What is ListServ (SELs/SELs2)?

February 2000, the Office of Special Education created the Special Education Listserv (SELS).  It has been and continues to be a limited e-mail group (with listserv being a misnomer since it really isn’t a listserv) available to only one contact person per school district/responsible public agency. It is used by the Office to disseminate important special education information concerning funding, compliance, data collection, professional development, etc. 

The Office has created a second e-mail group called SELs2.  This e-mail group is open to anyone wanting to subscribe (principals, teachers, parents, etc.). It will allow subscribers to receive the EXACT same messages as subscribers to SELs. By creating this second e-mail group, all constituents interested in special education will have the opportunity to receive the Office’s e-mail messages, not just one contact per school district/responsible public agency. It also allows DESE to maintain the ability to make sure that every district has at least one contact person per district receiving these messages. Messages are from DESE only and may only be posted by the manager (Lina Browner, Office of Special Education). Members may not post messages to either SELs or SELs2.

How Do I Subscribe?

Those interested in subscribing to SELs2 can do so by going to the following the links below. 

Questions or Problems Subscribing to SELs and/or needing to change SELs information, contact Lina Browner, Executive Assistant, Office of Special Education at (573) 751-5739 or via email at Lina.Browner@dese.mo.gov

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Summer Educational Opportunities for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired (Summer Explorations)

Source: Missouri School for the Blind, St. Louis

Intended Audience: Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Students in Grades 3–12

Date: May 3, 2024

Missouri School for the Blind (MSB) is pleased to offer Missouri students who are blind or visually impaired (VI) four summer sessions focused on developing students' abilities to access Leisure Recreation and Community-Based Orientation and Mobility, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), Fine Arts, and Work Training and Experience. Through Summer Explorations, MSB seeks to provide non-traditional, high-quality, academic, and functional programs designed to supplement the student’s regular educational experience with an emphasis on the Expanded Core Curriculum for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Session 1: Summer Explorations 2024 - Set Your Sights on Adventure - Grades 8-12 (July 8-19) is a two-week opportunity for students to explore concepts in leisure recreation and community-based orientation and mobility. During the first week of their adventure, students will visit a variety of St. Louis area sites where they will review and develop their orientation and mobility and compensatory (VI) skills while exploring community-based leisure recreation activities. Space is limited.

Session 2: Summer Explorations 2024 - Explorations in STEAM - Cardboard Engineering - Grades 8-12 (July 22-August 1) is an exciting, interactive opportunity for students to work alongside our experienced STEAM staff to develop skills in teamwork and scientific inquiry, which will allow them to increase their independence while participating in hands-on activities and exploring engineering and art principals. During Explorations in STEAM: Cardboard Engineering, students will exercise their design smarts, expand their thinking, and learn the basics of physics and engineering with activities that have real-life applications. Students will use their imaginations to collaborate and solve problems all while having fun.

Sessions 1 and 2: Explorations in Performing Arts - Musical Summer Theatre - Grades 3-10 (July 8-August 1) is a 20-day immersion program designed to introduce students to a wide variety of musical and theatrical skills and concepts through a hands-on learning model. Student participants will explore singing, character development, line delivery, and choreography. Backstage aspects will include building sets, selecting and making props, selecting and/or creating costumes, lighting, and sound. Students will create and perform professional and student-created works as well as improvisational scenes. During Musical Summer Theatre, students will learn performance skills by experiencing and participating in a variety of lessons and activities. Additionally, students will attend a live music or theatre performance. The culminating experience will be held in our own Samuel Green Auditorium with a reception to follow.

Sessions 1 and 2: Summer Explorations 2024 - Work Training and Experience Program (July 8-August 1) (ages 16-21 years) MSB, in conjunction with community partner(s), is pleased to collaborate this summer to provide Missouri students with the opportunity to get paid while going to summer school. A student will not be eligible to participate in the Work Training and Experience Program if they have worked at the location before. Space is limited.

Visit https://msb.dese.mo.gov/ for more information including a schedule of events and the registration form. Summer applications are due May 15, 2024. Parents and school districts may also contact Desiree Morris, School Supervisor, at 314-776-4320 or Desiree.Morris@msb.dese.mo.gov.

* Sessions are provided free of charge for qualifying students.

* Transportation and supervised residential housing are provided for students outside the St. Louis metro area during the week. All students are released at 1:00 p.m. on Fridays and will return home during the weekend.

Special Education End of Year Reporting

Source: Mary Corey, Special Education Data

Intended Audience: Special Education Administrators, Core Data/MOSIS Personnel

Date: April 30, 2024

End of year collections for students with disabilities include exiting and discipline data, as well as Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) data for children in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). All of these data are reported at the student level through the MOSIS data collection system. 

