The Instructional Schedule feature helps districts document special education services, service minutes, subjects, and scheduling details within a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Accurate use of the Instructional Schedule supports compliance reporting, PEIMS data accuracy, service tracking, and staff planning.
Use these seven best practices to implement the Instructional Schedule efficiently and ensure accurate reporting for special education services.
1. Timing of Current and Alternate Schedules
The "Current" schedule is always the schedule closest in time to the IEP meeting date. This schedule reflects the services that are active at the time of the meeting.
If you use an "Alternate" schedule, the services start date must occur after the "Current" schedule start date.
If an "Alternate" schedule is used:
- PEIMS changes are not automatically triggered from the "Alternate" schedule.
- The "Alternate" schedule is optional and not required.
2. Using the Program Name Field
The "Program Name" field within the Instructional Schedule can be customized by your district.
To review which students are assigned to specific programs:
- Run the “Student Campuses, Grades, and Program Names” report.
This report helps administrators monitor program assignments and ensure accurate student data.
3. Using the Drop-Downs in the Subject Field
When entering a subject in the Instructional Schedule:
- Always use the available drop-down options.
- Do not manually type new or custom subject entries.
Using the predefined drop-down list ensures reporting consistency and prevents data discrepancies.
If a needed subject does not appear in the list, contact your District Admin.
To view students assigned to specific subjects, run the “Class List by Subject” report.
4. Capturing In-Class Support Minutes
In-class support minutes must be recorded in the SPED Minutes field.
Even though services occur in the general education setting, the "SPED Minutes" field tracks the amount of special education support time, not the service location.
When you select:
- Consult/Indirect, or
- In-Class Support
The system recognizes that the student remains in the general education setting while receiving services.
Any subject recorded in the Instructional Schedule with SPED minutes (regardless of service type) can be reported using the “Staff Planning” report.
5. Special Education Direct Services
In the Instructional Schedule, "Direct" services refer to services provided when a student is removed from the general education setting to receive special education instruction.
If the service is "Direct and Daily," you do not need to complete the "Removed From" field.
If the service is "Direct but Not Daily," you must complete the "Removed From" field.
This identifies where the student is being removed from during service delivery.
Accurately coding direct services ensures compliance reporting and clear documentation of service delivery models.
6. Capturing Speech Therapy Services
When documenting speech therapy services in the Instructional Schedule:
- Select Speech Therapy from the "Subject" drop-down list.
This is the only subject selection that triggers the appropriate speech count for the student.
After selecting "Speech Therapy":
- The "Subject" field cannot be edited.
- Add any additional details in the Comments field.
To analyze speech service data, run the “Speech Services” report.
This report provides useful data points for students receiving speech and language services.
7. Commensurate School Day Buttons
If your district has enabled the "Commensurate School Day" option, two radio buttons are available.
If the first Commensurate School Day box is selected:
- You may enter only special education support minutes.
- You are not required to account for every minute of the student’s instructional day.
- Entering general education minutes is optional.
If the second Commensurate School Day radio button is selected:
- A commensurate day statement will print on the hard copy of the student’s IEP.
- This selection does not affect scheduling calculations.