• Addressing learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions and ensure that those interventions respond to students’ social, emotional, and academic needs and address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups

Specifically, ARP ESSER funds may be used to develop strategies and implement public health protocols including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on reopening and operating schools to effectively maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff, as well as: 

• coordinating preparedness and response efforts with state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19; 
• training and professional development on sanitizing and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases; 
• purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the LEA’s facilities; 
• repairing and improving school facilities to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards; 
• improving indoor air quality; 
• addressing the needs of children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth; 
• developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs; 
• planning for or implementing activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students and providing technology for online learning; 
• purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, connectivity, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment) for students that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including students from low-income families and children with disabilities; 
• providing mental health services and supports, including through the implementation of evidence-based, full-service community schools and the hiring of counselors;  
• planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental after-school programs; 
• addressing learning loss; and 
• other activities that are necessary to maintain operation of and continuity of and services, including continuing to employ existing or hiring new LEA and school staff. 

• • Addressing the needs of children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth  
  • Providing/purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, connectivity, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment) for students that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including students from low-income families and children with disabilities 
  • Providing mental health services and supports, including through the implementation of evidence-based, full-service community schools and the hiring of counselors 
• Addressing learning loss
• Other activities that are necessary to maintain operation of and continuity of and services, including continuing to employ existing or hiring new LEA and school staff. 

• A-4. 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act requires an LEA to reserve not less than 20 percent of its ARP ESSER allocation to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions (e.g., providing intensive or high-dosage tutoring or accelerating learning; see FAQ A-10 for a definition of evidence-based), such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive after-school programs, or extended school year programs, and ensure that the interventions implemented respond to students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs and address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on students from low income families, students of color, children with disabilities, English learners, migratory students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care.

A-10.  Specifically, “evidence-based,” when used with respect to a State, LEA, or school activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that:

• Demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on: 
  • Strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study (“tier 1”); 
  • Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi experimental study (“tier 2”); or 
  • Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias (“tier 3”); or 

• Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes and includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention (“tier 4”). 

**Given the novel context created by the COVID-19 pandemic, an activity need not have generated such evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic to be considered evidence-based. 

**The Department’s What Works Clearinghouse (available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/) identifies the tier of evidence that reviewed studies meet, as applicable. 

**As part of the “demonstrates a rationale (tier 4)” level of evidence, grantees may develop and use approaches that are novel, if they are consistent with theoretical and empirical findings from research and the grantee will continue to review the effects of the practice to build the evidence base. Developing a logic model can help to demonstrate a rationale. Logic model resources are available at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/elm.asp. 

**An SEA should consider using funds to provide technical assistance to its LEAs on identifying and implementing evidence-based interventions. SEAs can also review the Department’s guidance on using evidence, which can be found here: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/guidanceuseseinvestment.pdf. Finally, SEAs should make use of the federally funded Comprehensive Center network.

• Internally disseminate information surrounding disparities for students with disabilities and academic loss during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide staff a foundation for the upcoming school year
  • The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students (U.S. Department of Education)
• Prioritize teaching and learning of grade level content as the primary learning acceleration strategies, while equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills to adapt and meet the needs of a variety of learners within their classrooms

• High-Quality Instruction & Materials: Ensuring Equity & Inclusion for ALL Students (Blue Engine and SPED Strategies)

• • Choose evidence-based interventions with SWDs in mind
    • 9 Recommendations for Inclusive Learning Recovery for Students with Disabilities (NCLD)
    • ESSA Recommendations for State and District Leaders (NCLD)
• Learner Variability Navigator (Digital Promise)

• Check that the interventions chosen have accessibility standards or features embedded
  • Cross-reference What Works Clearinghouse with Tech Tools Library
  • Create and maintain an accommodation plan for products with fewer accessibility features
• Implement an evidenced-based Whole Child framework
  • Design Principles for Schools: Putting the Science of Learning and Development into Action(Learning Policy Institute and Turnaround for Children)
  • Four Key Principles for Tiered Supports (Turnaround for Children)

• The SEA is offering school districts access to a learning recovery program, Recovering Bright Futures
  • Supports learning pods, an individualized instructional model. This model, supported by $6 million in ESSER II state funds, allows school districts and communities to offer small-group, multi-age, trauma-sensitive instruction to students who may need additional support. The program may serve up to 1,200 students . 

• Launch of support structures to aid students struggling academically such as Khan Academy’s schoolhouse.world. 

