Teach Camp registration is filling up fast! It is hard to believe that this summer, we will launch Teach Camp for the fifth year! Teach Camp provides professional learning and supports that are specifically designed for beginning special education teachers. Teach Camp aims to increase the retention of special educators by providing our newest special education teachers with the tools that they need to survive and thrive during their first years in the classroom. Of this year’s participants, 97.5 % reported that their work-related knowledge had increased because they attended camp, and 100% reported an increase in their work-related motivation!

Teach Camp is available to special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in Fall 2024. Recent graduates from traditional teacher preparation programs, alternative certified teachers, and veteran general education teachers transitioning to special education are all welcome. Please note that participants must be currently employed in a school district or charter as a special education teacher for the 2024-2025 school year, and participants must have no more than two years of special education teaching experience in total (including previous positions) to be eligible to attend Teach Camp.   

The cost is only $250 per teacher and includes:  

• 3-day summer “camp” to be held July 9–11, 2024, at the Rio Salado Conference Center in Tempe* (breakfast and lunch provided)  
• One-day follow-up session in February 2025 in Phoenix* (lunch provided)   
• A copy of The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers  
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children  
• Additional valuable resources   

Here are some of the things this year’s campers had to say about their experience at camp:

“This is one of the BEST conferences I have attended. Not just because of all the valuable resources provided, knowledgeable and accessible presenters, materials given... Mainly because of all the Teach Camp representatives who were so kind, inspiring, happy, motivating, encouraging, and attentive!! To me, this was the best part of the training. I felt cared for!”

“The information provided was invaluable. Learned many new things and especially loved the resource toolbox. The whole training was worth it just to have that info to tap later.”

“Too many to mention just one. All the individual sessions! Carol Kosnitsky's knowledge, experience, passion and energy just lights a fire under you and gets you excited. Great to meet so many of you that work at Dept of Ed in ESS, gave me a great understanding of where the support system starts.  LOVE the Survival Guide book, I'm on the last chapter and there are so many great resources in there. It reinforces and supports Teach Camp!”

“The best thing was the staff who planned and executed the camp. They thought of everything. BEST seminar I ever attended, and the follow-up day was very anticipated. It did not disappoint. Practicality of information presented; I absolutely enjoyed Carol Kosnitsky!”

Registration for Teach Camp is open until June 25, 2024*, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration must be approved by the special education director and completed by the PEA, not the special education teacher. On-site registration is not available.

*To be considered for travel reimbursement, participants must register at the link below by May 17, 2024.

Begin the registration process for Teach Camp!

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

ADE/ESS and STAR Autism Support are collaborating to offer PEAs free resources, in-person and virtual professional learning, and additional coaching and technical assistance this summer.

2-Day STAR Comprehensive Workshop 

This comprehensive two-day workshop provides participants with detailed examples and practice activities on implementing the evidence-based practices identified in the National Standards Report (2009). The STAR Program (Arick, Loos, Falco, and Krug, 2015), a research-based curriculum, is used to provide examples. Appropriate content connected to the State Standards is presented, and detailed information on the three evidenced-based instructional methods of discrete trial training, pivotal response training, and teaching through functional routines will be shared.  If registered as a team, you will also be eligible to apply for free coaching hours. 

2-Day Links Comprehensive Workshop 
This two-day workshop provides participants with information on implementing evidence-based practices for secondary students using the Links Curriculum (Arick, Hoffman, and Magee-Arick, 2012). Participants will learn to use a process for assessing and teaching functional routines documented in the research. Extensive information will be given on selecting and individualizing routines and teaching specific skills to support success during routines. Participants will be given access to the Links Curriculum for the 2024-2025 school year. If registered as a team, you will also be eligible to apply for free coaching hours. 

PEAs are also encouraged to contact STAR Autism Support if they want additional individualized support for their teachers, related service staff members, and paraprofessionals.

Click here to learn more about these additional support opportunities.

We are excited to offer these opportunities to work with your teams to support students! 

