April 4, 2019

ATTENTION ALL NDE PORTAL USERS:

Please log onto your portal accounts and go to the “My Profile” tab and check to make sure your contact information (especially the email address) is up to date.  It is very important to keep this information updated as the Department of Education uses the email address that is in the users’ Portal account to send vital information.  Thank you!!

 

Register Now

Champions for Equity in Education:  Better Data – Better Decisions

2019 NDE Data ConferenceApril 29-30, 2019 Younes Conference Center Kearney, Nebraska

Contact:  Debe Dockhorn (402-471-2748 or debe.dockhorn@nebraska.gov) Jeannie Chastain (402-471-2288 or jeannie.chastain@nebraska.gov)

 

The NDE Data Conference will be held April 29-30, 2019 at the Younes Conference Center – Kearney, Nebraska.

This conference will provide opportunities to learn about how to improve data quality in the first-year of ADVISER statewide implementation, as well as hear from experts about the latest policies and techniques in education data.  The conference is open to all Nebraska Public School Districts’ educators but the main audience are the people that input information into the Student Information System or those in charge of the Student Information System as well as the Administrators that “approve” the data.  This conference will help to get the teams on the same page and know who to contact at NDE if there are questions, issues or concerns.

 

To register, or for more information, visit the conference website at https://www.education.ne.gov/dataservices/events/.

 

 

2019-2020 SPED Planning Region Team (PRT) GrantDUE:  August 1

Contact: Cole Johnson (402-471-4318 or cole.johnson@nebraska.gov)

 

The 2019-2020 SPED Planning Region Team (PRT) Grant application is open in the GMS and due to NDE August 1.

 

 

PowerSchool User Group ConferenceCancelled

 

The conference scheduled for April 11 at ESU 3 has been cancelled.  Please watch for workshops scheduled at a later date

 

 

Special Education Post-School OutcomesOPEN:  April 1 – DUE DATE:  April 30

Contact:  Alice Senseney (402-471-2775 or alice.senseney@nebraska.gov)

 

The report for submitting contact information for students with a disability who exited special education in 2017-2018 school year is located on the NDE Portal under the Data Collection tab.  Accurate student contact information will assure your students will be contacted and included in this required Post School Outcome collection.  Please be sure to scroll down on the report to enter each student’s contact information as indicated. This collection is considered for each school district’s annual federally required “determination”.

 

 

New ADVISER Validation Error #730

Contact:  NDE Helpdesk (888-285-0556 or ADVISERHELP@nebraskacloud.org)

For Public and Special Purpose Schools

 

Error #730:  Students Listed as 100 FTE at Another District

Students are listed at your district at 100 FTE and also listed as 100 FTE at another district.

 

 

GMS Carryover Funds From 2017-18 into 2018-2019

Contact:  The NDE Consultant for your district/ESU

 

RE:  Carryover funds from 2017-18 into 2018-19 for the following GMS programs

  • ESSA Consolidated Application
    • Title I-A
    • Title I-D
    • Title II-A
    • Title III-EL
    • Title III-IE
  • Title I-D State Agencies Application
  • McKinney-Vento Homeless Application
  • IDEA Consolidated Application

 

Due to NDE updating financial coding for the 2018-19 school year, all carryover funds from 2017-18 to 2018-19 have to be manually entered this year, therefore all carryover for programs listed above will be uploaded at the same time.  These carryover funds from 2017-18 are now available.

 

Each district having carryover funds for one or more programs from 2017-18 will need to create an amendment in the NDE Grants Management System (GMS).  NDE encourages districts to submit amendments by mid-April.

An email providing the above information has been sent to public school superintendents and ESU administrators.  Please forward to others, as appropriate.

 

 

2018-2019 Support for Improvement GrantOPEN:  March 13 – DUE DATE:  April 10

Contact:  Diane Stuehmer (402-471-1740 or Diane.Stuehmer@nebraska.gov)

 

The 2018-2019 Support for Improvement is open in the GMS and due to NDE April 10.  Only schools identified as being in improvement will receive funding for the 2018-19 school year.  Questions can be directed to the NDE Title I Reviewer assigned to your district.  The Contact Us link is located at the bottom of each application page.

 

 

IDEA MOE for Compliance StandardOPEN: March 15 – DUE DATE: April 30

Contact: Pete Biaggio (402-471-4308 or pete.biaggio@nebraska.gov)

 

IDEA Part B Special Education Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Application for Compliance Standard for school year 2017-2018 opens on March 15.  The report may be accessed within the NDE Portal under the Data Collection tab.

