Embedded Files
Keep an Eye Open for New ECE Grant Funding Applications!
Keep an Eye Open for New ECE Grant Funding Applications!
The Office of Early Learning and School Readiness is expecting additional slots available for FY24. Please check this webpage for an update in and the availability of the application process. They are expecting to have it open sometime in June and awards will be for the fall of 2023.
The FY24 ECE Grant Guidelines booklet is also being updated and will be linked to the above webpage.
Please note that according to the FY23 Guidance, programs awarded the ECE Grant must demonstrate they meet high-quality standards by maintaining a 3-,4-, or 5-star rating in Step Up To Quality.
Public Comment Now Open!
Public Comment Now Open!
See proposed rule changes for Ohio Administrative Code Rules 5101:2-12-08 and 5101:2-13-08 Revisions. Comment period is from 5/16/2023 - 5/23/2023
CCCMTL - Ohio Administrative Code Rules 5101:2-12-08 and 5101:2-13-08 Revisions to Lower the Minimum Age for High School Students/Graduates Working in Child Care Comment Here
FCCMTL - Ohio Administrative Code Rules 5101:2-12-08 and 5101:2-13-08 Revisions to Lower the Minimum Age for High School Students/Graduates Working in Child Care Comment Here
Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is also requesting public comment for the changes proposed with House Bill 45. This is about SUTQ. Comment period is open until 5/24/2023.
Early childhood educators
Early childhood educators
invited to participate in career survey
invited to participate in career survey
4/24/2023
The Department is interested in learning about the factors and conditions contributing to educators either staying or leaving the field of early education. Early childhood educators can complete this brief survey by May 15 to share their thoughts. Survey responses cannot be traced to a respondent’s email or identity in any way. The Department wants to learn about these important decision factors to inform policy and improve support for educators. Direct questions to elsr@education.ohio.gov.
Order Additional Copies of the New Early Learning and Development Standards Booklet
Order Additional Copies of the New Early Learning and Development Standards Booklet
Early Learning and Development Standards: Form to Request Additional Printed Copies
We do not have additional copies available to distribute at this time. If you would like additional copies of the standards for your program, please fill out this form. We will order more copies and have them shipped directly to those who complete this form. This form will close on May 15.
March 28, 2023 Email
Dear Early Care and Education Provider:
We are excited to announce the release of the revised Early Learning and Development Standards! These standards are the result of a collaborative effort between the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), along with numerous stakeholders.
The standards cover the essential domains of development and school readiness from infancy through the end of preschool. They describe what children need to learn and illustrate how skills may develop in the first five years of life. The standards have been updated to reflect new knowledge about how young children learn and develop as supported by research. Early care and education providers across Ohio will use the standards to guide curriculum selection and implementation.
The revised standards were reorganized with new domains and a new developmental continuum structure, which replaced age bands. Learn about these changes and more by reading the standards, which are available on the BOLD Beginning! website and on the Ohio Department of Education website. One printed copy of the standards will be sent to each ODE- or ODJFS-licensed site that serves infant, toddler, and/or preschool children. Additional copies will be available at no cost during in-person trainings, through your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency or State Support Team office, and at the Ohio Early Childhood Conference in April.
For ODJFS and ODE programs participating in Step Up To Quality, information about the implementation timeline, including alignment requirements, and the revision of forms will be included in a Child Care Manual Procedure Letter issued by ODJFS. The Child Care Manual Procedure Letter will be made publicly available on the eManuals website found here: ODJFS eManuals (ohio.gov).
Multiple training opportunities for early care and educational providers of preschool age children, infants, toddlers, and other mixed age groups will be available in 2023 beginning with an on-demand overview training. All standards trainings will be listed in the Ohio Professional Registry, Ohio Approved and free! More information coming soon. If you have any questions about the revised Early Learning and Development Standards, please reach out to ELSR@education.ohio.gov.
Early Learning Assessment Score Report
The Early Learning Assessment (ELA) Learning Progression Score Reports are now available in the Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system. Data managers can access these reports by logging into their KReady accounts and following the directions in ELA Learning Progression Report for EMIS.
Each school year, Early Childhood Education grantees and preschool special education providers must report the Ten Required Learning Progressions completed during the fall and spring assessment windows. Resources for reporting the Ten Required Learning Progression items are listed below.