Questions: Contact Bekah Anderson [email protected] or Christy Hegebush [email protected]

The Arizona Professional Learning Series

How Leaders Lead to Impact Success

Free Professional Learning

May 9, 2024 

8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

ASU SkySong

Scottsdale, AZ

The ADE/ESS is offering a free, one-day Professional Learning for district leadership and school-site leadership to facilitate using tools and evidence-based practices to lead successful impact on school-wide systems, collective accountability, and inclusivity for the teaching and learning of students with specific learning disabilities.   

This professional learning opportunity offers leadership:

• A systems approach aligned to current initiatives to support a culture of inclusivity using data and an inquiry cycle for continuous reflection and improvement.
• Strategies to facilitate collective efficacy between general educators and special educators.
• Tools and evidence-based practices to define what the key is to school-wide literacy success.
• Web-based resources, including a data portal, to gain insight into how schools work to influence the impact of teachers' actions.
• A plan of action to move all the parts of your school so that leaders can support the success of all students.

Register for How Leaders Lead to Impact Success.

If you have any questions, email Stacy Riccio.

Please see the following updates for Emotional Disabilities-Public (ED-P) programs in FY 25.

• ED-P Criteria document has been updated to align with the ED-P Statement of Assurance. The following changes were made:
  • New Items
    • No more than a four-year age span per classroom unless approved by ESS due to extraneous circumstances.
    • A 6:1 student-to-staff member ratio is maintained.
    • Facility requirements:
      • The facility allows for mobility and is accessible for all students and staff. Building features are safe, secure, and in good condition.
      • Entrances/exits are clearly marked for the program.
      • Overall, furniture is safe for use.
  • Removed Items
    • Curriculum are aligned to/with the Arizona Academic Standards.
    • IEPs have measurable annual goals.
    • Progress reports are sent to the Home School District on a quarterly basis.
    • Special education services provided (Specially Designed Instruction or SDI).
    • Responsible individual(s) identified for dispensing medication to students and the procedures involved.
  • Revised Items
    • From “Program is housed in a designated classroom, area, or building on school campus; is on a separate site within the local education agency; and/or the programmatic structure supports the physical separation of students within the local education agency.” to “Program is housed in a separate building, separate school, or separate classroom that inconspicuously and physically restricts access to/from the traditional school site.”
    • From “Detailed description of Exit Criteria Must be individualized [From Restrictive to LRE]” to “Describe the exit criteria process and transition plan to promote individual student’s return to a least restrictive environment.”
• Beginning FY25, ESS will require PEAs to submit quarterly renewals for ED-P programs. More information will be shared regarding this new process near the beginning of the school year.
• We are enhancing the application. PEAs will be informed of the FY25 application opening date soon and will receive an instruction manual detailing the application modifications and process to submit quarterly renewals.

Please review the revised documents attached (Document I) (Document II). They can also be found on the Emotional Disabilities-Private/Public Program web page. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Private Day and ED-P inbox.

All school districts, charter schools, secure care schools, 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 March 1 via ADEConnect Data Surveys and will close on May 31, 2024. The initial opening announcement was sent to the ADE/ESS Data Managers listserv. Currently, the response rate is only at 2.8%.

New: 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.

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.

The ADE/ESS/Assistive Technology team is excited to announce the last in our series of 2023–24 National Presenters: “Artificial Sweeteners: AI for Teachers and Everyone Else, Too!” with Tony Vincent. This presentation is designed for general and special education teachers and related service providers.

“Artificial Sweeteners: AI for Teachers and Everyone Else, Too!”

Date: Friday, May 3, 2024

Time: 8:30 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: Free (lunch on your own)

Where: Rio Vista Recreation Center (Lakeview room)

Address: 8866 W Thunderbird Rd., Peoria, AZ 85381

About Tony Vincent

Tony Vincent started out teaching fifth grade in Omaha 25 years ago. Several years later, he took on the role of his school's technology coach. Eventually, he left school teaching to be a self-employed consultant, sharing friendly ways for teachers to reach, empower, and inspire their students. Tony is a prolific sharer and approachable, and he consistently selects practical tools and strategies that can be implemented right away. Tony returned to teaching for the 2018–2019 school year, where his fifth graders became Chromebook superusers and creative communicators. Tony posts many handy tech tips on social media and hosts a series of digital drawing challenges for kids called Shapegrams. Most importantly, Tony is the father of 11-year-old twins.