 

School district receipt of IDEA dollars is contingent upon maintaining fiscal effort for Special Education.  Districts must expend a greater or equal amount of local or local/state funds from a previous year highest level to meet the MOE requirement. Final calculations based on actual special education school district expenditures/receipts/data obtained from the 2017-2018 AFR, GMS and NSSRS are available and have been compared to the highest levels of fiscal effort.  As a result, calculations for meeting the IDEA MOE Compliance Standard may have resulted in a MOE excess or shortage that requires school district review for determination of adjustments or credits that could modify the MOE level.

 

 

2019-2020 U.S. Department of Education

REAP (SRSA) Grant has opened in Grants.gov – DUE DATE:  APRIL 26, 2019

Contact:  Kirk Russell (402-471-2741 or kirk.russell@nebraska.gov)

 

Apply Now Small, Rural, School Achievement Program (SRSA).  The purpose of the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program is to provide rural LEAs with financial assistance to fund initiatives aimed at improving student academic achievement.

 

Local education agencies (LEAs) are entitled to funds if they meet basic eligibility and application requirements.  Awards are issued annually, and award amounts are determined using a formula.

To register/apply, or for more information go to Grants.gov

https://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?dpp=1&oppId=313089

 

 

ADVISER Student Validation Errors

Contact:  NDE Helpdesk (888-285-0556 or ADVISERHELP@nebraskacloud.org)

For Public and Special Purpose Schools

 

NDE Helpdesk staff are reviewing pertinent errors in ADVISER Validation and will be sending notification emails to appropriate persons over the next few weeks and months.  We appreciate the effort made by District Data Stewards in maintaining accurate data and ensuring timely updates.  Please let us know if you have any questions/concerns relating to these notifications.

 

 

Staff Reporting and Staff Leaving

Contact:  NDE Helpdesk (888-285-0556 or ADVISERHELP@nebraskacloud.org)

 

REMINDER!  DO NOT DELETE anyone from Staff Reporting that worked in your school district during the 2018-2019 school year.  If they have left or are leaving put an end date in their position assignment.  If you delete them, their experience at your district will not be recorded in the NDE Staff database.  This database is used as a validation for Teacher Certification when they verify experience which is required when renewing certificates.  If you delete their experience, the teacher may not be able to renew their certificate.

 

If you have deleted some staff you should not have deleted, please add them back with an end date in the staff position assignment.

 

 

Clarification on Keeping Attendance for Part-time Students, Early Childhood SPED and Rule 11 Students Served in the Home

Contact:  Pam Tagart (402-471-4735 or pam.tagart@nebraska.gov)

 

After researching recent questions, it has been determined that Rule 1.003.03B4 and Rule 2006.02B require school districts to maintain cumulative attendance and membership records for each student.  NDE will be updating the Who Reports What document to reflect these rules on keeping attendance on these students, as this is different guidance than what was supplied by NDE staff in the past.  Since it is February 2019, please do the best you can for reporting 2018-2019 calendar and attendance data.  Please review the Calendar Details, Student Attendance Summary, and ADA/ADM verification reports in the ADVISER Validation website to ensure students are being reported correctly.

 

Under ADVISER the Days in Session count for each student is determined by looking at the calendar track the student is assigned to and summing up the number of in-session days reported under that track.  Only in-session days that are between the student’s enrollment entry and exit dates are counted.  A student is automatically assumed to be present for all in-session days reported in their calendar track, unless an absence is reported.  The number of Days Present for a student is found by summing their Days in Session from their calendar track and subtracting the absences reported for the student.  The Average Daily Membership calculation aggregates the Days in Session numbers for all students, with each student’s numbers being weighted according to their FTE.  The Average Daily Attendance is the same calculation performed using the Days Present numbers.

 

In reviewing this issue and the uses of the data, here are some things that may be affected if you do not report attendance/absence data to NDE:

  1. State per pupil expenditures will be lower because the divisor will include students for whom attendance is not kept and the students will look like they are 100% in attendance which may not be accurate. This calculated data element determines Nebraska’s NPEFS reporting which is used for federal allocation for IDEA programs including Title I and SPED.  A lower state per pupil expenditure means Nebraska will get a lower amount in federal allocation.
  2. ADA/ADM is used in Calculating Title I Maintenance of Effort but it is only part of the formula.
  3. District per pupil expenditures will be lower for the same reason as #1.
  4. Some Grants use ADA.
  5. If these students aren’t included in membership they won’t be factored in for TEEOSA.