What to do when a Learning Progression is “N”
Scores for the ELA include nine level descriptors (A, B, C, D, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) that represent milestones of a child’s development. Sometimes a teacher is unable to determine a score for a skill, knowledge or behavior (SKB) for a child. When a teacher is not able to determine a score for a child on an SKB, the teacher will enter an “N” in the Bridge form, or an “N” or “NE” in the KReady system. Or sometimes an item is left blank. In each case, a score of “N” will then be calculated at the Learning Progression level within the KReady system Learning Progression score report or Bridge form.
When submitting assessment data to EMIS or EAS, programs are required to enter a reason code anytime a Learning Progression score of “N” is reported. This Early Learning Assessment Score Not Reported Reason Code document provides further clarification about what to do when a Learning Progression score is “N,” “NE,” or blank.
Each program must develop an internal communication process to ensure that accurate reason codes for items scored “N” are collected and reported to EMIS or EAS. There is no column on the Bridge Form or designated space in KReady to record score not reported reason codes.
Measles (Rubeola) Outbreak impacting childcare programs
This message is to alert you that there has been an outbreak of Measles impacting several ODJFS licensed childcare programs located in the Columbus area.
Attached is guidance on Measles that can be shared with your families, if needed.
Suspected or confirmed case of Measles must be reported to your local health department immediately, as noted on the “Communicable Disease Chart”. This Ohio Department of Health Find my local Health Department tool can be used if you need help finding your local health department.
Any illness that requires reporting to your local health department must also be reported to the Ohio Department of Education (Office of Early Learning and School Readiness). Reports can be submitted in the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System using this job aid.
Franklin County Public Health will be conducting a measles vaccine clinic at Township Hall, 3820 Cleveland Ave., on December 16th from 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. For details and to set an appointment (required) please call (614) 525-3719 and/or visit: Measles -Franklin County Public Health (myfcph.org)
Please share this with parents and others who can take advantage of the Measles Clinic!
KRA-R Reports
The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R) Scale Score Reports and Individual Student Reports (ISR) are available now to data managers and teachers in the Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system. Reports for district and school administrator and data displays are also available within the KReady system. Please note that the reports are large files and may show in "queuing" status for up to 24 hours after they are requested. The Scale Score Report includes all students in your district with each individual item score, KRA overall scores, and domain scores. The Scale Score Report can be downloaded from the KReady system and used for EMIS reporting. The KRA Scale Score Report Definition of Fields document outlines and describes each of the data fields in the report. You can find more information on how to run a Scale Score Report in the KRA Data Manager User Manual.
The Individual Student Report shows the student’s overall performance based on four areas of development and learning: Language and Literacy, Mathematics, Social Foundations, and Physical Development and Well-Being. The overall performance level (emerging, approaching, demonstrating) is based on the overall score. The Individual Student Report will only display the overall scale score and will not include any of the domain level scores. It is recommended that you place a copy of the Individual Student Report in student files.
The Department does not send paper copies of the Individual Student Reports to districts. Please share the KRA-R Individual Student Report with families in a way that makes the most sense for your school. For example, your school could mail the report to each student’s home or provide it during a parent-teacher conference. The Individual Student Report is available in the KReady system in 6 languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Somali and Arabic.
Incomplete/Invalid Assessments
For students who have incomplete assessments (missing one or more item scores) or invalid assessments (one or more items marked Not Scorable for students without disabilities and who are not English Learners), the affected scale scores will be blank on the Scale Score Report. These rows should be reviewed prior to EMIS submission to confirm that they are invalid. If a data error has occurred and the item scores are available or the student demographics for ELL or IEP status were not accurately reported in KReady, please contact KRAHelp@education.ohio.gov for assistance. These students will have an overall scale score on the Individual Student Report and one of these messages: Some items were not complete or Complete with NS. These reports should be used with caution. An Individual Student Report with the Complete with NS message is valid only for a student who is identified as an English Learner or who has an IEP.
Call for Early Interventionist & Early Childhood Special Educators: Perspectives on Leadership
Call for Early Interventionist & Early Childhood Special Educators: Perspectives on Leadership
Are you an early interventionist or early childhood educator supporting children with
disabilities? If so, we would like to hear from you! Please consider assisting researchers in
learning more about teacher leadership in early childhood special education.