Workshop Description:

“Artificial Sweeteners: AI for Teachers and Everyone Else, Too!”

Teachers and therapists across all grade levels can sweeten their lessons with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). A growing number of websites offer AI-powered tools for lesson planning, differentiating, communicating, and assessing. AI is an exceptional brainstorming partner and can produce delightful content, engaging activities, and instructional resources when combined with a teacher's expertise. We will explore free tools for crafting clever learning activities, developing thoughtful questions, authoring relevant story problems, reinforcing vocabulary, differentiating instruction, and generating rubrics. While the intelligence may be artificial, the results are real. Bring your laptop because you will be putting AI to use during this workshop. This workshop is appropriate for general and special education teachers and or related service providers.

Register for Artificial Sweeteners: AI for Teachers and Everyone Else, Too!    

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

ARIZONA LITERACY ROAD SHOW! 

The Arizona Department of Education English Language Arts team invites you to attend the Arizona Literacy Road Show coming to a location near you!

About the event: This day-long in-person FREE professional learning experience will be a celebration of the science of reading and all things PreK-12th grade literacy. The keynote session will be about the science of reading and structured literacy and will dive into the components of Scarborough's Reading Rope. The breakout sessions will demonstrate how to effectively implement evidence-based literacy practices around each component of the rope, from PreK all the way to 12th grade and beyond. Participants will attend the morning keynote and then will have a choice of three additional breakout sessions to attend. New courses will be available for those who attended last year! 

Audience: Teachers, reading specialists, literacy coaches, interventionists, administrators, and support staff. Please share this with all of your colleagues and anyone else who might be interested!

Registration: Participants must register for the event in the ADE APLD. Participation is capped at 150 participants. All participants who register in APLD and attend the Arizona Literacy Road Show will receive an attendance certificate displaying 5 clock hours.  Specific location information and addresses will be emailed to participants.

Contact Information: For additional information about the Arizona Literacy Road Show, please contact: Karen Ten Napel at [email protected] 

Dates/Locations - click below to register for your chosen city:

• Holbrook, AZ – Thursday, June 13th, 2024
• Virtual – Tuesday, June 18th, 2024
• Yuma, AZ – Thursday, June 20th, 2024

Bullhead City, AZ – Thursday, June 27th, 2024

In partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program, ADE/ESS is excited to be able to offer scholarships for Arizona youth and their families. Scholarships are available so that youth and young adults with disabilities and/or their family member/personal assistant can attend Arizona’s 2024 IDEA Conference: Expect, Engage, Achieve.

This cross-stakeholder event is intended for special education administrative staff, youth and young adults with disabilities, family members and caregivers, state agency staff, educators, service providers, and community members committed to student success. The event will feature numerous professional learning opportunities, including IDEA legal issues, instructional practices, national trends and hot topics, special education compliance, preschool and secondary transition, and content for related service providers. This year’s conference will be held from September 4–6, 2024, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix.

Who can apply for a scholarship:

• Youth/young adult between the ages of 14 and 26 who has a documented disability
• Family member of a student with an IEP or 504 Plan
• Direct care provider who attends with a student or family member

Scholarships will cover each recipient's conference registration fee and lodging and mileage for eligible recipients. Additional, important information is listed in the application.

A limited number of scholarships are available. Please complete the Youth and Family Scholarship application by June 30, 2024.

Please download the Youth and Family Scholarship flyer to promote this opportunity.

For more information about the IDEA Conference, visit the IDEA Conference website. Questions about the conference, registration, or the scholarship can be sent to the IDEA Conference inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

FY25 Statement of Assurances, required for all Public Education Agencies,

opens April 3, 2024

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 FY25 Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the ESS Portal, accessed via ADEConnect.

The application will open on April 3, 2024, and close for submissions on June 12, 2024.

The SOA must be submitted by your Superintendent, Charter Holder, or Special Education Director before FY25 IDEA funding applications are approved in the Grants Management Enterprise system.

• The PEAs 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:

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.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, April 17, 2024

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, April 17, 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.