• Since the New Hampshire SEA first launched this innovative platform, SEAs from Arkansas, Mississippi, Alaska, Nevada, Rhode Island, North Dakota, Idaho, and Ohio have also partnered with schoolhouse.world. 

• Investment in Yes! Program
  • This program provides students with supplemental support services including intensive tutoring and supplemental special education therapies and services. 
  • Up to 1,940 qualifying students—students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students—are able to access up to $1,000 to obtain tutoring and special education therapies and services. 
  • Qualified education providers for this program include New Hampshire certified educators and qualified service providers including licensed therapists. 

• Providing/purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, connectivity, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment) for students that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including students from low-income families and children with disabilities 
  • These activities might include providing online learning to all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care; 
  • and training educators in the effective implementation of online learning. (Refer to Section C-19 for more.)
  • To support the continuity of learning, an LEA may use ESSER and GEER funds to purchase educational technology for student and educator use, including: 

• • Mobile technology devices such as tablets and laptops; 
  • Providing off-campus access to reliable, high-speed internet for students and teachers through the purchase of internet-connected devices/equipment, mobile hotspots, wireless service plans, or installation of Community Wi-Fi Hotspots, especially in underserved communities; 
  • Teleconferencing applications or programs; 
  • Software/online/virtual programs, screen capture/recording software, online/virtual cultural curriculum/programs, online/virtual tutoring curriculum/programs, learning management systems; 
  • Technology accessories, such as headphones, speakers, and laptop cameras; and 
• Assistive technology devices, such as dedicated communication devices and applications for text-to-speech, graphic organizers, or word prediction. 

• Funding may also be used to provide professional development, including through professional learning communities, to support educators in effectively using technology to provide meaningful learning opportunities for students that are aligned with grade-level expectations.

• Develop a plan for allocating technology while considering diverse learners
  • Technology Sustainability Toolkit (Verizon Innovative Learning Schools initiative with Digital Promise)
• Choose tech products with accessibility in mind
  • Invest in certified educational technology, such as those certified by Digital Promise, or streamline existing edtech infrastructure (e.g., single sign-on and interoperability projects)
  • Utilize accessibility information such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) or the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) that is available on products’ websites or a publicly available form
    • EALA Tech Tool Library houses a compilation of accessibility feature information and statements from many popular edtech tools
  • Recruit students with unique access and learning needs to test products prior to purchase
  • Five Things Educators Can Do to Buy Accessible (National Center on Accessible Educational Materials)
  • Better Edtech Buying for Educators: A Practical Guide (Project Unicorn)
• Audit your district’s assistive technology (AT) needs
  • Set aside specific funds  to maintain support of assistive technology 
  • Understood’s Assistive Technology page can help understand what AT already exists and define clear procedures for adding AT to IEPs
• Internally disseminate information surrounding COVID disparities for students and technology
  • The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students (U.S. Department of Education)
  • Provide suggestions for positive change around increasing accessibility, both in and out of the classroom

In Consideration of  IEPs

• Engage students with disabilities in effective digital learning experiences
  • Equity and Accessibility Considerations for Digital Learning (Digital Promise)
• When developing, reviewing, or revising an IEP for a student with a disability, consider whether the child requires assistive technology devices or services. 
  • Ensure websites and documents are compatible with screen reader software 
  • Provide accurate captioning or embedded sign language interpreting for video content.
  • Consider leveraging technology for IEP Team meetings to meet the diverse needs of parents.
• States and school districts must ensure assessments are compatible with assistive technology devices.

Professional Development 

• Create a systematic plan to educate larger school communities (including educators, parents and families, and students) on the technology chosen, highlighting hardware/software/connectivity training opportunities and accessibility features
  • Assistive Technology: An Overview (Iris Center)
  • Tech Tool Library (EALA)
• Internally disseminate information surrounding COVID disparities for students with disabilities and technology during the pandemic to provide staff a foundation for the upcoming school year
  • See the U.S. Department of Education’s Disparities Impact Report

• The NDDPI (North Dakota Department of Public Instruction) Office of Special Education has hosted monthly Technical Assistance virtual meetings with the local special education unit administrative personnel. 
• These monthly calls have consisted of guidance and discussion around meeting the needs of students with disabilities during these unprecedented times when a child’s learning environment may have had to be adjusted. 