As part of the study, you will be asked to take part in a 20-minute online survey where we will be raffling off a $100 gift card. You can also choose to participate in an optional 30-minute Zoom interview following the survey. Three $30 Amazon gift cards will be raffled for those who participate in the interview phase of the study.
EI/ECSE Providers can express interest and complete an eligibility screener here.
(Direct Link: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_doo3lh8RNIXp7Rc)
For more information, please feel free to contact Dr. Amanda Passmore at
apassmore@pnw.edu.
Early Childhood Education Innovation Grant
Early Childhood Education Innovation Grant
Dear Early Childhood Education Grantee,
The Ohio Department of Education is using a portion of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) grant funding to support innovative efforts in providing high-quality programming for Ohio’s youngest learners. The ECE Innovation Grant can be used to meet current grantees' challenges by providing additional fiscal resources for program expansion, improvement, or special projects to promote quality and innovation. Please visit the Early Childhood Education Innovation Grant webpage for additional information on how current ECE Grantees can apply. All current grantees eligible for this opportunity can be found here. The Request for Applications will be available on November 1, 2022, with applications due on or before 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time on November 18, 2022. Contact Starre Cox at Starre.Cox@education.ohio.gov for any questions.
Preschool Children Eligible for Special Education
Rule Change Now in Effect
See the slides to the left for all the resources and updates that the office of Early Learning and School Readiness made on Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, 2022. There are notes for each slide that highlights what was changed. Links are also live on the slides. The rule was approved on Oct. 18, 2022, and went into effect on Oct. 28, 2022.
Fall 2022 Assessment Window
The KReady system fall data collection closes on November 14 at 11:59 p.m. After this date, teachers cannot enter ratings into KReady for the fall assessment window and data managers cannot enroll students to the fall data collection. After the data entry window closes, the KReady system will remain available for data managers to initiate and approve transfer requests and update student demographic information through November 23 at 11:59 p.m.
Dear Early Childhood Education Grantee, Email 9/29/2022
The Early Childhood Education Grant program is Ohio’s state-funded preschool for eligible four-year-old children. The program aims to ensure that children have access to, and receive, one year of high-quality preschool before beginning kindergarten. Grantees that are unable to fill four-year-old slots by October 3, 2022, may seek approval from the Department of Education to consider using remaining funds for three-year-old children who meet eligibility requirements. Please refer to Section 2 (Enrollment) in the FY23 Grantee Manual for additional information about eligibility and grant requirements.
The Three-Year-Old Application for FY23 will be open on October 3, 2022, and must be submitted to EarlyChildhoodEducation@education.ohio.gov on or before 11:59 pm EST, October 17, 2022. The Department will review applications received by the deadline and inform each applicant on or before November 1, 2022, whether they are approved to proceed or not.
If you have questions about completing the application, please email us by emailing EarlyChildhoodEducation@education.ohio.gov.
Early Childhood Education Team
Office of Early Learning and School Readiness
25 South Front Street | Columbus, Ohio 43215-4183
Organization Dashboard
The Organization Dashboard is a resource that administrators use to manage the program’s registry information and staff.
All staff members are required to have a profile in the Ohio Professional Registry (OPR). Beginning the 2022-2023 school year. Programs must have an Organization Dashboard set up for all Licensing and Step Up to Quality inspections to pull staff information.
Program administrators request access through Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRRA).
Further information can be found in the Important Organization Dashboard Notification on the Early Learning and School Readiness, Step Up To Quality and Licensing webpages.
The Ohio Lottery’s Partners in Education program celebrates both teachers and students who work hard in their classrooms and communities. During the academic school year, the Ohio Lottery accepts statewide nominations of outstanding teachers and students. Every month, the Ohio Lottery holds a random drawing of all nominees and awards a Teacher of the Month and an Academic All Star in each of the Ohio Lottery’s nine regions.
Award recipients receive Partners in Education merchandise, a gift card and certificate. The Ohio Lottery’s website and social media channels also highlight the awardees.
Every May, the Ohio Lottery holds a drawing that includes all the schools that took part in the program and awards a School of the Year. The School of the Year receives a gift card, trophy and autographed team merchandise from major and minor league sports teams across Ohio. Schools can use the merchandise for fundraising efforts.
