Public, Nonpublic, ESU 3, ESU 13

Information: 

The 2025-2026 Reading Improvement Act application will be available in the New NDE Portal May 1, 2026 and is due June 15, 2026. 

This application supports compliance with the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act (NRS 79‑2601 through 79‑2607) and Nebraska Revised Statute 79‑11,157.01.

Who is required to report?

• Each public school building in all Nebraska public school districts
• Approved and/or accredited nonpublic school buildings serving children ages 4 through grade 3
• State Board of Education–approved early childhood education programs operated by ESUs (i.e., only early childhood programs at ESU 3 and ESU 13)

Reporting Overview:

• Public school buildings report data related to: Students evaluated due to a suspected Specific Learning Disability in reading; Individualized Reading Improvement Plan identification and growth for students in kindergarten through grade 3; and Teachers of children ages 4 through grade 3 who are adequately trained in evidence‑based reading instruction, as defined by the Nebraska Literacy Project Evidence‑Based Reading Instruction Professional Learning Rubric.
• Approved/accredited nonpublic schools and Rule 11-approved early childhood programs (i.e., ESUs 3 & 13) only report data for teachers of children ages 4 through grade 3 who are adequately trained in evidence‑based reading instruction per the the Nebraska Literacy Project Evidence‑Based Reading Instruction Professional Learning Rubric, as required under NRS 79‑2607.

Resources:

Detailed reporting requirements for each entity are outlined in the applicable Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents: 

• Public Schools- Reading Improvement Act FAQ 
  • Read More › – 2025-2026 Reading Improvement Act Application Open May 1st (Formerly titled: Nebraska Revised Statute 79-11,157.01 Collection)
    

    Contact Information: IDEA Part B Specialist: Tara Korshoj (tara.korshoj@nebraska.gov) and Reading Specialist: Olivia Alberts (olivia.alberts@nebraska.gov)

Public, ESU

As NDE staff continue processing the school year 2024-25 SPEDFRS data collection, it is possible that reductions are made to the claims. Common downward adjustments are:

• Staff that are listed as non-qualified on the “Staff Reporting for Special Education Financial Reporting System (SPEDFRS) and GMS SPED IDEA Consolidated Application” report in NSSRS Validation
• Corrections to cost-allocation of SPED and non-SPED FTE for employees
• Unallowable expenses for contracted services
• Reductions to match invoices for contracted services

A District can check the status of their claim throughout the processing period by logging into SPEDFRS in the legacy portal. The reason for a downward adjustment will be noted in the “NDE Comments” section by line item.

Please email us with any questions or concerns at NDE.BGMHelp@nebraska.gov

Contact Information: NDE.BGMHelp@Nebraska.gov

Public, Nonpublic

Contact Information: NDE Service Desk (NDE.ServiceDesk@Nebraska.gov)

The purpose of this bulletin item is to provide information on how to request a conditional, temporary or alternative permit for teachers who have been hired to start in SUMMER/FALL 2026 and may not have all their necessary documentation prior to the first day of school with students.

Conditional Permits:

• • A Conditional Permit allows someone to sign a contract and work as a certified staff member with a location (school system) limitation and deficiencies that have not been met to be issued a regular teaching certificate such as a content test.

• • A Conditional Permit can also be requested for someone who has applied for a local substitute permit and has not completed the human relations training course and/or is waiting on fingerprint clearances from the Nebraska State Patrol.  

Alternative Permits:

• • An Alternative Permit is designed for an applicant to complete a program before applying for a regular certificate while being employed as a contracted teacher. Filling out this form verifies that applicant is hired as a teacher for your district. 

Temporary Certificates:

• • A Temporary Certificate is designed for an applicant that is currently a para in a Nebraska school system but is being hired as a teacher on a full-time basis and has taken and passed the appropriate Praxis Content Test. This form does not verify the paraprofessional status of the applicant. You will need to include a letter and/or contract to nde.tcertweb@nebraska.gov. 