• For example, an LEA might hiring additional personnel (e.g., teachers, nurses, guidance counselors, social workers, teachers’ aides, paraprofessionals). 
• An LEA might also address the needs of students arising from the COVID-19 pandemic by using ESSER and GEER funds to implement or expand clubs (e.g., robotics or STEM clubs) or arts, music, and sports programs. 
• LEAs should also work to ensure that schools are implementing instructional practices that are culturally responsive and incorporate trauma-informed pedagogy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • For example, LEAs with high concentrations of English learners may hire additional bilingual staff to address those learners’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs. ESSER and GEER funds may be used to support implementation of curriculum, including related professional development. 
• As noted in FAQs A-4 and A-9, in implementing evidence-based strategies to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the ARP ESSER required reservation of funds, SEAs and LEAs must respond to students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs and address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, migratory students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care. 
• Effective strategies to support student social, emotional, mental health, and academic development are further described in Volume 2 of the Department’s COVID-19 Handbook..          

• Internally disseminate Information surrounding disparities for students with disabilities and mental health during the pandemic to provide staff a foundation for the upcoming school year
  • The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students (U.S. Department of Education) 
• Implement programs specifically targeted at supporting mental health in consideration of those with disabilities
  • School Re-Entry SEL Considerations Guidance (American School Counselor Association and the National Association of School Psychologists)
• Consider mental health needs spanning all people in the building, regardless of IEP status
  • Implement a whole child framework using a guide like Turnaround for Children’s Toolbox
  • School Reentry Considerations Supporting Student Social and Emotional Learning and Mental and Behavioral Health Amidst COVID-19 (ASCA and NASP)

• The North Dakota Full-Service Community Schools  Consortium is a group of schools actively partnering with pipeline service partners and providers to serve as a neighborhood hub where comprehensive supports are coordinated and provided for students and families through an integrated approach in their local community.

• Funds may be used to pay teacher salaries and avoid layoffs. 
• Funds may also be used to address educator shortages exacerbated by the pandemic by hiring new teachers, including expanding student access to a well-prepared and diverse educator workforce. 
• Examples of strategies that could be employed to stabilize and support the educator workforce include: 
  • Supporting partnerships with educator preparation programs to expand opportunities for extensive clinical experience to teaching candidates, including leveraging candidates to provide additional support to students and address the impact of lost instructional time as students return to in person instruction; 
  • Providing ongoing support to recruit, hire, and retain a diverse school staff, including through high-quality induction and mentoring programs; 
  • Offering supplemental financial support for educators who commit to working in a high-need field or school for a minimum number of years (e.g., four years); 
  • Providing teachers professional learning opportunities on strategies for the effective use of technology for remote, hybrid, and accelerating learning; or 
  • Creating and/or supporting educational assistance programs that pay off student loans on behalf of staff as a component of recruitment and retention efforts in response to the pandemic. (More can be found in section D-1).

 LEAs should consider how best to  build short- and long-term capacity and be sustained after the funding is no longer available. 

Evidence-based approaches to stabilizing the educator workforce are further described in Volume 2 of the Department’s COVID-19 Handbook. 

• Funds may also be used to support other school personnel such as speech therapists, guidance counselors, and social workers, to effectively provide student services virtually as needed.
• Maintenance of Equity (MOEquity) Requirements 

• Specialized staff are needed to provide special education and related services 
  • Lighting the Path to Inclusion: How Beacons Embody Commitment to Students with Disabilities (CLE)
• Ensure sufficient staff to support varied learning needs across learning contexts, i.e. interventionists, content specialists, etc.
  • Educating Special Needs and ELL Students and Equipping Their Teachers During COVID-19 (EALA)
  • School Reentry: The School Counselor’s Role (ASCA)

• The Special Education Resource Teacher Academy is a professional development program in partnership with higher education institutions in the state.
  • This program will be provided to prepare educators who are currently licensed in K-6, 4-8, or 7-12 ELA, Math, or Science to receive endorsement from the state’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to teach the content area in which they are currently licensed to students with exceptionalities in an inclusive and/or resource setting. 
  • The Academy programs are designed to begin in the summer with ongoing sessions/support throughout the school year. All participants could complete the entire program within one year of their acceptance. This will help provide more teachers throughout the state who can support students with disabilities.

North Dakota

• The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the Governor’s Office partnered with the University of North Dakota to provide grants for supporting pathways to become teachers. All of the programs enable pre-service and practicing teachers to enhance their skills and qualifications as a special education teacher or a related service provider. The programs also serves as a recruitment strategy to address upcoming vacancies, which we predict will be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Regardless of whether an SEA has provided explicit guidance on using ESSER or GEER funds, SEAs and LEAs may use these funds to provide additional instruction and services to children with disabilities, often referred to as compensatory services, to address lost instructional time. 

