DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, September 18, 2024

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include (subject to change):   

• Reminders 

• Trending topics 

• Top Three Integrity Errors 

• Q&A    

Please register by clicking this link Registration is required to attend. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

FY25 October 1 Data Collection Phase I Training 

Annually, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is required to report special education (SPED) data to the federal government. The October 1 Data Collection (ODC) is part of that process and is required by all Public Education Agencies (PEAs). ODC has three phases:  

• Phase I: Child Count Verification and Personnel  
• Phase II: Child Count Reconciliation 
• Phase III: Child Count Non-Reconciliation  

During Phase I, PEAs must provide ADE with the number of students participating in their SPED program on October 1, 2024. PEAs will also report Personnel data and Parentally Placed students (if applicable). 

ESS Data Management invites you to attend one of our Phase I training courses, virtually or in person.

Virtual Training:                                                                  

Date:               Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Time:               1:00 – 3:00 pm

Registration:    Zoom, click here to register

In-Person Training:

Date:               Thursday, October 3, 2024

Time:               1:00 – 3:00 pm

Location:         100 N. 15th Ave., Room 101, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Registration:    ADE Professional Learning and Development (APLD)

Please email ESS Data Management with any questions. 

We look forward to assisting you in meeting your data reporting requirements. 

ADE/ESS is pleased to release flowchart representations and reference documents for several evaluation processes: initial evaluation, reevaluation, and independent educational evaluation (IEE). These guidance materials have incorporated feedback from various special education stakeholder groups. ADE/ESS hopes these visual resources will aid all constituents in understanding these complex processes.  An upcoming ESS Professionals Check-In will provide a guided overview of these resources.

Please contact your PEA’s assigned Program Support and Monitoring specialist or email [email protected] for questions.

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) Team is pleased to announce our 2024—2025 AT National Presenter series kickoff presentation, Assistive Technology Consideration and Assessment Made Easy, with Penny Reed, PhD. This presentation is intended for special education administrators, special education teachers, general education teachers, OTs, PTs, SLPs, and assistive technology specialists.

Date/Time:                 Thursday, October 17, 2024, 8:00 AM – 3:45 PM (Seats are limited; register now!)

Fee:                                Free - lunch on your own

Where:                          ASU Chandler Innovation Center
                                        249 E. Chicago St., Chandler, Arizona 85225

Penny Reed, PhD, is an independent consultant in AT services and provides training on various topics related to AT, focusing on improving the delivery of AT services. Dr. Reed has a BS in elementary education, an MS and PhD in special education, and certification as both a principal and special education administrator. She was the director of the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI) for many years and serves on the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) Leadership Team. She is a founding member ofthe QIAT Consortium,the National Assistive Technology in Education Network, andthe Coalition for Assistive Technology in Oregon. Dr. Reed has authored and co-authored numerous articles and manuals, including her most recent publication, Best Practices in Special Education: A Framework for Assistive Technology (2022), with Gayl Bowser.

Workshop Description:

Are you confused about your responsibility to provide assistive technology devices and services?
Are you frustrated with delays in obtaining AT assessments from sources outside your district or the cost of those assessments?
Are you looking for an efficient, effective way to determine a student's need for assistive technology?
Then this workshop is for you.

Assistive Technology Consideration and Assessment Made Easy

This activity-packed workshop will present a team-based model for completing assistive technology (AT) consideration and assessment. It begins with a brief overview of the laws related to the provision of AT services in schools, including AT Consideration and Assessment. Participants will examine and discuss AT Consideration forms to determine what works for them. Then, an AT Assessment process will be explained. Specific, easy-to-follow forms will be provided. Participants will use the forms for guided practice in completing the AT Assessment process. The training will end with pointers for implementation planning. It would be most beneficial if participants could attend as a team.

Register for Assistive Technology Consideration and Assessment Made Easy.

If you have questions about this training, please email [email protected].

Do your students doubt their abilities when they experience challenges? Do they understand how to put forth effort and make progress toward their goals? Self-efficacy instruction can increase students’ belief in themselves and develop their ability to persist through learning challenges. 

The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services, in collaboration with the University of Kansas Research Collaboration, is offering the following free course as part of the College and Career Competencies Project.

Instructional Activities for Teaching Self-Efficacy: Virtual, six-week, interactive course for Special Educators, K–12

The course is being offered twice in the 2024–2025 school year:

• Monday, September 16–Friday, October 25, 2024
• Monday, January 13–Friday, February 21, 2025

Course Description: This facilitator-led course is designed for special educators (including related services providers) of students in Grades K–12 to explore instructional activities that teach self-efficacy. This interactive course allows educators to gain knowledge of 10 Self-Efficacy Strategies and to apply self-efficacy instructional practices.

• Each week, a recognized trainer will review instructional activities and facilitate discussion board conversations between participants.
• Information on accessing the course materials will be provided via email one week before the start date.
• The course provides flexibility and asynchronous activities that fit your schedule.

Provided materials include:

• Three lesson sets of 26 instructional activities
• Student workbooks, templates, and posters
• Additional resources tailored to primary, intermediate, and secondary levels

Earn CEUs and Graduate Credit: Participants who complete the course will earn 18 CEUs from the University of Kansas with an option to receive one graduate credit hour from Baker University (an additional payment of $80 is required; details provided during the course).

Note: The maximum number of participants is 30. The course will be closed after capacity is reached. Participants can expect to spend 1 to 2 hours per week learning about self-efficacy.

Course Commitment: If you enroll, plan to participate fully by reviewing resources, completing discussion board posts, interacting with colleagues’ discussion board posts, developing instructional planning materials, and reviewing assessment instruments.