The Partners in Education program runs every academic school year, from September to May. Anyone can nominate a deserving Ohio teacher or student through the Ohio Lottery’s website. It’s fast, free and easy to submit an online nomination. This video shows how to submit a nomination. Contact Molly Fanta with questions about Partners in Education at (216) 774-5739.
The ECE Grant FY23 Updates document summarizes major updates for the FY23 grant year.
The slides from the ECE Administrators Webinar are now available.
A Frequently Asked Questions document has also been released for FY23.
FAQ-for-ECE-FY23.pdf
Overview-of-Step-Up-To-Quality-SUTQ-visits-providers-FINAL-07132022.pdfSUTQ-Updates-QA-06102022-final-1.pdfNew Preschool Special Education Rules Coming Soon!
New Preschool Special Education Rules Coming Soon!
These changes have been approved by the Ohio State Board of Education and are currently in the JCAR process and set to be reviewed/voted on Oct. 17, 2022. To follow the process click here.
If there are no changes or opposition, the rule will go into affect 10 days later. ODE will send out a memo once the rule is in place.
PSE Rule Changes proposed to JCAR 9.20.22.pdf
Join Us at Open Office Hours
Do you have a question about your Early Learning program? Ask ODE!
The Office of Early Learning & School Readiness will host Open Office Hours twice per month from August 2022 through June 2023:
Every 2nd Friday at 3:00 p.m. Click here to join the meeting
Every 4th Tuesday at 10:30 am Click here to join the meeting
Educators and school personnel are invited to pop into the virtual meeting space anytime during the 45-minute sessions to ask questions of our Early Learning Specialists.
The first Early Learning Open Office Hours is Tuesday, August 23, 2022. Join us that day any time between 10:30-11:15 a.m. to ask a question.
No registration or RSVP is needed to participate.
Specialists in Preschool Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Early Learning & Kindergarten Readiness Assessments, Preschool & School Age Child Care Licensing, and Head Start will be on hand to answer questions from school personnel.
Open Office Hours information will also be posted now through June 2023 at Early Learning | Ohio Department of Education.
This message contains information about training opportunities and a new School Administrator’s Guide to the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R). If you missed the Data Manager Training last week, you can view a recording here.
School Administrator’s Guide to the KRA-R
The School Administrator’s Guide to the KRA-R is quick guide designed to help principals and school administrators support the implementation of the KRA-R in their building. The guide also includes an embedded recording of a KRA-R Implementation Webinar for Principals and School Administrators.
Updated Links and Resources
The KRA for Administrators Webpage includes updated links for the KReady Online Data Manager User Manual, the KReady System and ELA & KRA App Technical Specifications, and the KReady Data Guidelines. The Data Manager Guidelines Website includes resources for data managers and administrators, previously recorded Webinars and additional support information. The Ohio K12 Help Team continues to provide support for data managers, administrators and teachers and their use of the KReady system. Visit https://www.ohio-k12.help/kready-support/ to find answers to frequently asked questions or to submit a ticket for technical assistance.
New Administration Window
The administration window for the Kindergarten Reading Assessment Revised is not earlier than the first day of July of the school year and not later than the twentieth day of instruction of that school year. The Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system opened on July 1 and will remain open through November 1, 2022 to accommodate differences in district schedules. November 1st is the deadline for teachers to enter data in the Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system. After the KReady system closes on November 1 at 11:59 p.m., data managers will have until November 9th at 11:59 p.m. to clean up transfer requests.
For policy and implementation questions:
For more information about the KRA-R, please go to the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment website or send an email to KRAHelp@education.ohio.gov.
For technical questions, please contact the Help Desk:
The new Early Learning and Development Standards were adopted by the State Board of Education on June 14, 2022. To provide a transition time for programs and to allow time to develop supporting resources and trainings for implementing the new standards, ODE and ODJFS will accept alignment to either the new or former Early Learning and Development Standards from 6/15/2022 through 6/30/2023 for both curriculum and assessment.
The next steps toward preparing for implementation are to finalize examples to accompany the standards, design electronic and hard copy versions, and develop supporting resources.
Dear Early Childhood Special Educator,
We are delighted you are willing to inform us on your important work!
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has been contracted by the Early Childhood Personnel Center at the University of Connecticut to conduct a national survey of the early childhood special education workforce. Your responses will provide data to researchers, educators, and policy makers to better support special educators and early interventionists in the future.
