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RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INFO: Reserve Your Spot at the Arizona Educator Job Fair and Career Expo! Registration Deadline December 5

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INFO: Reserve Your Spot at the Arizona Educator Job Fair and Career Expo! Registration Deadline December 5

Special Education Directors,

The Arizona Education Job Fair & Career Expo will take place on February 4, 2023, from 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Conference Center.

The Job Fair and Career Expo is an excellent opportunity for you to recruit new employees to your school community.

Register for the Job Fair and Career Expo!

The registration deadline is December 5, 2022.

Email the Educator Recruitment and Retention fair inbox for more information.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: New Technical Assistance Document for Reporting Parentally-Placed Students on an ISP to AzEDS

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: New Technical Assistance Document for Reporting Parentally-Placed Students on an ISP to AzEDS

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT     

New Technical Assistance Document for Reporting Parentally-Placed Students on an ISP to AzEDS

The following information applies to school districts with a geographic boundary only.

School districts with a geographic boundary providing Special Education (SPED) services to parentally-placed students on an Individual Service Plan (ISP) are required to report SPED services to AzEDS.

A new technical assistance document has been developed to assist school districts with this reporting requirement.

Please review the SPED Student Reporting – Parentally-Placed Students that Receive Services on an Individual Service Plan document located under Tools & Resources on the AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage.

Additionally, for requirements reporting counts for parentally-placed students in private non-profit schools, please review the October 1 Data Collection Manual.

If you have questions regarding this guidance, please email [email protected].

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: October 1 Enrollment Data for Fiscal Year 2023 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: October 1 Enrollment Data for Fiscal Year 2023 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT       

October 1 Enrollment Data for Fiscal Year 2023  

Please review the October 1 Enrollment Data information below. This coincides with the ODC Phase II due date of January 18, 2023.

What is October 1 Enrollment Data?
To ensure compliance with federal reporting and program requirements for the fiscal year 2023, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is compiling data for students enrolled on October 1, 2022. Reports will be prepared using enrollment data that has been submitted by Arizona school districts, charter schools, and other public education agencies (PEAs) via their respective student information systems to ADE and has Passed Integrity in AzEDS accordingly.

Student-level enrollment and program data reported by public education agencies are critically important to funding and program determinations for all education programs. ADE uses the data to manage eligibility, calculate funding of limited federal dollars, comply with federal reporting requirements, and serve as the basis for general population statistics about Arizona schools.

October 1 data is used for many internal and external accountability reports, such as statewide dropout rate, and to identify students in certain subgroups. Therefore, schools must review and, if applicable, correct this data as soon as possible so we can produce accurate numbers for federal reporting.
 

What are the important deadlines?
Arizona school districts, charter schools, and other PEAs should have submitted most student-level enrollment and program data as of now. The final October 1 enrollment data deadline is Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Between now and January 18, PEAs are strongly encouraged to review and correct data submissions, using ADE program area staff for support.


What are the consequences of not submitting accurate, valid, and timely October 1 Enrollment Data?
Information submitted after 5:00 PM on January 18, 2023, will not be included in the grants or reports indicated in the chart below. Incomplete, inaccurate, or late reporting may result in a delay of state and/or federal funds, possible sanctions, and in some cases, a loss of potential funding for these grants and systems. The following chart shows the type of student-level enrollment and program data required for each federal reporting and program determination requirement, along with the ADE contact who can be accessed to assist with data reporting questions:

Alert Chart for October 1 Enrollment Contacts

*In order to submit Title I Support Program data to AzEDS your ESEA Consolidated application must be Director approved within GME. Title I Support Program data can continue to be submitted throughout the data capture dates posted by School Finance.

 

**Validations for the SPED data are done through the ESS October 1 Data Collection process that is also captured on Friday, January 18, 2023. It works in tandem with the October 1 enrollment process.

 

***In AzEDS, school districts and charter schools can verify their EL Program Participation data by reviewing the EL71 - EL Program Participation Report, which is available via the AzEDS Portal application in ADEConnect, and by clicking the Reports tab and selecting English Learner from the menu.

 

We appreciate your help optimizing funding for all the education programs benefitting students and teachers of Arizona.

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INFO: Registration for spring 2023 SELECT classes is now open!

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INFO: Registration for spring 2023 SELECT classes is now open!

Looking for self-paced professional learning on current special education topics of interest?

Special Education Learning Experiences for Competency in Teaching (SELECT) is a federally funded program sponsored by ADE/ESS and offered through the Institute for Human Development at Northern Arizona University. SELECT courses are recommended for special and general education teachers, administrators, related service personnel, paraeducators, and other interested individuals.

Certified school personnel can take SELECT classes for renewal hours.

  • SELECT classes can be taken for university credit for those teachers or administrators who are required by their school districts to have official transcripts and for those who may need to transfer hours out of state (tuition and associated fees apply).
  • The classes can also be taken for professional growth contact hours for free.

Register at the NAU SELECT webpage. Courses are offered in 5-week and 8-week sessions. Registration closes when classes are full or two (2) weeks before the start of class.

