interpreter" as a supplemental service on every IEP or IFSP for students and families that utilize an interpreter. When adding Interpreter to the IEP, you do not need to specify a frequency, but please ensure that the location is marked as Special Education or both Gen Ed and Sp Ed instead of just General Education. Thank you to our interpreter team for all of their hard work in assisting the families in our community.

Transportation Logging Update: We were initially told that booster seats and 5 point harnesses did not qualify for transportation logging and reimbursement however we have learned that it DOES qualify. We are able to log and receive reimbursement for transportation services provided on a vehicle that has a ramp or lift modification for a wheelchair or a special adapted device such as booster seat, 5 point harness, safety vest/harness, seatbelt lock, or any other special adapted seat or device for a student as long as it is listed on the IEP. If any students utilize a bus with a wheelchair lift/ramp or a specially adapted device, verify that the boxes are checked on the IEP/IFSP and log for transportation. 

Contact Amanda Robinson or your building's third party billing trainer if you have any questions! Thank you!

📃Template for Conference Summary Notes at IEP meetings

Please use the meeting agenda template linked here when taking notes during IEP meetings. Then cut/copy and paste into the Conference Summary Notes document in Edplan. Conference summary notes should capture clear, concise statements directly related to the IEP discussion, including present levels, goals, services, accommodations, data, placement consideration, team decisions, etc. Please do not record word-for-word dialogue, and avoid unrelated commentary, side conversations, or personal interpretation. 

🔢Understanding Federal Settings: Ensuring the LRE Matches the Service Grid

As a reminder for all staff, the federal setting listed in the LRE section of the IEP must match the service grid. The federal setting is determined by where the student spends their time, not by the number of special education service minutes they receive.

Even students receiving significant support may still be Setting I if services occur within the general education classroom.

When developing IEPs, teams should first determine a student’s needs, then identify the services, and finally calculate the correct federal setting based on time spent with general education peers.

Below is a quick overview of Minnesota’s federal settings for students ages 6–21.

Minnesota Federal Setting Definitions (Ages 6–21)

Setting I - General Education with Supplemental Support

Students spend the majority of their day with general education peers.

• Less than 21% of the day outside general education environment

Setting II – General Education and Special Education Split

Students split their time between general education and special education environments.

• 21–60% of the day outside general education

Setting III – Special Education Environment Majority of Day

Students receive most of their instruction in a special education classroom within a general education building.

• More than 60% of the day outside general education

Setting IV – Separate Day School

Students attend a separate public day‑school facility for specialized instruction.

• Services provided in a separate school more than 50% of the school day

Key Point to Remember

Federal setting is about time with nondisabled peers, not the volume of services. Ensuring an accurate match between the service grid and the federal setting code supports compliance and reflects a student’s true Least Restrictive Environment.

If you are seeking more information, please check out section 3 of the Due Process Notebook here, visit MDE and learn more about Minnesota Federal Settings here, access a tutorial for entering LRE into the IEP here, and please reach out to your DPF for any support. 

💸Special Education Funding Opportunity

We are pleased to announce an opportunity for special education teachers to submit proposals or requests for grant funding to support student learning.

This funding is intended to support innovative instructional strategies, instructional materials, technology, or programs that directly enhance outcomes for students who receive special education services. Educators are encouraged to propose ideas that address specific student needs, promote access to the curriculum, and support individualized learning goals.

Eligible applicants include all special education staff. Proposals should clearly describe the intended use of funds, the students who will benefit, and how the request will support student learning. If you have an idea you’d like to explore but need support refining it, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

We look forward to reviewing your ideas and supporting your work with students.

All submissions will be reviewed by a committee and awarded based on fund availability.

👉Click here to apply

Frequently Used Sped Tools & Resources in One Place

💻 EdPlan Video Tutorials

📊 WJ-V One-Stop Shop Link

🔧 A Helpful Tool: The MPS Evaluation Planning Guide Link

📘 Curriculum Guidance Links

Sped Consumables Request Form (PIC)

EdPlan Request Help Form