Learn more about the goals of this work by opening the survey.
https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bqtf0DMplWPr5WK
We estimate the survey will take less than 10 minutes of your time. We encourage you to take the survey all in one sitting but you can use the link to come back to your survey at a later date.
If you chose, you can be entered into a lottery for a chance to win one of (100) $50 gift cards.
If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Jost at tjost@nieer.org. The researchers can also be reached at 848-932-4350.
Thank you for taking the survey.
This message contains information for Early Childhood Education (ECE) Grant Administrators.
Fiscal Year 2023 Allocations
Fiscal Year 2023 funds are allocated in the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP) system. A completed project budget must be submitted, reviewed, and approved by the Early Childhood Education team before conducting any grant activities. A substantially approved date (SAD) will be established after Grantees submit a budget to the department for approval. A budget is not submitted until the Grantee’s designated Fiscal Representative and Authorized Representative approves it. Grantees that submit a budget in an approvable form on or before August 5, 2022, will have a SAD of July 1, 2022. This action will be noted as a comment in the history log and will be honored, even though the SAD data is shown will not automatically adjust. The CCIP Application Manual provides instructions on submitting the CCIP budget application and other fiscal information.
Site Location Form
The Site Location Form is required for all Grantees and must be uploaded into the CCIP Application. The Site Location form provides how funds are being allocated if there are multiple sites and contact information. Our team will send communication messages to the contact information provided on this form. New this year, Grantees should provide a second program contact. Please indicate on the form if there is only one program contact and one fiscal contact.
For questions, please contact the ECE Grant team at EarlyChildhoodEducation@education.ohio.gov.
Share Your Feedback on Our Early Childhood Dashboard Preview
Share Your Feedback on Our Early Childhood Dashboard Preview
We want to hear from you! Groundwork Ohio is gathering feedback on our Early Childhood Dashboard Preview to inform development of a more comprehensive 2023 Dashboard. We invite you to explore our Dashboard Preview and share your reflections and feedback.
Ensuring Ohio’s youngest children are healthy and ready to learn requires having data to evaluate progress. That's why Groundwork Ohio is developing a first-of-its kind Early Childhood Dashboard to examine the factors and outcomes required to achieve equity and lay a strong foundation for young children. The Dashboard, which will be released in early 2023, will be a tool to track Ohio’s performance and to catalyze action for our youngest children
In March, we released our Early Childhood Dashboard Preview outlining Ohio’s performance on 20 key early childhood metrics such as early learning access, kindergarten readiness, poverty, prenatal care, well-child visits, and more. The Dashboard Preview is a precursor to the comprehensive 2023 Dashboard.
We look forward to building this work together and invite you to explore the data, provide feedback on the Dashboard itself, and join us in our quest to make Ohio the best place to be a young child.
Social-Emotional Development and
Social-Emotional Development and
Mental Health of Young Children
Mental Health of Young Children
The Department and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a Dear Colleague letter with recommendations to support the social-emotional development and mental health of young children. HHS will host a series of videos throughout the summer that support young children’s mental health and well-being.
US Education Department Releases 2022 IDEA State Determinations
The Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSEP) released assessments of states’ implementation of Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for 2022. See how Ohio rates.
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The bill largely reflects President Biden’s budget request, with an emphasis on improving educational conditions for underserved communities. The bill provides major increases to Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and a significant investment in school-based mental health personnel. More Info
6/29/2022
Testing Window: The 2022 KRA-R test window is open now through the twentieth day of instruction of the 2022-2023 school year. Nov. 1 is the deadline to enter data in the Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system.
Paper Materials: If additional test administration materials are needed for the 2022-2023 school year, please complete the 2022 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised Item Kit Order Form available on the KRA for Administrators webpage. Please ensure current KRA-R administration materials are securely stored as they will be used again for the fall 2022 test administration.
