Special Populations: Five Considerations for Early Spring

As you begin the last semester of the 2024-2025 school year, make sure to consider these items. 

1. VI Registration: By Jan. 31, school districts must complete registration of each student in the district receiving services and/or accommodations as a student with a visual impairment as of Jan. 2 (or the first school day back in session following the holiday break). This includes students under age three as well as those eligible through Section 504. Find detailed information on the process at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired website. 
2. Extended School Year (ESY): Texas Administrative Code §89.1065 guides districts on the appropriate implementation of ESY services. Returning from the holiday break provides a great opportunity to check student progress to determine whether they lost critical skills, and if so, determine the amount of time needed to reattain the skills. Don’t forget to review IEPs of students who transferred in from other districts to understand ESY data and recommendations from the previous district. Read more about ESY requirements from TEA online.
3. State Assessment Preparation: “Testing Season” begins in Spring. Make sure to communicate and review proper documentation of accommodations, small group needs, test administration training, interactions with testing coordinators, collaboration between LPAC and ARD Committees, and any other areas that impact assessments. Increased communication now can help avoid issues later. The TEA Student Assessment Overview website provides resources to assist you in these areas.
4. State Performance Plan Indicators (SPPI): Application windows for SPPI 7 (Preschool Outcomes) and SPPI 13 (Secondary Transition) open from Apr. 1 to Aug. 8. Check your processes for data collection and storage now to assist with easier data entry when the windows open. The data collection period for each of these indicators includes July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.  The TEA website provides information about these indicators as well as the remaining areas with reporting requirements.
5. Staffing: For schools, the beginning of a new calendar year means beginning to wrap up the current school year while looking ahead to the next. This process includes evaluating current staff information to project future staff needs. Take time to consider the processes in place in your district’s process to make staffing decisions. Do you rely on gut feelings, and emotions, or reward the campus/area that complains the loudest? Or do you step back and base decisions on data? Data-based decisions that take into account student needs and staff schedules, roles, and responsibilities can provide meaningful recommendations for staffing. The information gained from time studies will give detailed evidence to use as part of staffing discussions. This may also assist with the master scheduling process and positively impact your budget by creating more efficient and effective systems.