Religious and Independent School Support
- Dates to Remember
- Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools Program
- Funding Opportunities
- Academic Intervention for Nonpublic Schools (AIS)
- Art & Music Teacher Salary Reimbursement Grant (AMTS)
- Mandated Services Aid (MSA) & Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP)
- Mathematics, Science & Technology Teachers (MST)
- Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NPSE) Grant
- Additional NYSED Funding Opportunities & Information
- Home Instruction
- RISE Annual Conference
- School Incorporation Guidance
- School Operations Resources
- Substantial Equivalency
- Transportation
- Contact Us
- SEDREF
Dates to Remember
Religious and Independent Schools - Dates to Remember (formerly called the Calendar of Reminders) for 2024-2025
July 12, 2024
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The Last Day to Request August 2024 Regents Examinations is Friday, July 12, 2024. August Regents Examinations will be administered on August 19th and 20th. For more information on assessments, see the Office of Assessment website and the Regents Examination Schedule.
August 1, 2024
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Mathematics, Science, & Technology (MST) Teacher Salary Reimbursement Grant – Eligible schools for MST should submit claims by August 1, 2024.
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Art & Music Teacher Salary (AMTS) Reimbursement Grant – Eligible schools for AMTS should submit claims by August 1, 2024.
Early/Mid-August
- Shipment of Examination Materials for the August 2024 Regents Exam period will be arriving at schools in early to mid-August. Please ensure that school staff are available to receive these materials upon delivery. For more information on the anticipated delivery of these materials, see the Office of Assessment website and the Regents Examination Schedule.
August 19-20, 2024
- August 2024 Regents Examinations will be held on Monday, August 19, 2024, and Tuesday, August 20, 2024. For more information on assessments, see the Office of Assessment website and the Regents Examination Schedule.
August 31, 2024
- 2024-25 Written Affirmation of LEA Consultation with Private School Officials Form (required as part of the 2024-25 Consolidated Application for ESSA-Funded Programs) – The deadline for LEAs to submit the form to NYSED for the 2024-25 school year is August 31, 2024.* The 2024-25 Consolidated Application for ESSA-Funded Programs can be found on the Office of Accountability's website. LEAs must provide private schools with opportunities for timely and meaningful consultation prior to completion of the form. Consultation must address all topics identified on the form. The form MUST be completed by the public school official in consultation with private school officials.
* It is important to note that individual LEAs will require private school officials to complete, sign, and return this form prior to August 31st since the LEAs must submit their applications to NYSED by this date.
End of August
- All Data (K-12 Assessments, Enrollment, Demographics, Graduation Rate, etc.) is due in the Student Information Repository System (SIRS) by the end of August. Religious and independent schools must contract with a Regional Information Center (RIC) to report data in SIRS. Any data reported in SIRS will be used to populate the Comprehensive Information Report (CIR) and will be used for mandated services.
September 1, 2024
- Substantial Equivalency (SE) Local School Authority (LSA) Survey – Religious and Independent School List – The list of religious and independent schools that public schools are required to report to NYSED is due September 1st. Religious and independent schools should work with their LSAs to report accurate addresses for each school site and ensure that the school’s SEDREF record, if they have one, is up-to-date. To change the school’s address in SEDREF, which also changes the address associated with the school’s BEDS/SED code, please visit ORISS’ BEDS Code Information website. Then complete and submit a BEDS Change of Address form along with the accompanying documentation.
Early September
- Mandated Services Aid & Comprehensive Attendance Policy (MSA/CAP) Guidelines – An announcement regarding the availability of aid and forms for the 2023-24 school year is expected to be made by September. We anticipate the online system to become available via the NYSED Business Portal Website by mid-December. Eligible schools for MSA/CAP must submit claims by April 1, 2025.
- Review of Students’ Immunizations – Student immunizations must be reviewed at the start of each school year. Students who are not in compliance within 14 days of the start of the school year, which may be extended to 30 days for students from out of state or country who demonstrate a good faith effort to comply, are not allowed to continue to attend school until they meet the immunization requirements. See the Department of Health chart on immunization requirements for the 2024-2025 school year. Also see NYSED’s Immunization Guidelines for Schools which provides guidance to schools.