Changes to the Dyslexia Support Laws from House Bill 583
Changes to the Dyslexia Support Laws from House Bill 583
New Legislation Delays the Dyslexia Screening Process by One Year
New Legislation Delays the Dyslexia Screening Process by One Year
Governor DeWine signed House Bill 583 of the 134th General Assembly on June 27, 2022. Note that the following changes will take effect on September 22, 2022: Link
Ohio's Publicly Funded Child Care Update
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services are immediately waiving parents’ copays for publicly funded child care (PFCC) according to new guidance. This subsidy is given to families who can benefit from extra support covering the cost of early care and education. Ohio families earning up to 142% of the federal poverty line qualify for PFCC; those who earn less than 100% have no copayments, while those between 100% and 142% have a small copayment amount based on family size and income.
Now, they will get some reprieve thanks to a provision passed in last year’s state biennial budget that set aside $50 million from federal funds to provide families with discounts for co-payments. The nature of this funding means that the financial relief will be temporary, and it is difficult to estimate how long the waiver will last.
This message contains important reminders for the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Grant. The ECE Fiscal Year 2022 is coming to an end and there are several requirement due dates approaching.
Attendance
Grantees must maintain attendance records and report monthly to the Department through EMIS or EAS. The student collection for attendance closes July 13, 2022, for district Grantees that use EMIS. Grantees that use EAS must report all attendance by June 30, 2022.
Early Learning Assessment
ECE grantees must report the Ten Required Learning Progressions (24 SKBs) on ECE-funded children twice a year. Teachers will collect observations and assign ratings during the assessment window. Once the window is closed, ratings, or scores, must be reported into EMIS or EAS. Programs can use the Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system Learning Progression report or Early Learning Assessment Bridge Form to enter data. Grantees that report to EMIS should follow the EMIS calendar for specific guidance on deadlines. Grantees that report to EAS should report ELA scores by June 30, 2022.
Project Cash Requests
After incurring allowable expenditures under the ECE grant, grantees request funds by submitting a Project Cash Request (PCR) online through the CCIP. Funds requested must be for allowable expenses under the grant that were approved in the grant application and budget. Expenses do not need to be pro-rated to reflect the number of ECE-funded students versus the total number of students benefitting from the expense. Grantees may submit cash requests in July, August, or September to liquidate obligations for a “previous year” grant, but all obligations must have been entered into before June 30th.
Fiscal Year 2021 Final Expenditure Reports
All programs that received an Early Childhood Education Grant in Fiscal Year 2022 are required to complete a Final Expenditure Report (FER). The report must be submitted to the department by September 30, 2022, using the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP). There are no exceptions to this date, and an extension will not be granted. All programs that received an allocation must complete a FER, even if you did not expend any funding. Please visit the Grants Administration webpage for specific guides on completing the FER.
For questions, please contact the ECE Grant team at EarlyChildhoodEducation@education.ohio.gov
03_Recruitment Flyer.pdf
Invitation to participate in an Ohio State University Family Engagement Survey
The Ohio State University’s Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center is a partner with the Ohio Department of Education. The Family Engagement Center is interested in surveying educator experiences engaging with the parents and families of students.
If you are an educator who works in a school building and interacts with families, we would like to invite you to participate in a research study. To be included in the study, you must be employed in a PreK-12 school building in a role with direct contact with families and students. Eligible participants include teachers, school building administrators (principals, etc.), school counselors, and other professional family-facing roles (e.g., family ambassadors).
The survey link includes an online consent that you can read and then determine if you would like to participate. Participation is voluntary and you can skip questions or stop participating at any time. The only component to the study is a short survey, which will take you 5-10 minutes to complete. The research team hopes to use the information you provide to improve the survey so that it can be used to inform the field about educator experiences with engaging families.
Please email Hadley Bachman at bachman.33@osu.edu with any questions.
To learn more visit https://go.osu.edu/FEEBE
Please forward this information or flyer to share the survey with educators you know. The survey closes June 30th, 2022.
CDA Updates - June 2022.pdf
OCR Seeking Suggestions on Implementing Section 504
OCR Seeking Suggestions on Implementing Section 504
The Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced its intent to strengthen and protect rights for students with disabilities by amending regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As part of this process, OCR is seeking written suggestions from the public about how best to improve the current regulations. Interested parties may go to OCR's Rulemaking and Regulations webpage to submit comments.
OSEP Fast Facts: Educational Environments of School Aged Children with Disabilities
OSEP Fast Facts: Educational Environments of School Aged Children with Disabilities
The Department’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released a new OSEP Fast Facts: Educational Environments of School Aged Children with Disabilities, which explores IDEA Section 618 data. This Fast Facts takes a closer look at the environments where children with disabilities are receiving special education and related services. OSEP Fast Facts is an ongoing effort to display data from the 12 data collections authorized under IDEA Section 618 into graphic, visual representations quickly and clearly.