Conditional Permits, Alternative Permits and Temporary Certificates can only be requested for employment in a Nebraska school system.  If an applicant has not been a continuous resident of Nebraska for the last five years, fingerprint cards will need to be sent to the certification office before any permits can be issued….Read More › – Conditional, Alternative and Temporary Certificate/Permit Request Form Summer/Fall 2026

Contact Information: NDE Educator Certification (nde.tcertweb@nebraska.gov or 402-471-0739)

2026-2027 Course Codes and Clearing Endorsements are now available: https://coursecodes.education.ne.gov/

The website features several helpful tools including:
1. A Changes tab in the Menu bar at the top of the page – lists all changes from the prior year
2. Search Fields – search by specific key words, a Course Code number, a specific Endorsement Code or grade levels
3. Select Subject – select only Math, Special Education or any other subject specific courses
4. Download – download selected courses into either Excel or PDF

Contact Information: NDE Service Desk (NDE.ServiceDesk@Nebraska.gov)

Public Districts and Special Purpose Schools

Save the Date! ADVISER Workdays have been scheduled for the 25-26 Year End collection.

The NDE and SIS Vendor support teams encourage all Data Stewards and SPED staff who review and approve ADVISER data to attend at least one workday every data reporting period. NDE, SRS and SIS Vendor Support will be available to assist you with any questions and troubleshooting of your data.

To date, the schedule is:
Friday, May 29, 2026
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Thursday, June 11, 2026

All workdays will be from 9am-3pm CST.

Who Should Attend: Data Stewards, District Administrators/Superintendents, SPED staff responsible for District ADVISER SPED data and any other staff members who review and approve ADVISER data.

A list of Vendor support will be posted here as details are confirmed: https://help.education.ne.gov/knowledge-base/adviser-validation-workday/ 

Contact Information: NDE Service Desk (NDE.ServiceDesk@Nebraska.gov)

Public Districts, Special Purpose Schools

The ADVISER Data Elements guidance document has been updated for the 2025-2026 school year, including two key changes for data being collected in 2025-2026 (see Appendix A for a list of all changes).

First, due to the recent adoption of the updated Rule 15 statute regarding regulations for English Learner programs, students may no longer be dismissed from English Learner testing via an IEP team review. As a result, the “Dismissed Via IEP” flag in ADVISER should no longer be used in the 2025-2026 school year. The NDE will conduct a check to identify any students with that flag set before the end of the year.

Second, the NDE is introducing a new data collection for instances of emergency exclusions (as defined in Nebraska Revised Statute 79-264), and several new data elements have been created in ADVISER to support this collection. The NDE would like to begin collecting emergency exclusion data for the 2025-2026 school year beginning 7/1/2025. However, please be aware that your Student Information System vendors will first need to make changes to their software to allow reporting of this data. The tentative goal for vendors to add support for the new emergency exclusion data elements in ADVISER is March 2026, so please watch for any communications from your vendors about their updates.

Contact Information: NDE Service Desk (NDE.ServiceDesk@Nebraska.gov)

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is aware of the continued shortage of substitute teachers in school systems this school year.

The Commissioner may authorize additional days for local substitute teaching permit holders upon request by a Nebraska school system that demonstrates a need for additional days, beyond the 90 full-time days per school year currently allowed. To authorize the additional days, the Department must receive a request from a Nebraska school system that demonstrates need.

To facilitate school system requests, the Department has created an online form. You or your school system staff can access that form here: Local Substitute Teaching Permit – Request for Additional Days Form. The form does allow for a single request that would cover all local substitute permit holders, which would eliminate the need for submission of multiple forms.

Once a request has been submitted, it will be reviewed, and the school system will be notified of the authorization. Please direct any questions about the process to the accreditation team by emailing nde.accreditation@nebraska.gov.

Contact Information: NDE Accreditation - nde.accreditation@nebraska.gov