Professional Learning and Sustainability

Special Education Directors,

Please share the following virtual math professional learning opportunities with general and special education teachers who teach mathematics.

Special Education Directors, - the registration link below has been updated.

The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that registration for the 2022 Special Education New Director Symposium (SENDS) is now open! The purpose of this professional learning opportunity is to prepare new special education administrators for the practical operation of a special education system. Topics covered in SENDS include compliance and legal requirements, fiscal issues, assessment, general supervision, and ADE supports and resources.

Special Education Directors,

Please share the following virtual math professional learning opportunity with general and special education teachers who teach mathematics.

Creating Accessible Mathematics Classrooms (Grades K–5)

Please share the following in-person math professional learning opportunities with general and special education teachers who teach mathematics.

Count Me In: Foundations for Fluency is a one-day professional learning opportunity that will focus on the key components of fluency. Participants will make connections across mathematics standards that specify fluency as the intended, end-of-year outcome in each grade level from K–6. Additionally, educators will explore instructional routines, strategies, and games that help all students develop the flexibility to solve contextual and mathematical problems involving whole numbers. We strongly encourage school teams of special education and general education teachers who teach mathematics in Kindergarten through Grade 6 to register.

The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that registration for Teach Camp is now open!

Teach Camp is a year-long support system that includes professional learning specifically designed for beginning special educators. The goal of Teach Camp is to increase retention of special educators by providing our newest special education teachers with the tools they need to survive and thrive during their first years in the classroom.

Are you looking for Speech-Language Pathologists, Speech-Language Technicians, or SLPAs for the next school year? Or still looking for this school year?

This Friday and Saturday, ADE/ESS will be recruiting speech personnel on behalf of all Arizona school districts and charter schools at the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ArSHA) Annual Convention. We will have a booth in the exhibit hall where we will promote the advantages of working in a school setting, and we will distribute information about all current speech vacancies that our PEAs have posted on our free job board.  

Special Education Directors,

Schools across Arizona are invited to participate in the 2022–2023 cohort for Project EASEL. Project EASEL (Empowering Arizona with Social-Emotional Learning) is a free, virtual professional learning and coaching series for Arizona schools. The project is offered by the ADE/ESS in collaboration with the University of Kansas Research Collaboration. Schools can prioritize which competency is best for their school (Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, or Assertiveness) for Year 1 and can choose to expand implementation in Year 2 or select a new competency. 

Special Education Directors:

Are you concerned about the current rate of suspensions and expulsions at your school or district? Do you feel students are losing valuable class time due to disruptions and other behavior problems? Are teachers struggling to be successful with classroom management? Are administrators spending too much time dealing with discipline issues?  If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you might find the solution in Multi-Tier Behavior Supports.

Special Education Directors,

Please see the announcement below for an exciting professional learning opportunity.

Announcing the Arizona Professional Learning Series

An Opportunity for Public Education Agencies

The ADE/ESS Arizona Professional Learning Series (AZPLS) provides district and school teams with a systemic method for achieving systems change in aligning state, district, and school site efforts to impact literacy achievement for all students and to close the literacy achievement gap for students with specific learning disabilities. 

Special Education Directors, please see the following information:

Research Opportunity: Elementary Self- and Career-Awareness Study

Future Quest Island-Explorations (FQI-E) is a free online game-based curriculum that promotes college and career awareness, SEL, and self-concept for 3rd to 5th graders. FQI-E is universally designed and accessible to students with disabilities; it uses the evidence-based possible selves framework to help all students understand themselves, set goals, and plan expansive futures.