Visit the OSEP Fast Facts page for existing and future Fast Facts.
Kindergarten readiness: With more complete participation in fall 2021, performance on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment-Revised (KRA-R) suggests that Ohio’s youngest learners experienced setbacks during the pandemic. These include not acquiring the skills necessary to be kindergarten ready—notably shown by a large decrease in the percent of students on track in the Language and Literacy domain. KRA-R data for the 2021-2022 school year are available here.
Fall English language arts: Performance on the fall grade 3 English language arts test improved substantially between fall 2020 and fall 2021. However, it has not yet recovered to prepandemic levels, and the impact continues to be greatest on Ohio’s most vulnerable students. In comparison to fall 2019 performance, fall 2020 third-graders showed over three months of learning lag, while fall 2021 students displayed only about one month of lag. Despite this statewide improvement, certain performance gaps widened during the pandemic. This negatively affected urban districts and districts that were primarily remote in the 2020-2021 school year, as well as English learners, students with disabilities and students who are Black.
This message contains important updates for Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised Assessment Data Managers and Administrators.
Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) System New Administration Interface
A new administration interface and dashboard within the KReady system was released on May 11. Users that have the data manager, district administrator, or school administrator role within the system will now see the new interface after clicking on the ‘Administration’ link. The purpose of the new interface was to update the code for this part of the system so it is working off of the most up-to-date technology and to give the interface a new look and design. The new interface has the same functionality as the previous interface. The data manager/administrator support manual has been updated to reflect the new administration interface.
If you experience an issue with the new administration interface, click on the ‘Legacy Mode’ button to switch back to the previous interface. Please report the issue to the Help Desk by calling 844-K12-OHIO (844-512-6446) or submit a ticket at www.ohio-k12.help so it can be fixed.
Archiving Reports
Data Managers and Building Administrators are encouraged to download available reports from KReady and save them locally by June 17. No user can generate a report from a previous year. Reports that have been generated this year by data managers and administrators will be archived in the system and will be available at the user level next school year. Reports generated by teachers will not be available after June 17. For additional information, visit Accessing the Archive on Ohio K-12 Help.
Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) System Update
The Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system will have intermittent downtime for server updates and annual data archive from June 18 – 30. Data managers, administrators and teachers will not be able to generate any reports for either the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R) or the Early Learning Assessment (ELA) during that time. The KReady system will open for the next school year on July 1.
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R) New Administration Timeline
The administration window for the Kindergarten Reading Assessment Revised is not earlier than the first day of July of the school year and not later than the twentieth day of instruction of that school year. The Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system will open on July 1 and remain open through November 1 to accommodate differences in district schedules. November 1st is the deadline for teachers to enter data in the Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system. After the KReady system closes on November 1 at 11:59 p.m., data managers will have until November 9th at 11:59 p.m. to clean up transfer requests.
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R) Administration Materials
Please ensure your current KRA-R administration materials are securely stored as they will be used again for the fall 2022 administration. If your school or district needs additional administration materials for next school year, please complete the 2022 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised Item Kit Order Form available on the KRA for Administrators webpage.
Tests are secure materials. The administration materials for the 50-item KRA used in previous years should be destroyed because they are no longer in use. Please complete this Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Document of Secure Test Destruction to report destroyed kits.
Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) System Teacher Accounts
Each teacher who needs trained in the KRA-R must have an individual account in the Ready for Kindergarten Online system (KReady) to participate in the training. New teachers might be reaching out to data managers this summer for help in getting their accounts set up. As you become aware of new hires who will be responsible for administering the KRA-R to kindergarten students please be sure to set them up with a KReady account for your school or district.
For help with the KReady system go to www.ohio-k12.help or call 844-K12-OHIO (844-512-6446) to submit a ticket for technical assistance.
For policy questions, please contact KRAHelp@education.ohio.gov.
CEC is proud to recognize children and youth with exceptionalities who have demonstrated their determination and achievements in multiple ways.
The Yes I Can Awards recognize 12 outstanding students with exceptionalities (ages 3-21) in six categories.