For more information, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Special Education Data Updates Webinar Wednesday, November 16th

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Special Education Data Updates Webinar Wednesday, November 16th

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Special Education Data Updates Webinar Wednesday, November 16th 

 The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will be hosting the next Special Education Data Updates live webinar on Wednesday, November 16th from 2pm – 3pm. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include (subject to change):   

  • Reminders 
    • October 1 Data Collection Phase I due date
    • FY23 Important Dates Document
  • Trending topics 
    • Calculating LRE and LRE Flowcharts
    • Integrity Rules mid-year introductions and type updates
    • Foundation for Blind Children: Private Day vs Voucher students
  • Topics Not in Scope
    • Homebound
  • Top 3 Integrity Errors 
  • Q&A    

Registration is required to attend: Register for Special Education Data Updates webinar.   

 For questions, please contact ESS Data Management via email at [email protected].    

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop with Therese Willkomm

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop with Therese Willkomm

Special Education Directors,

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce our next 2022–23 national presenter: Therese Willkomm, PhD. Dr. Willkomm’s workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.

Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop

Date: Thursday, December 8, 2022

Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: $26 (breakfast and lunch included)

Where: Roosevelt School District Wellness Center

Address: 1030 E Baseline Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85042

About Therese Willkomm

Dr. Therese Willkomm, PhD, is the Director of New Hampshire's State Assistive Technology Program with the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Dr. Willkomm is a clinical associate professor emeritus in the Department of Occupational Therapy. She developed, coordinated, and taught the assistive technology courses for the Graduate Certificate Program in Assistive Technology for 23 years. She is known nationally and internationally for her innovative strategies for creating solutions in minutes. She has designed and fabricated over two thousand solutions for individuals with disabilities. She has presented her work in forty-two states, ten foreign countries, and three U.S. Territories and has authored over twenty publications, including her recent book, Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes Book 3: "Make Stuff and Love People."

Workshop Description:

This workshop will explore hundreds of assistive technology solutions that can be made in minutes using everyday tools and materials. Each participant will make ten different multi-use assistive technology solutions, including solutions for reading, writing, communicating, vision, physical access limitations, life skills, self-regulation, and tabletop mounting/stabilizing solutions. Attendees will receive a copy of Dr. Willkomm's latest book, Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes Book 3: "Make Stuff and Love People."

Register for “Making AT for Educational Success: A “Hands On” Make and Take Workshop.”

If you have questions regarding this training, please email our AT inbox.

INTERNAL PD INFO: Registration is Open for 2023 Summit for Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education

INTERNAL PD INFO: Registration is Open for 2023 Summit for Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education

Mon, Nov 7, 2022

Summit Logo featuring continuous line drawing of children and lightbulb
Special Education Directors and Preschool Coordinators,
 

The ADE/ESS Early Childhood Special Education unit will host the 2023 Summit for Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education in partnership with Arizona’s Early Intervention Program on March 2–3, 2023. The Summit is a virtual event and will offer presentations for teachers, direct and related services providers, administrators, and families of children with disabilities on best practices for working with young children with disabilities.

This year’s theme is Keeping the EC in the Ecosystem: Partnering for Improvement, and our keynote speakers will focus on themes of supporting all children, inclusion, ensuring access to high-quality programming, and building collaborative systems to address program needs.

Discounts to attend are available for families of children with disabilities and students enrolled in community college or university education programs.

Register for the Summit

Email us with any questions

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: ESS Applications will be temporarily unavailable Saturday 11/5 to Monday 11/7

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: ESS Applications will be temporarily unavailable Saturday 11/5 to Monday 11/7

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Weekend closure of Exceptional Student Services Portal and Applications

Please be aware that all ESS Applications will be unavailable on Saturday, November 5, 2022. The applications will be back up and running no later than Monday, November 7, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

The Exceptional Student Services IT team will be updating the Exceptional Student Services Portal and ESS Applications over the weekend.  During this update, all ESS Applications, Online Forms, and ESS Portal will be unavailable in ADEConnect and links will be deactivated on ESS websites.

No deadline extensions for ESS data collections are offered due to this weekend closure.

For any questions regarding this interruption in service, please feel free to contact [email protected].

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INFO: We are recruiting SLPs and SLPAs for you!

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INFO: We are recruiting SLPs and SLPAs for you!

Special Education Directors,

Are you looking for Speech-Language Pathologists or Speech-Language Pathology Assistants?

From November 17–19, 2022, ADE/ESS will staff a recruitment booth on behalf of all public education agencies in Arizona at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (AHSA) annual national convention. Over 20,000 SLPs and graduate students attend ASHA’s convention each year.

If your PEA would like ESS to promote your speech opening(s) at ASHA, please post them on the ADE job board as soon as possible. Our recruiting materials will direct candidates to information about becoming licensed and certified to practice in Arizona and to the Arizona Education Employment Board.

Post your vacancies today!

For more information, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Reminder - FY 2023 October 1 Data Collection Phase I Verification due 11/16 by 5pm

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Reminder - FY 2023 October 1 Data Collection Phase I Verification due 11/16 by 5pm

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT   

FY 2023 October 1 Data Collection Phase I Verification due 11/16 by 5pm

This is a reminder that the October 1 Data Collection (ODC) Phase I verification count is due Wednesday, November 16, 2022, by 5pm. This phase includes the submission of your Public Education Agency (PEA) Special Education (SPED) student count and personnel Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) data. 

All PEAs are required to verify the aggregate count of students receiving SPED services over October 1, including zero counts. This is an internal count using your student information systems and student rosters; AzEDS reports should not be used to gather Phase I Verification Count.

More information and training videos are available on the ESS October 1 Data Collection website.

Please refer to the Important Dates document on the ODC timeline for a complete outline of deadline requirements for this data collection, and contact [email protected] with any questions.