SPSM-AL_26.7.1.0 Release Notes

SPEDSM-115664

504 Profile: Automatic Population of Date Consent Received from Written Notice/Consent Document

When a Written Notice/Consent document is finalized, the Parent Sign Date and Consent Section fields now automatically populate the Date of Section 504 Consent to Evaluate field on the 504 Profile. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures the profile accurately reflects the most recent finalized consent data.

Key details:

• The date only writes to the profile when the Consent Section checkbox is selected, and the document status is set to Final.

• If either field is blank at finalization, the existing profile value is preserved.

• If the date or consent fields are updated after finalization, the updated values are also reflected on the profile.

• The update executes as a system-level process and does not require the user to have edit permissions on the 504 Profile.

• A one-time backfill updates profiles for students with existing finalized documents where the Date Consent Received was previously missing.

• All profile updates triggered by this process are recorded in the system audit log.

SPEDSM-117229

Section 504 Eligibility Follow-Up Date Updated to Three Years

Updated the Follow-up Eligibility Meeting Date on the Section 504 Eligibility document to calculate a three-year window instead of one year. A manual override option has also been added. Dates now flow to the student 504 Profile upon finalization.

SPEDSM-137659

Section 504 – Meeting Notice and Invitation Participant Selection Update

The Section 504 – Meeting Notice and Invitation document for Alabama has been updated to include a simplified participant checklist. The previous "Conference Participants (Name and Title)" section has been removed and replaced with a standardized checklist of participant roles:

• Parent

• General Education Teacher

• Section 504 Coordinator/Designee

• Local School Administrator

• Student

• Other

SPEDSM-139399

Referral Data Auto-Populates on Gifted Eligibility Screening Document

Referral Source and Referral Date fields now automatically sync between the Referral for Gifted Services and the Gifted Eligibility Screening Determination Form, eliminating the need for duplicate manual data entry.

SPEDSM-140458

FBA/BIP Document – Renamed and Updated with BIP Opt-Out Option

The Functional Behavior Assessment/Behavioral Intervention Plan (FBA/BIP) document has been updated to improve usability and accuracy:

• Document renamed: The document formerly labeled "Behavioral Intervention Plan" is now displayed as "FBA/BIP" in the Create New Document dropdown under IEP Process.

• BIP Opt-Out checkbox added: A new checkbox has been added to the Functional Behavioral Assessment section: "The team has concluded that a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) is not necessary at this time." When selected, the Behavioral Intervention Plan section is removed from the document and is not required during finalization.

• Justification field: When the opt-out checkbox is selected, a required text field (minimum 20 characters) is displayed for the user to provide justification explaining why a BIP is not needed.

• Profile data flow: A new "BIP Not Required" field has been added to the Special Education profile. When the document is finalized with the opt-out selected, the profile is automatically updated.

SPEDSM-141431

Student Data Not Syncing with SIS Without Case Manager

Fixed an issue where student compliance data was not syncing from Special Programs to the SIS when no Case Manager was assigned on the Special Education Profile. Data now syncs properly regardless of Case Manager assignment.

SPEDSM-141748

Updated Eligibility Due Date Logic for Developmental Delay

The system now correctly calculates the Next Eligibility Meeting Due Date for students with a Developmental Delay (DD) disability in the Alabama state model, ensuring compliance with state requirements that eligibility be re-evaluated before the student turns nine years old.

What Changed

Age-Based Eligibility Due Date Calculation
For students whose exceptionality is Developmental Delay, the Next Eligibility Meeting Due Date is now set to the earlier of:

• The standard 3-year redetermination date, or

• The day before the student's 9th birthday

Important Notes

• If a student's disability is changed from Developmental Delay to another category, the system reverts to standard interval calculations upon the next finalization.

• No user action is required — the updated logic applies automatically during document finalization.

SPEDSM-142000

New Report: Administrative Approval Report for Restricted Accommodations

A new Administrative Approval Report is now available for the ALSDE Assessment team to streamline the review and approval of restricted ACAP Summative testing accommodations (Human Reader, Multiple Days, and Paper Test).

What's New:

• Applicable staff can now access a dedicated report that surfaces all student accommodations requiring ALSDE approval.

• The report displays key student and accommodation details including Home School, Grade, School Year, Student ID, Student Name, Assessment, Subject, and Accommodation.

• By default, the report shows only pending (unapproved) accommodations. Once an accommodation is approved on the student's profile, that record is removed from the pending view.

• Applicable staff can click directly into a student's State Accommodations record to review and approve or deny the accommodation.

• Upon approval, the system records the approving user and date for audit purposes.

SPEDSM-142896

Removed "Student Status" Dependency from Calculations, Document Actions, and Reports

The system no longer relies on the manually entered "Student Status" field for determining student eligibility and active status in Alabama. This change aligns the platform with updated Alabama (ALSDE) requirements, which removed the need for manual status entry.

