The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights issued two resource collections—one for elementary and secondary schools and one for postsecondary institutions—designed to assist in planning for a successful and equitable return to schools and campuses. The two collections include fact sheets, Q&As, letters to educators, and other materials explaining the obligations that elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools have under the federal civil rights laws enforced by OCR to provide educational environments free from discrimination. Read the Elementary and Secondary Resource Collection PDF (508K)Read the Postsecondary Resource Collection PDF (356K) As we look forward...

The United States Department of Education on Tuesday April 6, 2021 approved in writing a request from the California Department of Education to waive some accountablity, school identificiation, and related reporting requirements for the 2020-21 school year due to challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic.   Please note that these accountabilty requirement waivers did NOT extend reporting or testing deadlines nor did they waive the administration of any CAASPP, CAST, CAA, ELPAC, or related state tests.  In addition no extension to testing deadlines were issued. You can read the full report below: 

December 19, 2019 Updated Joint Guidance on Privacy and Student Education and Health Records The U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released updated joint guidance today addressing the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to records maintained on students. The guidance, which was first issued in November 2008, clarifies for school administrators, health care professionals, families, and others how FERPA and HIPAA apply to education and health records maintained about students. The revised guidanc...

Issue 18-08 September 6, 2018 E-rate News Flash Contents: ·         Announcements ·         Pending Dates and Deadlines ·         Upcoming Training Events ·         E-rate Process: Activities to Work on Now Announcements FCC Issues Public Notice on Draft Eligible Services List for FY 2019 On July 30, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Public Notice (DA 18-789) establishing the comment period for the Funding Year (FY) 2019 Eligible Services List (ESL). Comments on the draft ESL, whi...

In this News Flash, the California Department of Education (CDE) presents a new format that includes the following sections: ·Announcements ·Pending Dates and Deadlines ·Upcoming Training Events ·E-rate Process: Activities to Work on Now Announcements Funding Year 2019 FCC Form 470 is Available in the E-rate Productivity Center The FCC Form 470 for Funding Year 2019 is available to file in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC). There are some notable changes in the Form, including new clarification text pertaining to services delivered over fiber. These changes are explained in the June 29, 2018 Schools and Libraries News Brief at https://www.usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=839....

Below is a PDF of pages 55 through 69 of the CALPADS Data Guide Version 9.3 that explains various program eligibilty and participation guidelines.   

Entity Profile Update We want to thank all of the Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) that were able to update their entity profile in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) to include the County-District-School (CDS) number prior to the close of the Administrative window. A total of 1,837 sites now have the added CDS number to help them through the Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review process.Important Funding Year 2018 Dates and Deadlines The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) announced on December 14, 2017 the E-rate Funding Year 2018-19 application filing window dates.·         The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Form...

Important Funding Year 2018 Dates and Deadlines The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) announced on December 14, 2017 the E-rate Funding Year 2018-19 application filing window dates. • The administrative Window (used to update Entity Profiles in the E-rate Productivity Center) closes January 10, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. EST.• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Form 471 window: opens January 11, 2018 at noon EST and closes March 22, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. EST.• The last day to file the FCC Form 470 is February 22, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  The EPC Administrative Window is Open until January 10 at 11:59 p.m. EST! This is our second reminder encouraging Local Education...

FCC ACTS TO RESTORE INTERNET FREEDOM Reverses Title II Framework, Increases Transparency to Protect Consumers, Spur Investment, Innovation, and Competition -- WASHINGTON, December 14, 2017—The Federal Communications Commission today voted to restore the longstanding, bipartisan light-touch regulatory framework that has fostered rapid Internet growth, openness, and freedom for nearly 20 years. Following detailed legal and economic analysis, as well as extensive examination of comments from consumers and stakeholders, the Commission reversed the FCC's 2015 heavy-handed utility-style regulation of broadband Internet access service, which imposed substantial costs on the entire Internet ecosyste...

E-rate Funding Year 2018 Application Filing Window Opens January 11, 2018 I am pleased to announce the Funding Year (FY) 2018 FCC Form 471 application filing window opens Thursday, January 11, 2018, at 12:00 noon EST and closes on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at 11:59 PM EDT. This filing window is more in keeping with those used in prior funding years. Applicants can begin preparing now for the successful filing of their FY 2018 funding applications by taking the following steps:Step 1 - Install Browser Updates: Google Chrome is the preferred browser for EPC, but no matter which browser you use, be sure the latest version is installed on your computer. Step 2 - Establish Account and U...

E-Rate News Flash E-rate Funding Year 16 (2016–17) Invoicing Deadline Monthly recurring services received between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 have an invoicing deadline of October 30, 2017. Invoicing is accomplished using one of two methods.      1.  The local education agency (LEA) submits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Form 472, also known as the Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement (BEAR) form, to the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to receive reimbursement, after each invoice is paid in full.     2.   The Service Provider submits FCC Form 474, also known as the Servic...