Questions on immunizations may be directed to the NYS Bureau of Immunizations: osas@health.ny.gov. Questions on school implementation of the requirements may be directed to the NYSED Office of Student Support Services at StudentSupportServices@nysed.gov.
Schools must sign up for the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS), or for schools located in New York City, the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR). Public Health Law requires healthcare providers to report all immunizations administered to persons less than 19 years of age, along with the person’s immunization histories to either NYSIIS or CIR. Schools can access student immunization records and track compliance in either system.
The New York State Center for School Health has information regarding immunizations under their A-Z resources page.
Late September/ Early October
- January 2025 Regents Examinations Requesting Memo is sent out in late September/early October. This memo provides information on how to request and store Regents examination materials. It also provides information about the online requesting system deadlines. For more information on assessments, please go to the Office of State Assessment website.
October 2, 2024
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BEDS IMF 2024-25 – The 2024-25 Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) Institutional Master File (IMF) application for Public School Districts and Schools, Charter Schools, BOCES, and Religious and Independent Schools will be available on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, and must be submitted by November 15, 2024. For additional information, please visit the Office of Information and Reporting Services’ website.
Early October
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Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests and Grades 5 and 8 Science Tests Requesting Memo – This memo provides information concerning procedures for requesting, shipping, and storing materials for the 2025 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests and the Grades 5 and 8 Science Tests. It also provides information on the online request system including the deadline for submitting requests. For additional information, please visit the Office of State Assessment website.
The testing schedule is posted on the Office of State Assessment website. Information on computer-based testing is available on the CBT Support website.
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RISE Conference – Register to attend the 2024 RISE conference, which will be held November 12-13, 2024.
November 12 -13, 2024
- RISE Conference – Annual Religious and Independent Schools Educators Conference will be in-person at the Albany Marriott Hotel in Albany, November 12-13, 2024.
November 15, 2025
- BEDS IMF – The due date for the BEDS IMF is November 15, 2024.
December 1, 2024
- Substantial Equivalency (SE) Local School Authority (LSA) survey from Public School – SE Determination – The SE Pathways that religious and independent schools are choosing should be reported to the LSA so they can make the SE determination and report it to NYSED by December 1st. Religious and independent schools should work with their LSA to report their pathway and to ensure they have the correct address for each site. If the school has a BEDS/SED code, it should also ensure that school site addresses are up-to-date in SEDREF to prevent any disruption of services. BEDS Change of Address forms can be found on the BED Code Information website.
Mid-December
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BEDS Code Applications – Applications for new BEDS codes must be received and completed by mid-December for BEDS codes to be effective for the 2024-2025 school year. Applications can be found on ORISS’ BEDS Code Information website.
Please note that if a school’s address has changed and the new site is located in a different school district, the school will need a new BEDS code. New BEDS codes can only be assigned for the 2024-2025 school year if they are received and complete by mid-December. BEDS Change of Address forms can also be found on the BED Code Information website.
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Mandated Services Aid & Comprehensive Attendance Policy (MSA/CAP) – We anticipate the online system to become available via the NYSED Business Portal Website by mid-December. Eligible schools for MSA/CAP must submit claims by April 1, 2025.
December 15, 2024
- Immunization Survey – The deadline for submission is December 15th annually.
December 16, 2024
- Annual Religious and Independent School Building Fire Safety Report – The deadline for the submission of the Fire Safety Inspections for 2023-24 is December 16, 2024.
Early January
- January 2025 Regents Examinations Administration Memo is sent, containing essential information about the administration of the upcoming Regents examinations. For more information on assessments, please go to the Office of State Assessment website.
January 21 - 25, 2025
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January 2025 Regents Examinations will be administered between January 21-25, 2025.
Mid/Late February
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June Regents Examination Requesting Memo is sent out in mid/late-February. This memo provides information on how to order and store Regents exams. It also provides information about the online requesting system deadlines. For more information on assessments, please go to the Office of State Assessment website.