What changed:

• The Is_IEP profile field no longer references the "Student Status" field, ensuring active IEP status is determined solely by finalized documentation.

• The On Deactivate field set expression has been updated to remove legacy status field references.

• The "Set status value" document action on the Notice and Eligibility Decision (EligDec) template has been removed.

• Report logic for Status - Manually Set Status, Child Count Validations - Errors with Age, and Child Count Validations - Errors with StudentStatus has been updated to exclude Student Status references.

SPEDSM-142953

Updated LRE Filtering on IEP, Transfer Documents, and Profiles

The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) dropdown now dynamically filters based on the student age category and restricts selections to active codes only across all documents and profiles.

SPEDSM-143051

Student Status Remediation

Resolved an issue in Alabama where student statuses were not updating correctly after eligibility determinations and transfers.

Students who were referred but found ineligible for services were incorrectly remaining in a "Referred" status instead of transitioning to "Inactive."

Additionally, out-of-state transfer students now correctly generate referral records upon finalization of the Student Transfer Review, and the status calculation has been updated to properly capture initial evaluations where a student is not found eligible. In-state transfer scenarios where referral data did not carry forward—causing false inactive statuses—have also been addressed.

SPEDSM-143057

Removed Office Use Only Fields from IEP and Notice and Eligibility Decision

Removed the Office Use Only section from the IEP Cover Page and Notice and Eligibility Decision documents. Validation rules on these fields were blocking finalization. Coordinators can now manage this data directly on the Special Education and Preschool profiles.

SPEDSM-143562

New Graduation Pathway Workflow Document

A new Graduation Pathway document is now automatically generated when an IEP is finalized for a secondary transition student. The document presents Alabama four diploma pathway options and captures the selected pathway along with required signatures.

SPEDSM-143698

Preschool Profile Data Protected During IEP Revisions

Fixed an issue where revising an Initial IEP for a preschool student was overwriting original compliance dates on the Preschool Profile. The system now preserves original dates needed for Indicator 12 state reporting when processing IEP revisions.

SPEDSM-144194

ACAP Testing Supports Form Validation Rules and Language Updates

Updated the ACAP Testing Supports Form with grade eligibility restrictions, new grade and school year selection fields, accommodation validation rules, and assessment selection enforcement by grade level per ALSDE requirements.

SPEDSM-144261

Eligibility Profile Not Updating After Amendment

Fixed an issue where the Special Education Profile was not updating after an Amendment was created to correct eligibility status on a Notice and Eligibility Reevaluation document. The Status and Inactive Status Reason fields now properly update when an Amendment changes eligibility.

SPEDSM-144391

New Document Private School Services Plan

A new Private School Services Plan document template is now available for Alabama. This template allows case managers and teachers to create a Services Plan for students who will attend private school and receive special education IDEA services. Although similar to the IEP, the Private School Services Plan consists of four main sections: Cover Page and Present Levels, Annual Goals, Equitable Services and a Signature Page.

Features of the Private School Services Plan include:

• Auto-save long stylized text fields

• Long stylized text fields with insert image functionality

• Dataflow to the Special Education History Profile → Special Education Profile

• Active Document Status

SPEDSM-144809

Notice and Invitation to a Meeting/Consent for Agency Participation Update

The "PARENT – STUDENT (Age 19 or older)" response section on the Alabama Notice and Invitation to a Meeting / Consent for Agency Participation form has been repositioned on the data entry screen to match the printed document layout. Previously, this section appeared higher on the data entry screen than in the generated document, confusing form completion and validation. The section now displays at the bottom of the data entry screen — below the "School Personnel" documented contact attempts section — providing a consistent 1:1 alignment between what users see during data entry and the final rendered document. All existing data remains intact and unaffected by this change.

SPEDSM-145218

2026/2027 WIDA Accommodation Updates

Updated WIDA Accommodations in IEP and EL Documents to align with the 2026–2027 WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations Manual. The following changes were made:

• New — Assistive Technology (AT): Added an accommodation allowing students with hearing, visual, cognitive, or physical disabilities to use external devices or third-party software (e.g., voice command software, head trackers, eye-gaze devices) to access and interact with online test content for WIDA Screener Online and WIDA ACCESS Online.

• Updated — Manual Control of Item Audio (MC): This accommodation now applies only to WIDA ACCESS Paper and WIDA Screener Paper. For online tests, all students will manually select the Play button to begin audio (audio no longer plays automatically).

• New — Speech-to-Text (STT): Added accommodation enabling students with physical motor difficulties, fatigue, dysgraphia, or dyslexia to use voice recognition software to convert speech into written text. Supported on Windows and Chromebook only for the 2026–2027 school year.

SPEDSM-145455

Update to Special Education Profile

The Alabama Special Education Profile has been updated with a redesigned layout, new fields, and improved automation to better align with state reporting requirements.

