ADE/ESS is excited to announce two fantastic opportunities at the 2025 IDEA Conference: Access Cultivates Opportunities, happening August 20–22, 2025, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.

Nominations for Arizona Secondary Transition Services Awards

Recognize outstanding contributions to secondary transition services across Arizona. Learn more and nominate a youth/young adult, community member, or educator for their exceptional efforts by submitting an online nomination form.  

Nomination Categories:

• Youth/Young Adult: Actively engaged and successfully navigating the secondary transition planning process.
• Community Member: Providing exemplary support for students and/or young adults with disabilities to enhance community-based experiences.
• Educator: PEA or Secure Care-certified staff, support staff, related service providers, or administrators offering remarkable secondary transition services.

Submit your nominations by Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Award winners will be notified in July.

Call for Student Artwork

Showcase student talent at the IDEA Conference! If you know a student artist interested in displaying his or her artwork, please view the Call for Student Artwork flyer linked below for more details. Please complete the 2025 Student Artwork Entry form before Tuesday, May 27, 2025, to have artwork considered for display.

Please email the IDEA Conference inbox for questions about nominations or student artwork submissions.

Download our flyers for more information on the Secondary Transition Services Awards and Call for Student Artwork.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT  

FY26 Statement of Assurances Open for Submission 

The FY26 Statement of Assurances application is open for submission. All public education agencies (PEAs) must submit the IDEA Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the ESS Portal within ADEConnect. This is required before any FY26 activities in the Exceptional Student Services portal are allowable. The portal will block any PEA that has not completed the SOA effective July 1, 2025, which is when FY26 begins. 

The application is now open for submission and closes on June 11, 2025. 

The SOA must be submitted by the Superintendent, Charter Holder, or Special Education Director of your PEA before FY26 IDEA funding applications are approved in the Grants Management Enterprise system. 

• The PEA must assign the role of ESS Special Education: Signer in ADEConnect to the individual who will review, sign, and submit the Statement of Assurances. 

• PEAs that do not apply for IDEA funds are still required to submit the SOA. 

Please direct any questions to [email protected]. 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT   
      

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include:    

• 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.  

Special Education Professionals,

MEMO Special Education ED-P Programs FY26 Update

Please see the attached memo that provides an update on the Emotional Disabilities Public (ED-P) programs.

For any questions, please contact the ESS Private Day/EDP inbox.  

Are you interested in learning more about the recent Arizona State Board of Education (SBE) rule change that affects secondary transition services?  

ADE/ESS has launched a new webpage that provides essential information and resources about this rule change. The webpage can be accessed through the following link to access background information, the next steps for public education agencies (PEAs), and the November 2024 Special Education Professionals Check-In presentation. 

We also invite you to register for and attend the in-person training hosted by the ADE/ESS Program Support & Monitoring unit and the Secondary Transition Teams. This training will cover the new Arizona State Board of Education Rule Change for Secondary Transition Services. 

Download the training flyer to share this opportunity.  

The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that Teach Camp 6.0 is now open for registration!

After five years of supporting almost 500 new special education teachers, we are as excited as ever about Teach Camp!

Teach Camp aims to increase the retention of beginning special educators by providing them with the tools they need to survive and thrive.

Here’s what some of this year’s campers had to say about their experience at Teach Camp:

• ”I know the knowledge I'll bring back will help improve my own teaching skills and that of my coworkers as I share with them what I've learned.
• “I think this was an awesome experience, and I would recommend this to my colleagues!”
• “Great mix of learning, community, and fun!”        

Teach Camp Eligibility:

• We know there are many pathways to becoming a special education teacher in Arizona. Recent graduates from traditional teacher preparation programs, alternative certified teachers, and veteran general education teachers transitioning to special education are all welcome.
• Teach Camp is available to special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in the fall of 2025.
• Participants must be directly employed by a school district or charter as a special education teacher.

The cost for Summer 2025 Teach Camp is $250 per teacher and includes:  

• 3-day summer “camp” to be held July 8-10, 2025, at ASU SkySong, 1365 North Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257
• Follow-up support throughout the school year, including virtual sessions and newsletters 
• A copy of The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers  
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children  
• Additional valuable resources     

Registration:
Registration for Teach Camp is open on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration must be approved by the special education director and completed by the district or charter organization, not the special education teacher. Please note that there is a limit of ten registrations for each district or charter. More than ten teachers from any one district or charter will be placed on a waiting list. Please be aware that we may reduce the group size per district or charter organization to accommodate the attendance of more districts/charters and budget constraints for travel reimbursement. On-site registration is not available.   

Travel Reimbursement:
Funding is available for travel costs for districts and charter organizations that are traveling 51 miles or more from the school district or charter office to ASU SkySong, 1301 North Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257.  Reimbursements will be made to the district or charter organization, not the special education teacher, via the Arizona Procurement Portal. Please note that APP registration and an additional completed State Procurement Office Form will be required.  Additional information regarding travel reimbursement will be provided to the district or charter organization once registration is completed. To be considered for travel reimbursement for the three-day summer session, registration must be completed by May 2, 2025. Reimbursement may be provided for up to five travelers per district or charter, with additional travelers added as funding permits.