March 1, 2025
- Religious and Independent High School Registration – Applications due March 1, 2025. For more information visit the Religious and Independent High School Registration website.
March 31, 2025
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Health Services – Education Law 912 requires school districts in New York State to provide resident students attending religious and independent schools with any/all the same health and welfare services available to students attending schools in the district. It is strongly recommended that the religious or independent school administration communicate with the school district of location’s superintendent regarding the best time to submit the written request for health services. The request for health services should specify exactly what services are being requested. It recommended that such requests be reviewed annually.
For additional information regarding health services and what may be requested visit: Religious and Independent School Handbook – Health Services.
April 1, 2025
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Mandated Services Aid & Comprehensive Attendance Policy (MSA/CAP) – Eligible schools for MSA/CAP must submit claims by April 1, 2025.
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Transportation Requests – Reminder that religious and independent schools should contact their public school district prior to the April 1, 2025 deadline.
April 15, 2025
- Non-Public Safety and Equipment (NPSE) Grant – Eligible schools for NPSE should submit reimbursement claims by April 15, 2025.
- Academic Intervention Services (AIS) Grant – Eligible schools for AIS should submit reimbursement claims by April 15, 2025.
Spring Deadlines
Spring Deadlines as determined by public school districts:
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Library, Software, and Hardware Loan Services – While the law does not specify a date, the religious or independent school administrator is urged to assemble and submit requests to their public school districts in the spring prior to the year in which the programs will be used.
For additional information about loan services visit: Religious and Independent School Handbook-Loans.
Early May
- Grades K-12 NYSESLAT – Schools administering the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) must submit their answer sheets to their Regional Information Center (RIC)/scanning center. Schools should contact their RIC for specific due dates. For additional information please visit Office of Information and Reporting Services’ website.
Late May/ Early June
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June Regents Examinations Administration Memo – Memo is sent in late May/early June, containing essential information about the administration of the upcoming June Regents examinations. For more information on assessments, please go to the Office of State Assessment website.
May 31, 2025
- MSA/CAP Payment – Submitted claims will be paid by May 31, 2025.
June 1, 2025
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Special Education Service Requests must be submitted by June 1, 2025 for the 2024-2025 school year. For more information, please see Education Law Section 3602-C.
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Occupational Education Requests must be submitted by June 1, 2025. In order to arrange for participation in an occupational education program, the parent of a religious or independent school pupil must file a written request with the board of education of the district in which the pupil resides by June 1. The administrator of a religious or independent school may receive and forward the requests for the parents to the board of education. For more information, please go to Religious and Independent School Handbook - Occupational Education.
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Gifted Education Requests must be submitted by June 1, 2025. A parent should apply for dual enrollment services to the district of residence. Requests for participation must be filed with the board of education of the district of residence on or before June 1 preceding the school year for which the request is being made. For more information, please go to Religious and Independent School Handbook - Gifted Education.
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Textbook Loan Requests must be submitted by June 1, 2025. The administrator prepares textbook requests for the coming year and submits them to parents or district. The law allows a board of education to set a date by which the districts must receive requests for textbook loans, but this date cannot be earlier than June 1 of the year preceding that for which textbooks are requested. For more information, please go to Religious and Independent School Handbook - Textbook Loans.
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Regents – Schools administering Regents Examinations must submit their answer sheets to their Regional Information Center (RIC)/scanning center. Contact your RIC for specific due dates. Visit the Office of State Assessment’s website for Testing Schedule information.
Sneak Peek at Important Deadlines for 2025-2026
Mathematics, Science, & Technology (MST) Teacher Salary Reimbursement Grant – Eligible schools for MST must submit claims by August 1, 2025.
Art & Music Teacher Salary (AMTS) Reimbursement Grant – Eligible schools for AMTS should submit claims by August 1, 2025.
Final SIRS EOY Data are due for participating religious and independent schools on Friday, August 15, 2025.
SIRS EOY Data Certification for participating religious and independent schools is due Friday, August 29, 2025.
For additional information, please consult the Verification and Certification website.
Note: The Dates to Remember document is available online on the ORISS website.