At the end of the course, educators will be able to:

1. Describe 10 Self-Efficacy Strategies.
2. Assess student self-efficacy knowledge and application using curriculum-referenced and performance-based assessment tools.
3. Implement and adapt student self-efficacy instructional activities for their specific role.
4. Provide feedback and practice opportunities to students related to their growth in self-efficacy.

Complete the Enrollment Form

View the self-efficacy infographic, which includes the definition of self-efficacy and student impacts resulting from instruction.

For any questions, email Pattie Noonan.

The registration deadline for the 2024–2025 Special Education New Director Symposium (SENDS) has been extended to August 1, 2024.

The purpose of this professional learning opportunity is to prepare new special education directors 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. New special education directors employed by Arizona public education agencies (PEAs) in their first or second year of being a special education director (including any previous positions) in the fall of 2024 are eligible to attend SENDS.

The $150 registration fee for SENDS includes:

• Registration for the in-person kick-off session on Day 1 (September 4, 2024) of the IDEA Conference* (with an option to pay to attend Days 2 and/or 3 of the conference).
• Four virtual follow-up sessions scheduled throughout the 2024–25 school year  (November 7, December 5, January 16, and February 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.).
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and CEC’s Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) special interest division.

*Information regarding travel reimbursement from eligible PEAs will be provided once registration is completed.

Register for the Special Education New Director Symposium (SENDS) training!

If you have questions about SENDS, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

The Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD) Certification opens today, July 22, 2024. Certification is due August 5, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. This is a requirement of all Public Education Agencies (PEAs), including those without qualifying data within the modules.

Please note: As of July 15, 2024, the data in SEDD is locked and cannot be edited. Visit School Finance’s Guidelines and Manuals web page for detailed guidance on requesting a prior-year data correction for student data.

Certification is accessible only to users with the ESS SEDD: LEA Signer role. Only local entity administrators can assign this role to an individual. For information on how to add an ADEConnect role, visit ADEConnect FAQs.

During this process, PEAs will certify the following:

1. Student Exit Data
   • This module displays exit data for Special Education (SPED) students based on specific exit codes, age ranges, and dates outlined in the SPED Exit Flow Chart.
2. Preschool Transition Data
   • Public School Districts with boundaries were required to enter data for students transitioning from the Arizona Early Intervention Program (AZEIP) to Part B. If not applicable, this module will be inactive.
3. Students Without Disabilities
   • This module captures data on students without disabilities with an expulsion (W3) exit code. During the review phase, PEAs indicated if such students received educational services during expulsion. If not applicable, this module will be inactive.
4. Discipline Data
   • This module displays discipline incidents for SPED students that resulted in removal from their educational environment.

Resources available to assist PEAs include:

• TA Manual: Special Education Data Dashboard
• FY 2024 SEDD Webinar
• FY2024 SEDD Presentation slides, 64–70

For additional information, please contact the ESS Data Management Inbox or call 602-542-3962.

Hello Educators,

Do your students doubt their abilities when they experience challenges? Do they understand how to put forth effort and make progress toward their goals? Self-efficacy instruction can increase students’ belief in themselves and can develop their ability to persist through learning challenges. 

The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services, in collaboration with the University of Kansas Research Collaboration, is offering the College and Career Competencies Project, a free, one-year professional development series that includes:

• Free access to self-efficacy curricula at the primary, intermediate, and secondary levels with 25+ evidence-based instructional activities that teach 10 self-efficacy strategies.
• Virtual training across the school year to all staff, based on your PD calendar.
• Assessments to show student growth.
• Coaching support throughout the implementation process.

The College and Career Competencies Project is accepting 3 more schools (elementary, middle, or high) for the 2024–2025 school year!

To participate, have an administrator from your district complete the CCCs Project Interest Form, and schedule a 30-minute conference call about the project.

This professional learning experience will empower your students and enhance their learning journey. Act now to join!

View our self-efficacy infographic, which includes the definition of self-efficacy and student impacts resulting from instruction.

For any questions, email Pattie Noonan.

ESS/Program Support and Monitoring (PSM) is proud to announce the release of the SY 2024–2025 Programmatic Monitoring Manual. This manual is intended to assist public education agencies (PEAs) in participating in and preparing for programmatic monitoring activities. The format of the manual changed last school year for ease of printing and locating information. The forms associated with programmatic monitoring activities can be found on the PSM website under Differentiated Monitoring Activities and are no longer located within the manual. 

Please contact your PEA’s assigned specialist with questions.

ADE/ESS, in partnership with the Center for Technical Assistance in Excellence for Special Education (TAESE), is pleased to announce that Saturday Mornings with the NRCP is available to paraeducators, related service providers, teachers, and administrators working in Arizona public education agencies.

The two-hour, virtual sessions will be hosted by the National Resource Center for Paraeducators, Related Service Providers, and Interveners (NRCP) on the second Saturday of each month from August 2024 through July 2025. The sessions will be based on the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Core Competencies for Special Education Paraeducators and will include topics such as paraeducator roles and responsibilities and effective behavior management strategies. See flyer here.

Upcoming webinars will include the following topics:

August 10, 2024

Understanding the ABCs and Function of Behavior

September 14, 2024

Ethical Practices Within Paraeducator Roles

October 12, 2024

Challenging Behavior and De-escalation

November 9, 2024

Strategies for Paraeducators Working in Secondary Settings

Teacher and paraeducator teams are encouraged to sign up together. The $100 registration fee includes 12 live webinars and extended access to the recordings via a Canva site until August 2025. Those who register will receive information on how to access the recordings.

Register for Saturday Mornings with the NRCP.

The attached flyer includes additional information about the professional learning series. Please email Laura Lema with any questions.