Blogs

On February 15, Ohio school districts received a guidance document from the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) Office of Educator Licensure designed to help schools and teachers meet the new July 1…

The uncodified section of HB 491 makes several adjustments to graduation options available to the classes of 2019 and 2020. The adjustments extend graduation…

Memorial Day is the official day on which the United States (U.S.) honors and remembers those who have died in active military service. As we prepare to gather with family and friends, it’s also a good time to review supports available to military families and their children in Ohio’s schools. 

About 34,000 students in Ohio are children from…

The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) recently published a new policy brief – What School Leaders Need to Know – detailing schools’ legal requirements regarding transition planning to help students with disabilities prepare for work after graduation.

On Jan. 16, via press release, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced the approval of Ohio’s state plan submitted as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Ohio was one of 11 states receiving DOE plan approval, including Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Ohio’s plan was unanimously approved by the State Board on July 11, 2017, and subsequently submitted to DOE on Sept. 15, 2017. The press release highlighted some unique features of Ohio’s plan, including its focus on serving…

Ohio Revised Code (RC) 3313.82 requires every school district and educational service center (ESC) to assemble a business advisory council. As part of the most recent budget bill, the Ohio General Assembly enacted RC 3313.821, which directs the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the governor’s executive workforce board, to establish standards for the operation of business advisory councils. Those…

Teacher licensure is a topic that often causes confusion. As a result, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has made an effort to create and share resources to help address that confusion. Just this week, Early Learning hosted a webinar providing guidance on Ohio’s Licensure for Teachers.

Portions of the webinar focus on Early Learning, but it also serves as a good resource for all administrators and educators as it includes a discussion of the following topics: 1…

Restraint and seclusion reporting

Dec. 16 is the deadline for schools to submit annual reports of student restraint and seclusion incidents to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). Districts are asked to complete an online survey to fulfill their annual reporting obligations set forth under Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 3301-35-15. In an effort to improve statewide reporting accuracy, ODE has created additional guidance documents and sample reporting forms.…

Earlier this week, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) made additional materials on education of students in foster care available on its website.  The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires new guidelines and resources to ensure that students in foster care have improved educational outcomes.  The purpose of the guidelines is to remove educational barriers faced by students in foster care, such as traumatization, high mobility, and undiagnosed behavioral and health conditions. 

ESSA contains key…

The Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) released an updated version of Ohio’s System of General Supervision on Oct. 13. Federal law requires states to develop systems of general supervision to monitor school district implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. OEC establishes this document, which is comprised of nine…