Resources for Special Education Professionals
This newsletter is designed to inform special education professionals about the different resources available to them to support their work with students and families.
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This edition of AJE's newsletter for Special Education Professionals includes:
- Professional Development Opportunities
- Classroom Tools and Resources

We hope you find our information helpful. If you do, please forward it to colleagues!

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LEA Individualized Special Education Supports Available:
OSSE is continuing its partnership with Opportunity Consulting to offer LEAs free individualized special education support services to help improve special education programming, instruction and service delivery. Opportunity Consulting’s special education experts are available to answer questions on topics, including:
- Individualizing lesson plans and accommodations
- Implementing student support strategies
- Meaningfully communicating with families
- Correcting noncompliant practices within the LEA
- Engaging in data-informed decision-making in the instructional design process

- Consistently implementing OSSE and LEA policies with fidelity
To request this support, send your inquiries to DCSPED@opportunityconsulting.com, or leave a voicemail at (800) 674-3470, and a consultant will get back to you within 72 hours. These supports are intended to serve as professional development. OSSE retains the authority and responsibility to ensure LEAs meet the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and to enforce those requirements as appropriate, so please continue to direct compliance-related questions to OSSE.
As a reminder, please refrain from sending students’ personally identifiable information (PII) via email or leaving PII on voicemail messages when requesting assistance.
See Opportunity Consulting’s frequently asked questions (FAQ) document here for responses to previous inquiries and more information on their offerings.
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Dyslexia Approved Screener List and Universal Screener Guidance

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OSSE Looking for Feedback on Newly Revised Social Studies Standards by Feb 10th:
A robust social studies curriculum is an essential component of increasing student agency and literacy, empowering students to combat misinformation and the key to creating inclusive school spaces.
OSSE is seeking public comment on the draft of the revised Social Studies State Standards. On Dec. 16, 2022, OSSE published the revised draft of Social Studies Standards, and is accepting public comment on the draft through Friday, Feb.10.
View the revised standards here. For more information about the standards revision process and timeline, and to provide comments and input on the new standards draft, please visit the OSSE Social Studies website. For questions, please contact the OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning at OSSE.TTA@dc.gov.

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Free Autism Curriculum Opportunity through Children’s National Hospital
In partnership with educators in the Washington, DC area, autism experts from Children’s National Hospital have developed an upward extension of the curriculum, Unstuck and On Target! for diploma-track high school students with autism shown to improve classroom behavior, flexibility and adaptive skills.
Unstuck and On Target: High School has ready-made lesson plans with scripted language to support delivery by a wide range of school staff (e.g., teachers, school psychologists, speech language pathologists [SLPs], social workers). Lessons align with social emotional learning (SEL) standards and target key skills for transition planning, including self-determination, emotion regulation, flexible problem-solving, organization, goal setting, planning and time-management skills.
Children’s National is now evaluating this free curriculum on a larger scale, and will provide participating schools with free training, materials and ongoing support for teachers and/or school staff to implement Unstuck at their schools. Interested principals/administrators should visit the Unstuck website and can contact Julianna McKenna at jmmckenna@childrensnational.org for more information.
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The U.S. Department of Education is hosted webinar series to address hot topics that were on the top of educators’ minds. After sharing federal updates, the series features lessons learned and best practices from faculty, staff, schools, districts, institutions of higher education, early childhood education providers, and other places of educational instruction. It also shares a variety of useful resources.
Below is a link to the events from the series. Simply click on an event title to access more information, including archived materials.
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OSSE-DOT updates about parent reimbursement
We have new information about the parent reimbursement rate from OSSE. As many LEAs know, OSSE continues to struggle to transport students to school and has shared that parents will be reimbursed if their child's bus is listed here. If a student has experienced routine service delays this year, OSSE has also shared that their parents are eligible for parent reimbursement. Parent reimbursements are eligible for self-travel and full ride-share costs (e.g., Uber/Lyft) for commutes to and from school.
OSSE DOT has raised the reimbursement rate to $1.48/mile. OSSE reports that this is the current rate per mile of the ridesharing service Uber. OSSE reports that they used Uber because parents may use a ride-sharing service to self-transport if OSSE DOT is unable to provide service, and chose the per-mile rate for Uber XL to accommodate those that may need to utilize a larger vehicle if their child requires a wheelchair to transport. This rate increase will take effect immediately and will apply to all trips in which parents self-transported their child since Aug. 29, 2022. For any previously submitted reimbursement request made, OSSE DOT will apply the new, higher rate and provide payment to families with no action required by parents. It will continue for the duration of the 2022-23 school year which ends on June 22, 2023.
If you know of parents that are eligible and that want to apply for parent reimbursement, please have them complete the certification and W9 forms (see below links), then submit them using OSSE’s BOX upload site. OSSE reports that reimbursement processing may take up to 60 days, AJE strongly encourages families to submit their claims quickly, as we understand that parents have experienced delays in excess of 60 days. AJE can help parents complete these forms and submit them if needed.
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Division of Student Transportation Hiring Fair |
Are you a qualified candidate who wants to make a difference in the lives of special needs students in the District of Columbia?
OSSE is where smart, dedicated minds come together to make wonderful things happen for students and families in the District. Choosing a career with OSSE means joining a team that makes a difference all over the city, each and every day. In partnership with the DC Department of Human Resources, OSSE is excited to have an in-person Hiring Fair on Thursday, Feb. 16 and Friday, Feb. 17 at Old Council Chambers, 441 4th St. NW.
The mission of OSSE DOT is to provide safe, reliable and efficient transportation services that positively support learning opportunities for eligible students from the District. OSSE DOT is hiring for 200 positions at the Hiring Fair (see open positions section).
To accommodate applicants and reduce wait times during the fair, advance registration is required in order to be pre-qualified and secure a pre-scheduled interview slot during the Hiring Fair. Interested applicants can also register onsite at the fair.
Complete the form below to submit your registration and an OSSE Recruiter will be in touch!
Registration opens Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, at 12 p.m. and closes Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at 12 p.m.
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About AJE:
Advocates for Justice and Education is the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center and the Health Information Center for DC. AJE seeks to empower families, youth, and the community to be effective advocates to ensure that children and youth, particularly those who have special needs, receive access to appropriate education and health services.
Our passion is empowering families by equipping parents and students with disabilities with the tools they need to be their own best advocates.
Have questions? We are here to educate, advocate and empower. Contact us today!
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Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.| (P) 202.678.8060 | (F) 202.678.8062 |
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