Special education exit data is reported through the MOSIS Student Core and MOSIS Student Enrollment and Attendance files. Any student who has exited special education from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, (graduates, dropouts, return to regular education, etc.) should have the individualized education program (IEP) disability code reported in the Student Core file. Note that the Special Education Program Exit Code in the MOSIS Student Core File can only be blank, 01-Return to Regular Education, or 17-Parent Withdrew Student from Special Education. If the 01 or 17 codes do not apply to a student, leave the field blank. Both the Special Education Program Exit Code in the MOSIS Student Core file and the Exit Code in the MOSIS Student Enrollment and Attendance file are considered when populating Core Data Screen 12 with the special education exit data. If the MOSIS Student Core file indicates a special education exit code of 01 or 17, that exit code will be used to populate Screen 12. For all other students with a blank Special Education Program Exit Code, the final Exit Code in the MOSIS Student Enrollment and Attendance file will be used to populate Screen 12.

The G03 exit code should be reported where applicable. G03: Graduated by earning some or all required credits through modified classes aligned with alternate state standards or by meeting IEP goals. This would generally be limited to those students with the most significant cognitive disabilities whose IEP teams have determined that this method of graduation provides a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to the individual student. Students who have been reported as G03 are excluded from the numerator of the four-, five-, six-, and seven-year graduation rate calculations.

The June Student Core file is used to report ECO for children who entered or exited ECSE during this school year. Please work with your MOSIS coordinator to ensure that the ECO data are included in the Student Core file. See https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/quality-programs/preschool-programs/early-childhood-special-education/early-childhood-outcomes-training for ECO information and training materials.

Discipline data is reported through the MOSIS Student Discipline Incident file. The file should include all discipline incidents for all students, regular and special education, that resulted in in-school or out-of-school suspensions of half day or longer. Each removal should only be reported once, even if the length or type of removal is modified. For further information, see the Core Data and Missouri Student Information System Reference Manual at http://dese.mo.gov/data-system-management/core-datamosis.

As a reminder, the definitions for the removal types are

• In-School Suspension - Removal of student from regular classroom setting (within a school building) for a fixed amount of time with student automatically returning to regular classroom setting after the suspension is completed.
• Out-of-School Suspension - Removal of student from regular school for a fixed amount of time with student automatically returning to school after the suspension is completed.
• Expulsion - Removal of student from school and by local board action for an indefinite period of time until student is reinstated by local board of education.
• Unilateral Removal - School personnel (not IEP team) ordered removal of student with disabilities from current educational placement to an appropriate interim educational setting for same amount of time that a child without disabilities would be subject to discipline, but for not more than 45 days.

These data for students with disabilities will be included in your Special Education District Profiles and are used for various decision-making purposes by the Office of Special Education.

If you have questions regarding the end-of-year collections, contact the Special Education Data Coordination Section at 573-751-7848 or email speddata@dese.mo.gov.  

DESE and Head Start Memorandum of Understanding Overview Zoom title

Source: Office of Special Education

Intended Audience: Special Education Directors, Process Coordinators, Early Childhood Special Education Teachers, and Superintendents

Date: April 24, 2024

DESE and Head Start leadership team members have collaborated to update the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place between these agencies. The updated MOU encourages collaboration among Head Start and Early Head Start Programs and DESE early education programs and services. The MOU encourages the development of local agreements that are tailored to meet the unique needs of local community programs. Use the following link to join DESE and Head Start team members on Tuesday, April 30 at 1 p.m. for an overview of the MOU: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1608152701. Team members will discuss the responsibilities of Head Start and state and local education agencies with special attention to opportunities for collaboration for the benefit of children and families being served by these agencies.

Special Education Director Academy

Source: Office of Special Education

Intended Audience: New Special Education Directors, Returning Special Education Directors, Superintendents

Date: April 22, 2024

The in-person Special Education Director Academy (SEDA) will be hosted by the Office of Special Education on July 24-26, 2024, at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center in Columbia, Missouri. Session topics include leadership, early childhood special education, dispute resolution, discipline, postsecondary transition, data reporting and use, special education program requirements, and more. The intended audience is new special education directors with less than three years of experience, but there will also be an advanced track for directors with three or more years of experience. The advanced track is limited to 50 attendees.

SEDA registration is free. Breakfast will be provided on Thursday and Friday and lunch will be provided on Wednesday and Thursday. To register, go to https://dese.mo.gov/special-education/effective-practices/special-education-directors. 

All other expenses including lodging, travel, and other meals will be the responsibility of the Local Education Agency. Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center will be providing a block of rooms for SEDA. For hotel booking information, please visit the hotel’s website https://res.windsurfercrs.com/ibe/details.aspx?propertyid=17259&nights=1&checkin=7/23/2024&group=24DESESEDA&lang=en-us or phone 1-573-442-6400, option 2 and use code 24DESESEDA. The room rate will be $111.85 per night including taxes.

If you have questions or require special accommodations, please contact Tori Chance at tori.chance@dese.mo.gov.