All Public School Districts and ESUs must complete and submit the Rule 11: Prekindergarten Program Report by October 15, 2026. The Prekindergarten Program Report can be found in the New NDE Portal.

• Public Districts and Educational Service Units (ESUs) not operating a prekindergarten program must still complete the report so that the NDE has a current status of every district and ESU that does not provide prekindergarten services in their local community.
• All prekindergarten programs operated by Public Districts and ESUs are required to comply with Rule 11. Rule 11 applies to those programs serving children younger than kindergarten entrance age, including Sixpence, migrant and home visitation programs.
• Only District Admin roles are able to approve and submit the PreK report to NDE. All other PreK Report users can enter information into the report, but only the Superintendents and ESU Admins can approve at the LEA level.

Access to the Prekindergarten Report is automatically added to the District Admin-Public, District Admin-ESU, Proxy-Public and Proxy-ESU new portal roles. To make a new request for access, once logged into your new portal account, go to Profile>Requests and request the “Prekindergarten Report-District” role. (District Admins and Proxies can also assign this access through Admin Portal.)

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

Public Districts

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will be transitioning the Nebraska Education Profile (NEP) Secure application from the legacy portal to the New Portal next week. Accordingly, the NEP Secure collection in legacy portal will close Friday, Sept 11 and will open in the new NDE Portal around Friday, Sept 18.

This transition is part of NDE’s ongoing effort to modernize systems, improve security, and provide a more streamlined user experience. The new portal offers enhanced authentication, improved navigation, and a centralized location for accessing NDE applications and reports.

What to Expect:

• NEP Secure will no longer be accessed through the legacy portal after Friday, Sept 11, 2026.
• All users will access NEP Secure through the new portal.
• Access will not be transferred, with the exception of those roles listed below.
• Users may need to request access to the NEP Secure in the new portal.

Action Required:

• Users should ensure they can successfully log in to the new NDE Portal prior to the transition.
• District Administrators should review user access as needed to ensure appropriate permissions are in place.

New Portal Access:

• The following New Portal Roles will automatically have access to the NEP Secure application upon its opening: District Admin, Proxy Admin, Principal.
• To request access (once NEP Secure is open), log into the New Portal, go to Profile>Requests and request the “NEP Secure-District” or “NEP Secure-School” role. (District and Proxy Admins can also assign this access through their Admin Portal.)
• NEW: A new multi-app role has been created to provide NEP support for Districts. It is called “NEP Support” and contains District level access to the following applications: NEP Secure, NEP AQuESTT and Perceptual Survey Reports, and Nebraska Education Profile (NEP)…Read More › – NEP Secure – Moving to New Portal
  

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

Public Districts, Special Purpose Schools

We have several ADVISER updates to share for the 26-27 school year:

1. ADVISER Calendar and Data Elements are now ready
2. District access to ADVISER keys
3. Upcoming ADVISER Workdays

The ADVISER Resources website has been updated with the 2026-2027 ADVISER Calendar and ADVISER Data Elements documents. Please see Appendix A of the Data Elements for a description of what was changed for the new school year. Some student information system vendors are still working through ADVISER certification testing for the new year. NDE will update the 2026-2027 ADVISER Vendor certification website as this is completed.

As some districts are needing to enter their ADVISER API key/secret codes in order to set up their student information system for the new school year, please note the following:

• The ADVISER API key/secret typically will only be provided directly to a district administrator using a secured email system.
• If a district administrator prefers NDE to provide the key/secret directly to a vendor, the district administrator may submit an email to NDE.DataCollectionsTeam@Nebraska.gov authorizing the release. The request should include:
  A statement authorizing NDE to share the ADVISER Key and Secret with the vendor.
  The vendor’s name.
  The email address to which the credentials should be sent.
• NDE will not provide ADVISER credentials directly to vendors without written authorization from the district administrator.

The schedule for upcoming ADVISER Workdays is now available here: https://help.education.ne.gov/knowledge-base/adviser-validation-workday/ . Consortium / Vendor Support will be added/updated as confirmed. Please note: there is a new Zoom link for all NDE virtual workdays. It is: https://educationne.zoom.us/my/ndeservicedesk

Questions?
Please contact the NDE Service Desk: NDE.ServiceDesk@Nebraska.gov

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

Public, Nonpublic, ESU, Special Purpose, Rule 18

To support the upcoming Staff Reporting 26-27 statutory deadline of September 15, NDE staff will be available on Friday, Sept 11 from 9-10am CDT and Monday, Sept 14 from 2-3pm CDT to answer any questions school staff may have. This is the zoom link to join the workday: https://educationne.zoom.us/my/ndeservicedesk Additional information, including a presentation, can be found at our Staff Reporting Workday page: https://help.education.ne.gov/knowledge-base/staff-reporting-workday/

Staff Reporting 26-27 instructions are available here: https://www.education.ne.gov/dataservices/staff/ and within the application itself. The following New Portal Roles automatically have access to the new application: District Admin, Proxy Admin, Business Manager. To request access, once logged into the New Portal, go to Profile>Requests and request the “Staff Reporting-District” role. (District and Proxy Admins can also assign this access through their Admin Portal.)

Reminders:

• Please ensure all staff email addresses are correct. The NDE uses email addresses from Staff Reporting for communications to our Districts and Schools.
• Once data has been entered into Staff Reporting please visit the NSSRS Validation collection in legacy portal, to view any associated errors and reports. These errors/reports change throughout the school year, so please review the data within NSSRS Validation every so often.

