Moving with the Mission
Empowering Seamless IEP Transitions for All Military Children
Students with disabilities, on average, wait 4.7 months for special education services to be implemented when they transfer schools as their military-connected parents and guardians move from assignment to assignment, according to Partners in PROMISE.
One barrier to students with disabilities receiving timely services is the lack of information about their needs contained within their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Ensuring secure and interoperable data transfer would significantly reduce this service interruption while ensuring students' strengths are recognized, and educators have the right information to personalize instruction and meet students’ needs.
Stakeholders in the K-12 education space are working together to address this need for military families, intending to support other highly mobile student populations.
Background information
For more background on Moving with the Mission, review the slides:
Join the V2 Moving with the Mission User Design Group
We're excited to invite interested stakeholders to join our V2 Moving with the Mission User Design Group focused on improving the portability of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for military families! We're assembling a team of parents, educators, edtech industry leaders, and administrators to help us continue to design solutions that make it easier for students with IEPs to transition smoothly between schools and districts. Your insights and experiences are invaluable in ensuring the continued work and solutions are practical and user-friendly. As a group member, you can participate in online discussions, surveys, and potentially even virtual or in-person focus groups. Your feedback will directly shape the development of tools and resources to empower military-connected students and families to navigate educational transitions with greater ease and confidence.
If you're passionate about improving the educational experience for students with IEPs and want to make a real difference, we encourage you to join our User Design Group. Please visit the link below to express your interest or learn more. We believe working together can create a more equitable and supportive education system for all students.
Helping Students Like Clare
Meet Clare. Students like her exist all over this country. Together, we are Moving with the Mission to solve this challenge.
(Click the image to enlarge and read about Clare)
Sheila Casey (pictured at right), Executive Director of Joining Forces, First Lady Jill Biden’s White House Initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors, spoke at EDTECHWEEK about the critical need for data interoperability and portability in digital transfers of individualized education programs (IEPs) between school districts and across state lines, as it is crucial to ensuring highly mobile students, particularly military children, have the resources they need to learn and succeed.
Interoperability, Efficiency, and Portability (IEP) Commitment
Interested parties, particularly developers of student information systems (SIS) and digital IEP or Section 504 plan products, are invited to sign the Department of Education commitment and assist in making these data more interoperable, portable, and secure.
Interested in learning more or have any questions? Email projectunicorn@innovateedunyc.org.