Ever have questions about your rights regarding education records? This short video highlights the key points of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Commitments for Funding Year 2016 Funding Year 2016. USAC is scheduled to release Funding Year (FY) 2016 Wave 39 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on March 23. This wave includes commitments for approved applications for all service types and at all discount levels. As of March 17, FY2016 commitments total over $2.36 billion. On the date the FCDLs are issued, you can access your FCDL notification from the Notifications section of your landing page in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC). How to Copy an FRN When completing the FCC Form 471, you can often save time by copying a Funding Request Number (FRN) from the same or another FCC Form 471. The form must exist in EPC – so the FRN to be copied must have been created for FY2016 or FY2017 – but the form does not have to be certified, as long as all of the information for the FRN you want to copy has been completed. To copy an FRN from the same or another FCC Form 471, follow these steps: Start your new FCC Form 471 in EPC. Provide the required data in the Basic Information and Entity Information sections of the form.When you reach the Funding Requests section, click the green Add FRN button.Create a nickname and answer the question, "Is this Funding Request a continuation of an FRN from a previous funding year?"Click the green Copy FRN button.To locate the FRN, you must search for either your FCC Form 471 application number or the FRN. If you do not have your form number or FRN, you can right-click the FCC Forms link on the left-hand menu, choose "Open Link in New Tab," and then perform a search to locate your form.After you identify the form or the FRN, you will then see a list of the FRN(s) you can copy. Check the box next to the FRN you want to copy and click the green Continue button.The system will then copy the FRN you chose. You must click the Refresh button to view the copied FRN in your current form.Review the copied FRN and make any necessary updates. Note that some information cannot be edited. Fields you can edit include:NicknameService type, but only if you delete all associated FRN line itemsContract, if you associated a contract with the original FRNCompetitive bidding information, if you identified the original FRN as tariffed or month-to-month (e.g., number of bids received, establishing FCC Form 470 number, service provider, pricing confidentiality). Keep in mind that the Copy FRN function is probably most useful for those applicants with a large number of FRN line items that are the same or very similar to those from another FCC Form 471. For applicants with only a few FRNs or FRN line items, it is probably easier to enter them manually. QDRs To Be Issued for Fourth Quarter 2016 At the end of each quarter, USAC issues a Quarterly Disbursement Report (QDR) to each billed entity if any invoicing activity occurred during that quarter. The QDR includes every FCC Form 472 (BEAR Form) and FCC Form 474 (SPI Form) for all funding years that were submitted to USAC and processed...

EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT – Update #5 The purpose of this letter is to update you on California’s transition to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The new federal law provides states with more flexibility to design accountability and systems of support that will align with current California reforms, such as the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). In this letter, we will provide information about ESSA regulations, the California ESSA State Plan, and ESSA guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). ESSA Regulations ESSA regulations are developed by ED to provide clarity to state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) for implementing the statute. ED has released and collected public comment on three sets of ESSA regulations: Accountability, Data Reporting, and Submission of State PlansAssessment and Innovative Assessment PilotsSupplement Not Supplant I have submitted responses to each set of regulations in joint letters with State Board of Education (SBE) President Michael Kirst detailing concerns about the proposed regulations and making recommendations to address those concerns. You may review those letters and the proposed regulations on the California Department of Education (CDE) ESSA Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/essa. ED has indicated that it plans to address public comment and finalize the regulations by the end of this year. Once the regulations are finalized, the CDE will inform LEAs of the potential impact on California’s implementation of ESSA programs. We are also tracking the transition to a new federal administration and will notify LEAs if this will have an effect on ESSA implementation. California ESSA Consolidated State Plan As part of California’s transition to ESSA, California must submit an ESSA State Plan to ED. The State Plan will describe the State’s implementation of standards, assessment, accountability, and assistance programs and will move us toward California’s goal of having a single, coherent local, state, and federal education system. California has elected to submit a consolidated State Plan, which will address several ESSA programs in a coherent and integrated way. California will not be able to finalize its State Plan until final regulations are available. However, there are many State Plan components that are not contingent upon regulations. Therefore, the CDE is moving forward with the development of the State Plan to ensure stakeholders have sufficient time and opportunity to inform the State Plan, regardless of the status of regulations. The CDE intends to steadily develop, and make available for public comment, three successive drafts of the plan over the next several months with new plan sections added to the document as new information becomes available. The first draft of the ESSA Consolidated State Plan was presented to the SBE at its November meeting and is now available for public comment on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/es/toolkit2.asp. To help facilitate local conversations regarding the plan, the CDE has developed the ESSA Stakeholder Engagement Toolkit available on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/es/toolkit.asp. On this Web site you will find the State Plan Development Timeline, overview...