Questions?
Please contact the Service Desk at NDE.ServiceDesk@nebraska.gov

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

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

Public Districts, Nonpublic Schools, ESU’s, Special Purpose Schools

The Journey Continues

Looking for the spark to energize your school’s or district’s continuous improvement efforts? Whether you are beginning a new phase of planning or simply seeking a refresher and an opportunity to connect with colleagues, the Regional Continuous Improvement Workshops are back!

These one-day workshops will be offered at five Educational Service Units (ESUs) across Nebraska. Sessions will feature presentations from Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) personnel, NeMTSS Team Leads, ESU staff, and other educational leaders. Participants will also have dedicated time for collaboration, reflection, and planning with school and district teams.

Workshop Locations and Dates

• ESU 6 – Tuesday, September 22, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• ESU 1 – Wednesday, September 23, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• ESU 7 – Thursday, September 24, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• ESU 16 – Wednesday, September 30, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• ESU 10 – Thursday, October 1, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Registration

Register through the ESU website nearest you or click the link below to access the registration flyer. Each link within the flyer will direct you to the registration page for your selected ESU location.

2026-CIP-Registration-Flyer.pdf

We look forward to learning, collaborating, and planning with you!

Continuous Improvement is a required component of Rule 10, Section 009.

Questions? Please contact the NDE Accreditation team by email: NDE.Accreditation@nebraska.gov

Contact Information: NDE Accreditation (nde.accreditation@nebraska.gov)

Public District, ESU, Nonpublic, Rule 18 and Special Purpose Schools

State statute requires Public Districts and Nonpublic Systems submit a Fall Personnel Report by September 15. Special Purpose Schools, Educational Service Units and Interim Programs (Rule 18) should also report during this time frame.

Staff Reporting is now in the New Portal.

• The following New Portal Roles will automatically have access to the new application: District Admin, Proxy Admin, Business Manager.
• To request access, once logged into the New Portal, go to Profile>Requests and request the “Staff Reporting-District” role. (District and Proxy Admins can also assign this access through their Admin Portal.)

A few reminders:

• When completing the Staff Reporting application, please ensure all staff email addresses are correct. The NDE uses email addresses from Staff Reporting for communications to our Districts and Schools.
• Once data has been entered into Staff Reporting, visit the NSSRS Validation collection in Legacy Portal the next day, to view any associated errors and reports. These errors and reports change throughout the school year, so please review the data within NSSRS Validation every so often.

Please note:

• Staff Reporting guidance will be updated soon and posted here when ready: https://www.education.ne.gov/dataservices/staff/

Questions?
Please contact the Service Desk at NDE.ServiceDesk@nebraska.gov

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

Public Districts, ESUs

Special Education Financial Reporting System (SPEDFRS) will open September 1, 2026 in the New Portal and will close October 31, 2026 11:59:59 p.m. CDT.

IMPORTANT: A brand new User Manual will be released prior to Sept 1. It is very important to review the substantially updated User Manual when it is available (future communication forthcoming). The following is a high level list of significant modifications to the system:

• SPEDFRS has migrated to the New Portal!! See below for next steps regarding access.
• All Staff that are professional, paraprofessionals and teacher substitutes must already be in Staff Reporting 25-26. SPEDFRS will check against staff reporting. For staff not reported, FRS will not allow that staff person(s) to be included.
• Vendor invoices must be uploaded on each record in contracted services section. Upload needs to be just that vendor invoice(s).
• Actual Rate for contracted services must reflect the actual rate charged by the vendor for that service. This amount can be greater than the NDE allowable rate. *NDE will calculate the allowable amount based on the NDE approved rate*
• Student FTE Calculation must be uploaded in Supporting Documentation.
• Contact page must be completed and verified as accurate.
• District Approver Attestation is now required when submitting.

NDE Budget and Grants Management and SPED Staff will be available via zoom every week beginning Tuesday, September 8^th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. CDT to answer any questions or resolve technical issues. You can add to your calendar via this link. The zoom meeting link is: https://educationne.zoom.us/j/96556362624.

New Portal access:

• The following New Portal Roles will automatically have access to the application: District Admin-Public, Proxy Admin-Public, SPED Director.
• To request access, once logged into the New…Read More › – SPEDFRS 2025-26 – Moving to the New Portal
  

  Contact Information: NDE B&GM Helpdesk (NDE.BGMHelp@Nebraska.gov)

New Secondary Scheduling Resources Now Available

Two new resources are now available to support secondary school and district leaders in designing schedules that expand opportunities for all students and strengthen postsecondary readiness.

The Secondary Scheduling Guide completed in 2026, provides a framework for using scheduling decisions to support postsecondary readiness for all students. Organized around four key priorities, the guide helps school and district leaders intentionally align time, staffing, course offerings, and student supports to create meaningful learning experiences and opportunities for every student.

The Secondary Scheduling Tool is designed to help school leaders explore strategic scheduling decisions in a thoughtful, holistic way, connecting course offerings, staffing considerations, and potential bell schedule adjustments. It is intended to be used as a companion resource with the Secondary Scheduling Guide, as a practical way to visualize options, understand tradeoffs, and support conversations about how time and resources can best serve students and staff 

• Note: This tool is intended to be used as a resource by districts and schools. It does not establish new legal requirements or obligations and does not have the force of state law or regulation. Nothing in this document should be interpreted as superseding or replacing existing statutes, regulations, or official accountability or accreditation requirements.

You can access the new resources through the following pages on the NDE website:

• Scheduling Guides – Nebraska Department of Education
• Content Area Standards – Nebraska Department of Education

Contact Information: Marrisa Payzant (marissa.payzant@nebraska.gov) or Amanda Morris (amanda.morris@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)