• A child’s IEP Team would be required to make an individualized determination whether and to what extent compensatory services may be needed, consistent with applicable requirements, including to make up for any skills that may have been lost. 

• Similarly, states may use ESSER and GEER funds to make available early intervention services to those who were not provided such services consistent with a child’s individualized family services plan (IFSP) as a result of disruptions in services due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Services to support struggling learners under section 613(f) of IDEA Part B: Providing comprehensive coordinated early intervening services (CEIS) for children not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment, including:
  • Professional development (which may be provided by entities other than LEAs) for teachers and other school staff to enable such personnel to deliver scientifically based academic and behavioral interventions, including scientifically based literacy instruction.

• Strengthen tiered instruction

• Provide professional development of school or system-wide whole child frameworks
  • Learning Module Resources (SELF)
• Provide strong, content-based professional development to support all teachers in understanding grade level content standards to support all students to master them

• Design tutoring and/or acceleration programs that are explicitly inclusive and responsive to the needs of students with disabilities
  • Tutoring: Ensuring Equity & Inclusion for ALL Students (Blue Engine & SPED Strategies)
• Offer multiple modalities for family participation in IEP meetings and student conferences
  • See Parent Center Hub’s sample virtual meeting agenda in English and Spanish
• Assess special education evaluation process in consideration of students whose services were impacted as well as students not yet identified/evaluated
  • NCLD and NASP’s Navigating Special Education Evaluations for Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, provides recommendations to adapt state policies on evaluations for SLD in light of the pandemic
• Internally disseminate information surrounding disparities for students with disabilities during the pandemic to provide staff a foundation for the upcoming school year
  • The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students (U.S. Department of Education)
  • Supporting Students with Disabilities in K-12 Online and Blended Learning provides pedagogical considerations for educators and instructional personnel when providing support programs and services in online and blended learning environments (Michigan Virtual Research Institute)
• Audit courses to determine if any are under-enrolled by students with disabilities

• The SmartData Dashboard

DIstrict of Columbia: 

• Special Education Resource Hub
  • Covers student rights, expectations in the unprecedented school year that we faced, contact information for supports, and information about transportation, attendance, discipline, and school records. 
  • Designed to be responsive to the common five needs that families of students with disabilities have (e.g., wondering if their child has a disability, what happens if their child has been identified with a disability, or what to do when their child’s needs have changed). 

• LEA Toolkit for Serving Students with Disabilities during Periods of Remote or Blended Learning
  • The purpose of this toolkit is to provide foundational guidance and concrete, actionable resources for LEAs as they establish and implement policies and procedures for remote and/or blended learning contexts that are consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements. 
  • The toolkit includes videos and other templates, for example, a service adaptation worksheet, accommodation adaptation matrix, and a student data tool. 
  • OSSE hosts webinars on the toolkit and provides a deep dive technical assistance series that covers Balancing LEA Discretion and Flexibility, Ensuring Transparency and Collaboration, and Data-driven Supports. All of these resources are ready for inclusion into the What Works Clearinghouse for the sharing of best practices. 

Louisiana:

• Strong Start Compensatory Services Guidance for Students with Disabilities
  • This frequently asked questions (FAQ) document can help school systems understand the key steps they should take to conduct a review for Strong Start Compensatory Services and provide services to students with disabilities, as appropriate. 
  • School systems should consult their legal counsel and special education professionals to create processes that consider individualized, student-specific scenarios.

North Dakota:

• The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Special Education Website
  • This site is designed to help schools, educators, students, parents and caregivers. The site addresses topics such as school reentry considerations for special education; implementation guidance (e.g. altered face mask guidance); and parent guidance and resources.
• The utilization of North Dakota’s Multi-Tier System of Supports (NDMTSS) is growing throughout the state, but it may be leading to an overidentification of students in special education, as Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports are being inputted in place of special education minutes—causing more students to fall behind and exacerbating the disparity. The Office of Special Education has identified that schools need to pair Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) with NDMTSS levels of intervention in order to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. 
  • The work will begin by creating an SDI Design Team consisting of diverse stakeholders who will: develop a state guidance document to define SDI and key instructional practices; identify supportive tools to serve as a resource library for educators implementing SDI; and develop a school-based needs assessment for schools and educators to identify SDI gaps and opportunities to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.