September 16, 2025

Federal Focus: Updates on Latest Federal News

This edition includes updates on two non-continuation notices the DPI received on two separate federal grants (the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project and the State Personnel Development Grant), a reminder of legal rights when supporting all students, and changes to the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. 

Continue to read the full communication on the DPI’s website. 

Upcoming Statewide Assessment Data Public Release

The DPI will publicly release statewide assessment data on Thursday, Sept. 25. This release includes assessment data from the 2024-25 administration of the Forward Exam, the ACT with Writing, PreACT Secure, and the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM). 

This announcement will be available during the morning of Sept. 25 on the DPI’s news release webpage. Performance data from these assessments will be available on the WISEdash Public Portal and on the Parental Choice Program data webpage. 

Resources, including the Assessment Data Release Parent Letter Template, the Assessment Data Release Talking Points, and others will be available for each assessment on the DPI’s Office of Educational Accountability webpage.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Educational Accountability via email at dpioeamail@dpi.wi.gov. 

Important: Annual Seclusion & Restraint Reporting Requirement

Under state law, all school districts and private schools participating in the Special Needs Scholarship Program must report data on seclusion and restraint annually. 

For the 2024-25 school year: 

• Share data with your school board by Oct. 1, 2025 
• Submit data to the DPI by Dec. 1, 2025 

Additional information is available on the DPI’s Seclusion and Restraint webpage. 

To assist with data collection, the DPI will email a Qualtrics survey link within the next week that enables you or a designee to submit your district’s data. You must complete the online form even if there are no incidents to report. 

The survey collects the number of seclusion and restraint incidents and students involved (including number with disabilities), and data for each school, including non-district alternative settings. Districts with more than 10 schools will be prompted to upload a file using the format provided in the survey. 

If you have questions regarding the survey form, or if you did not receive the email containing the survey link by Sept. 26, please contact the DPI’s Denise Kohout at Denise.Kohout@dpi.wi.gov or via phone at 608-266-0282. 

Questions regarding the seclusion and restraint data reporting requirement can be directed to the DPI’s Tim Peerenboom at Timothy.Peerenboom@dpi.wi.gov or via phone at 608-266-1999. 

DPI Reorganization & Ongoing Special Education Support 

In June, the DPI implemented a reorganization aligned with our new strategic plan to improve service to students, educators, and communities. While our internal structure has changed, our commitment to supporting districts remains strong and is now even more efficient. 

When it comes to special education, DPI staff are now integrated across teams to increase collaboration, streamline services, and improve expertise.

Please continue reaching out as usual for support in special education if you have questions. This can be done either through our online form or via phone at 608-266-1781. More information on the reorganization as it relates to special education can be found in this newsletter communication. 

New Federal Digital Accessibility Requirements for Schools

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized new ADA Title II regulations, which set clear digital accessibility standards for all state and local governments, including public schools. 

All websites, learning platforms, digital documents, mobile apps, and even emails and social media must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines say what is needed for web accessibility to ensure accessibility for students, families and community members with disabilities. 

Deadlines in compliance vary by district size and are based on the most recent Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. 

• Some districts may fall under an April 2026 deadline. 
• Most others may fall under an April 2027 deadline. 

The DPI encourages you to plan now for training, vendor engagement, and content review. Key actions include: 

• Reviewing the DOJ’s guidance at ADA.gov. 
• Assessing digital content and platforms for accessibility. 
• Training staff on creating
• accessible classroom and communication materials. 
• Engaging vendors to ensure WCAH 2.1 AA compliance. 
• Prioritizing updates to high-use digital resources.