Begin the registration process for Teach Camp!  

Please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox with any questions about Teach Camp.   

The Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ArSHA) will hold its annual convention on April 11–12 in Tempe, Arizona. Hundreds of speech-language pathologists (SLPs), speech-language technicians (SLTs), speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs), and students enrolled in SLP graduate programs will attend this event.

ADE/ESS Recruitment and Retention will staff a booth in the convention exhibit hall to recruit SLPs/SLTs/SLPAs and audiologists on behalf of Arizona’s public schools. Our booth will include information about all SLP/SLT/SLPA positions posted on the Arizona Education Employment Board (AEEB). The AEEB is a free online job provided by ADE/ESS. You can view all current speech positions on the job board to confirm if your vacancy is posted. 

The Arizona Department of Education sponsors the public school strand at the convention to support high-quality, relevant professional development for school-based speech personnel. This year’s sponsored topics include remediation of speech sound disorders, language assessment of multilingual students, assistive technology, building Tier 2 vocabulary, and keeping students engaged in speech therapy.

To be included in this recruitment effort, please post your speech positions on our job board by April 1.

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

All school districts, charter schools, secure care facilities, and the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) are required to annually administer the State Performance Plan Indicator 8 Parent Involvement Survey to parents of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The survey opened on January 20, 2025, via ADEConnect Data Surveys and will close on May 31, 2025. Our current participation rate is 5.1%.

Mail Merge Feature: The survey application has merged the individual student login codes and parent letters. This feature will make it easier for users to disseminate parent instructions.

Additional forms and guidance can be found on the Parent Involvement Survey Info for Schools website and ADEConnect on the Data Surveys page.

If you do not already have access to the survey application or need to add additional users who should have the right to use this information and administer the survey, contact your entity ADEConnect administrator and ask to be assigned the Data Surveys: User Role. If additional assistance is needed to be assigned the User Role, use the Help Desk ticketing system via ADEConnect.

Please email the Parent Survey Inbox with questions.

Are you ready to transform learning and create more inclusive educational experiences? The ADE/ESS Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices Unit invites all educators to our upcoming free virtual professional learning series on Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

These webinars are an excellent opportunity to deepen your understanding of UDL principles and how they can be applied to create more inclusive, accessible learning environments for all students. These sessions are packed with practical strategies, research-based insights, and tools that can be implemented across diverse classroom settings, supporting the success of all learners.   Whether you're an educator, administrator, or advocate for inclusive education, these webinars will provide valuable takeaways to enhance your practice.

Assistive Tech and UDL: A Conversation About Technology, Tools, and Teaching
Choose One: 
March 25, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
April 8, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 The Engagement Toolbox: A Treasure Trove of Powerful Strategies

April 3, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 Leading for Inclusion: UDL Essentials for School Administrators
Choose One: 
April 2, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
April 14, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 Representation Reimagined: UDL’s Key to Inclusive Learning
Choose One: 
April 10, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
April 30, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 Please note that these sessions will not be recorded.

Register today and be part of the conversation!

For additional information, visit: https://exceptionalstudent.padlet.org/essacadachincpractices/ade-universal-design-for-learning-resources-39z6kkpy9vyf67x5

We look forward to seeing you there!

(Flyer can be found here)

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT  

FY26 Statement of Assurances, required for all Public Education Agencies, opens April 2, 2025 

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the representative body for Special Education for Arizona, Exceptional Student Services (ESS), is required to annually obtain assurances from Public Education Agencies (PEAs) attesting that they are meeting the requirements under state and federal statutes. This requirement is completed via the Statement of Assurances application. 

Completing the annual Statement of Assurances is a requirement for all entities defined as a PEA, regardless of whether they get federal funds. Non-Public Organizations (NPOs) are exempt from this requirement.  

All PEAs must submit the FY26 Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the ESS Portal, accessed via ADEConnect.  

The application will open on April 2, 2025, and close for submissions on June 11, 2025. 

The SOA must be submitted by your Superintendent, Charter Holder, or Special Education Director before FY26 IDEA funding applications are approved in the Grants Management Enterprise system. 

• The PEA’s entity administrator must assign the role of ESS Special Education: Signer in ADEConnect to the individual who will review, sign, and submit the SOA. 

• PEAs that do not apply for IDEA funds are still required to submit the SOA. 

Once the role is assigned, please log in to ADEConnect, navigate to the Exceptional Student Services portal, and select the Statement of Assurances link under Surveys & Assurances:

The survey code will auto-populate for your PEA. Please select the “Yes” checkbox for each page to indicate your assurances for the requirements. 

Upon completion, the SOA can be printed for your records. If your PEA wants to ensure that the SOA was submitted, re-accessing the SOA will display the “Thank you for submitting” page. 

Please direct any questions to the ESS Data Management inbox.