The Yes I Can Academic Award
The Yes I Can Arts Award
The Yes I Can Technology Award
The Yes I Can Transition Award
The Yes I Can School and Community Award
The Yes I Can Self-Advocacy Award
The award recipients will be honored at the 2023 CEC Convention & Expo in Lousiville, KY and receive a $200 cash award.
Nominations close September 26, 2022. For furthers details and application submissions please visit exceptionalchildren.org/awards/yes-i-can-awards.
Please direct any questions to Sharon Rodriguez.
2022-2023 Step Up to Quality Comprehensive Assessment Requirement
Continuing for the 2022-2023 school year, programs that choose to use Ohio's Early Learning Assessment as their comprehensive assessment to meet SUTQ requirements must assess all preschool age children in the set of Ten Required Progressions (including 24 skills, or SKBs) at a minimum of two times during the year following a program determined schedule.
Early Learning Assessment (ELA) Administration Materials
Please ensure your current ELA administration materials are securely stored as they will be used again for the 2022-2023 school year.
Printed copies of Ohio's Comprehensive Early Learning Assessment (ELA) and/or Ohio's ELA Ten Required Learning Progressions are available to any licensed ODJFS and ODE programs serving preschool age children. For more information and to order materials, please visit ELA Order Form.
Early Learning Assessment Score Report The Early Learning Assessment (ELA) Learning Progression (LP) Score Report is now available in the Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system. Data managers can access these reports by logging into their KReady account, and following these directions. Resources for reporting the 10 Learning Progression items are listed below.
Archiving Reports
Data Managers and Building Administrators are encouraged to download available reports from KReady and save them locally by June 17. No user can generate a report from a previous year. Reports that have been generated this year by data managers and administrators will be archived in the system and will be available at the user level next school year. Reports generated by teachers will not be available after June 17. For additional information, visit Accessing the Archive on Ohio K-12 Help.
Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) System Update
The Ready for Kindergarten Online (KReady) system will have intermittent downtime for server updates and annual data archive from June 18 – 30. Data managers, administrators and teachers will not be able to generate any reports for either the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised (KRA-R) or the Early Learning Assessment (ELA) during that time. The KReady system will open for the next school year on July 1.
The fall 2023 Early Learning Assessment data collection will open on August 15.
Updates effective April 15, 2022 to the Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) program
These changes are being implemented to assist programs with reducing administrative burden, as well as in achieving and maintaining their ratings.
A summary of the SUTQ documents that have been created or updated to support these changes is listed below.
All documents are available on the BOLD Beginning website unless otherwise indicated.
The following supporting documents have been created:
Several supporting documents have been updated:
SUTQ Ratings Progressions for Centers
SUTQ Ratings Progressions for Family Child Care
A Guide for Child Care Providers and Preschool Programs (available soon)
OCLQS desk aid (available here: ODJFS Print License and SUTQ Certificate)
The updated Star Rating Requirements Summaries and the Frequently Asked Questions from the Provider Training are expected to be available within the next week.
Questions can be directed to: SUTQ@education.ohio.gov or 614-502-7535.
Revised Step Up To Quality Rule April 2022
The revised Step Up To Quality Rule CCMPL 153 was released and includes the updated changes to Step Up To Quality.
You can read the document on the Ohio Department of Education (or on the link to the right), Step Up To Quality webpage. This new set of procedures applies to all ODE and ODJFS programs participating in SUTQ.
Questions can be directed to 614.502.7535 or SUTQ@education.ohio.gov.
SUTQ Live Virtual Q&A Meeting Events.pdfStep Up To Quality Updates
Virtual Q & A Sessions this week!
New forms will be available after April 15.
Programs whose rating date is on or before April 15 will use the current system and those after April 15 will use the new system.
Please ignore requests for submissions if you are in the new system. They are still being sent automatically from OCLQS.
OCCRA Updates
Profile changes to occur April 26 or April 27
o Will be asked to enter a valid email address. Then a code will be sent to that email to re-activate the account.
o Will also be asked to update their password using security protocols
o This will occur 1x annually
OPINs
o Get staff to start recognizing their OPINs
o They will need it when they contact OCCRRA for support.
o Doing away with username login option. Will only be able to use OPIN or email address.
Upcoming Changes OPR March 2022 _Poster _Landscape__ _1_.pdf
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