What's Changed:

• Profile Layout Redesigned – The Special Education Profile now follows a standardized section order: Special Education Status, Compliance Timelines, Initial Referral/Evaluation and Eligibility, Reevaluation, IEP Information, Transition, IEP Consent, IEP Details, Behavior Information, Exiting/Graduation, Screening, and Other.

• Gifted Exceptionality Excluded – Students with only a "Gifted" exceptionality no longer display a Special Education Profile. The Gifted exceptionality has been removed from the Special Education screen dropdown.

• Consent Decision Field Added – A new "Consent Decision" field has been added to both the Initial Referral/Evaluation and Eligibility section and the Reevaluation section. Available values include: Given, Refused, Requested Meeting, No Parent Response, Accepted for Evaluation, Not Accepted for Evaluation, and Not Given.

• Range of Days in Excess Auto-Calculation – The "Range of Days in Excess" field is now read-only and auto-calculated based on the calendar days between the signed consent date and the final evaluation completion date. Values are automatically mapped to the appropriate range (1–15, 16–30, 31–45, 46–60, or 60+ days).

• Source Document Dropdown Added – A new "Source Document" dropdown has been added to the IEP Information section with options: Individualized Education Program, Individualized Service Plan, and Student Transfer Review.

• Behavior Intervention Plan Not Needed Field Added – A new Yes/No field ("BIP Not Required") has been added to the Behavior Information section to indicate when a Behavior Intervention Plan is not needed.

SPEDSM-145557

Workflow Improvements to IEP Document

Overview
This release delivers a series of workflow rule and validation improvements to the Alabama IEP document, spanning the Cover Page, Services, and Signature pages. These changes apply to both new IEPs and amendments/revisions to ensure data accuracy, compliance, and consistency.

New IEPs — Cover Page (Student Profile)

• The system now prevents users from selecting a grade more than two grade levels apart between the two grade drop-down fields.

• IEP Types now include a checkbox and an Amendment option.

• Users can no longer simultaneously select both "Preschool Student" and "Secondary Transition Student."

• Cover Page Duration Dates (IEP From / IEP To) now govern the start and end dates throughout the entire document, including the Services page.

• All long text fields across all sections are now stylized long text fields with a translation option for typed text.

New IEPs — Services Section

• When a service is added to an IEP, the system now defaults the service beginning and ending dates based on the IEP From and IEP To dates on the Cover Page. These dates remain editable.

• Service dates may be edited by the user, provided the entered dates fall within the IEP From / IEP To date range.

• When Cover Page dates are changed before finalization, the system displays the message: "Please review the Services Page and confirm that all dates are correct."

New IEPs — Signature Page

• Extended School Year (Yes/No) no longer copies from IEP to IEP.

• The system now auto-checks "5K–21 Years of Age" or "3–5 (Not K) Years of Age" based on the grade field: Grades P3 and P4 check "3–5 (Not K) Years of Age"; Grades K and higher check "5K–21 Years of Age."

• Signature date cannot be later than the IEP From date on the Cover Page.

• The Review Date field is not visible on new IEPs; it is only visible for amendments.

• Separate date-handling rules now apply to revised/amended IEPs. Amendment IEPs do not reset the one-year Annual Review; only Annual IEPs reset this date.

• The system automatically selects the appropriate age and grade range based on IEP Cover Page information.

Revisions / Amendments — Cover Page (Student Profile)

• When a user revises an IEP, the system automatically sets the Amendment checkbox to TRUE and leaves original options unchanged. The Amendment checkbox is not editable by the user.

• Users cannot edit Grade(s), IEP Initiation/Duration Dates, IEP Type, or the Preschool/Secondary Transition Student checkbox fields on amendments.

• The "Other" text field is now required when completing an amendment, and a required "Amendment Date" field has been added.

Revisions / Amendments — Services Page

• Services from the original IEP cannot be deleted on amendments.

• For services with a past Service Start Date, users may modify the Service End Date only. For services with a current or future Service Start Date, users may modify both the Service Start Date and Service End Date.

• When a new service is added to an amendment, the system defaults the start date to the Amendment Date and the end date to the IEP Cover Page end date.

Revisions / Amendments — Signature Page

• Signature date must match the Amendment Date on the Cover Page.

• The Review Date field is displayed on amendments (not required).

• When the IEP is an amendment, the system does not overwrite the student's Profile Initial IEP date or Annual Review date.

Additional Active Document Requirements

• Transfer live document functionality is now supported as part of the active document workflow.

• Long, stylized text fields are supported where required by th

SPEDSM-146440

ACAP Testing Supports Form Validation Rules and Language Updates

Updated the ACAP Testing Supports Form with grade eligibility restrictions, new grade and school year selection fields, accommodation validation rules, and assessment selection enforcement by grade level per ALSDE requirements.

SPEDSM-144002

Unable to Finalize Referral for Evaluation Form

Resolved an error that occurred when finalizing the Referral for Evaluation form due to a configuration issue with Out of State Transfer document actions. The form can now be finalized without errors.