Public Districts, ESUs

Hello, PEaK (Journey to Inclusion) Project Managers and Administrators, 

The required 2025-26 PEaK Project Bi-Annual Report are now available.  Grant recipients must demonstrate that funded activities are contributing to the implementation of inclusionary practices in service of improved outcomes for students with disabilities. You may access the 2025-26 Journey to Inclusion (PEaK) Bi-Annual Report (1) here.

If you have any questions about the required reporting elements and/or project implementation, please contact Dr. Micki Charf at micki.charf@nebraska.gov.

Contact Information: micki.charf@nebraska.gov

Save the Date!

Join us for the Nebraska Data Conference on April 28 and 29, 2026, at the Younes Conference Center South in Kearney, NE.

This years theme is From Evidence to Impact: Advancing Literacy and Accountability through Data.
Grounded in AQuESTT and guided by literacy as an agency priority, this theme focuses on using data to move from information to action. It emphasizes how meaningful data practices drive literacy growth, inform accountability, and advance educational excellence statewide.

📅 Dates: April 28 & 29, 2026
📍 Location: Younes Conference Center South, Kearney, NE

Don’t miss out on insightful sessions, networking opportunities, and expert-led discussions designed to elevate your data skills and knowledge. Registration, session details, and hotel information coming soon.

www.nedataconference.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

Contact Information: NDE.DataConferenceHelp@nebraska.gov

A new report, Progress Toward Long-Term Goals, is now available in NEP Secure (in the legacy portal). This report provides Public Districts and their schools with data aligned to Nebraska’s Consolidated State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), dated July 8, 2024 and approved January 3, 2025.

Under ESSA, state education agencies are required by federal law to establish long-term goals for academic achievement, graduation, and English language proficiency, and to make related data available publicly as part of the state’s consolidated plan. The Progress Toward Long-Term Goals report fulfills this requirement by displaying each agency’s progress toward Nebraska’s four long-term goals and including results for applicable student groups.

These data are intended to support local review of progress, continuous improvement efforts, and alignment to statewide accountability expectations.

At this time, the Progress Toward Long-Term Goals report is available only in NEP Secure. NDE will issue a future bulletin once this report is ready for publication on NEP Public, where it will be accessible to the public in accordance with federal reporting requirements.

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

We are excited to announce a call for presentations for the NDE 2026 Data Conference, scheduled for April 28 and 29, 2026, at the Younes Conference Center South in Kearney, Nebraska. We welcome submissions from anyone with valuable experience in education data. Presentations around the theme are preferred but not required. This year’s theme is:

From Evidence to Impact: Advancing Literacy and Accountability through Data
Grounded in AQuESTT and guided by literacy as an agency priority, this theme focuses on using data to move from information to action. It emphasizes how meaningful data practices drive literacy growth, inform accountability, and advance educational excellence statewide. 

If you are interested in presenting, please utilize this link to submit your proposal:
2026 Data Conference Call for Presentations 

All submissions must be received by January 31st, 2026. A notification of acceptance will be sent by February 13, 2026.  All accepted submissions will receive a complimentary ticket to the NDE 2026 Data Conference. 

We appreciate your consideration and look forward to receiving your proposals. We thank you for helping us to make the Data Conference in 2026 a success.

Please contact NDE.DataConferenceHelp@nebraska.gov with any questions.

Contact Information: NDE Data Conference (NDE.DataConferenceHelp@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 SPRING 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. Once…Read More › – Conditional, Alternative and Temporary Certificate/Permit Request Form

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

Public Districts, ESU’s, Special Purpose Schools

Nebraska’s Behavior Intervention Training and Teacher Support Act requires that nurses, teachers, counselors, administrators, and para educators be trained in behavior intervention, de-escalation, and classroom management strategies at least once every 3 years. To support districts with this requirement, the ESU Coordinating Council (ESUCC) has developed Behavior Intervention Training (BITS) resources that give schools synchronous and asynchronous options for their staff, inclusive of the recommended option of an in-person presentation from an ESU trainer.

• ESUCC BITS Information: bit.ly/ESUCCBIT
• ESUCC Behavior Intervention Training Reporting Tool (B.I.R.T.): birt.esucc.org

Please reach out to Andrew Easton, aeaston@esucc.org, with any questions or if further information is needed.

Contact Information: Andrew Easton, aeaston@esucc.org

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

The ADVISER Resources website has been updated with the 2024-2025 school year data collection calendar, as well as the new ADVISER Data Elements 2024-2025 v9.0 document. Please especially take note of the changes to this Fall’s Follow Up Collection in the 2024-2025 calendar, and also please utilize Appendix A in the Data Elements document to see what has changed year over year.

Reminder – virtual year end ADVISER workdays are ongoing. Details here: https://help.www.education.ne.gov/knowledge-base/workdays/

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