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INTERNAL PD INFO: ADE/ESS Virtual Math Professional Learning Offerings for February and March 2024

INTERNAL PD INFO: ADE/ESS Virtual Math Professional Learning Offerings for February and March 2024

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

Virtual Professional Learning Opportunities:

The following virtual sessions are offered via Zoom and are free to attend. Click the session link to view the session description and to pre-register.

Take a DIP into Estimation 180 (Grades K–12)
Thursday, February 1, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Math Language Routines that Help Students Understand Context (Grades K–12)
Thursday, February 8, from 4:00–5:30 p.m.
Take a DIP into Dot Talks (Grades K–12)
Tuesday, March 5, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Take a DIP into Growing Patterns (Grades K–12)

Tuesday, March 26 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Note: Accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of the webinar. Sessions will not be recorded. It is strongly recommended that you use a computer to access the webinar to enable full participation in the session.

Please email Rob Hilliker with any questions.

  

Please visit the ESS Math webpage to view more upcoming events and helpful resources. 

Approved Private Special Education Schools Email List Sign Up Form

Approved Private Special Education Schools Email List Sign Up Form

Welcome to the Arizona Department of Education / Exceptional Student Services' Approved Private Special Education Schools email sign-up form. This email list is used to communicate updates, reminders, and more.

2024 Webinars and Office Hours for Special Education Funding

2024 Webinars and Office Hours for Special Education Funding

Fri, Jan 5, 2024

ESS Program Management is excited to resume the FY24 IDEA Funding Application webinar series on Tuesday, January 9, at 11:00 a.m. Please register for the event by clicking on the link below.  

  • Allowable Costs Under the IDEA - January 9, 2024
    • This session will provide a foundation-level overview of how public education agencies may spend IDEA Part B funds to support special education programs. 
  • FY25 IDEA Funding Application - February 13, 2024
    • The Fiscal Year 2025 IDEA Part B funding applications open in March. Join the ESS Program Management team for helpful tips and tricks on how to apply for the Section 611 and Section 619 funds. This webinar is targeted for special education administrators, business managers, and grant writers. 
  • Maintenance of Effort - March 1, 2024
    • The IDEA requires every public education agency to maintain a level of fiscal support from state and local funds. The IDEA MOE Compliance and Eligibility tests are conducted twice a year. This session will showcase the data used for the MOE calculations and how PEAs can provide evidence of reducing state and local spending requirements. Special education administrators and business managers are encouraged to attend.
  • Special Education Funding: How, When, and What Order to Spend?  - April 9, 2024
    • How does a SPED Director plan a budget? Which funding source is better suited for a fixed versus a variable cost? Come to this session to learn how state and federal fund are intertwined in Arizona.
  • Fiscal Year Wrap-Up - May 7, 2024
    • This session will provide guidance on how to wrap up fiscal year 2024 grants and prepare for the completion report season.

ESS Office Hours

ESS Program Management will also host Office Hours on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. PEAs are invited to attend these informal Zoom meetings to bring questions directly to their program specialist.

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming PD event.

INTERNAL PD: Free Assistive Technology JOTs

INTERNAL PD: Free Assistive Technology JOTs

Overwhelmed by professional development? Don’t have time for a 90-minute webinar? We got you! Please join the Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services/Assistive Technology team for our spring series titled “Assistive Technology: Just One Thing” (JOT).

These fast, 30-minute sessions will showcase just one organizational or assistive technology tool or strategy that you can use in your classroom or teacher/therapist life. Are mornings or afternoons better for you? No worries—each JOT will be presented on Wednesdays at lunchtime and after school. Choose the time that works for you. The next spring session will take place on Wednesday, February 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. The topic will be “Visual Scene Displays with Click AAC”.

Visual Scene Displays (VSD) provide a way to represent meaning. They have been a part of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems for years. Here’s a new vision on using VSDs as language organization on your iOS or Android devices.  During this JOT, we will look at an exciting, free, still-developing AAC app that can be used to enhance and support students’ current AAC systems or that can be an additional tool for classroom instruction and activities. Join us for a look at the Click AAC app.  

Register for the 11:30 a.m. session

Register for the 3:30 p.m. session

If you have questions regarding this professional development opportunity, please email the AT Team inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT - Preschool Outcomes Reporting - New Report Available

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT - Preschool Outcomes Reporting - New Report Available

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Preschool Outcomes Reporting—New Report Available

Effective for the fiscal year 2024, Preschool Outcomes are now reported to Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS). The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires State Education Agencies to calculate the percentage of preschool children aged 3 through 5 with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) who demonstrate improved outcomes with Social Relationships, Use of Knowledge and Skills, and Taking Action to Meet Needs.

To assist Public Education Agencies (PEAs) with reporting, the SPED12 – Preschool Outcomes History report is now available in the AzEDS portal in the SPED section. This report provides a history of preschool outcomes reported by a previous PEA. This report will allow the current PEA to gain an understanding of the student’s outcome history. Your PEA will be able to see the current outcome information and any prior outcome information for a preschool student with a disability. Any outcomes reported after the student has left your PEA (example: future outcomes) will not populate in the report. 

To access this report, a user must have the ‘AzEDS Data Coordinator – SPED Reports’ role assigned in ADEConnect. Please contact your PEA’s entity administrator to provide the role.

Email the ESS Data Management inbox with any questions regarding Preschool Outcomes reporting.

Indicator 17: State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)

Indicator 17: State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)

What Indicator 17 is

Indicator 17 is the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP).

The SSIP is a three-year process that helps to support Arizona districts and charters with:

  • Activities that improve evidence-based practices
  • Systemic improvement within the learning community
  • Early literacy development
  • Positive outcomes for students with disabilities

Through stakeholder feedback and data analysis, the SSIP undergoes continuous improvement to ensure that SSIP activities help support student outcomes.

Arizona’s State-Identified Measurable Result (SiMR)

Stakeholders in each state collaborate to choose a focus area that has the potential to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. This focus area is called the State-Identified Measurable Result (SiMR).

To align with Move On When Reading (MOWR) legislation and the focus on early literacy proficiency, Arizona stakeholders have chosen literacy proficiency on Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) in grade 3 as the SSIP SiMR.

Data for Indicator 17

After school closures at the end of the 2019–2020 school year, the proficiency changes for the SSIP SiMR:

AASA Testing Year

Proficiency Increase

Proficiency Decrease

2021

X

2022

X

2023

X

While each SiMR shows data for only grade 3 students, those students were in grade levels of more formative literacy development, from when the 2020 school closures occurred:

AASA Testing Year

2020 Grade Level

2021

Grade 2

2022

Grade 1

2023

Kindergarten

What Arizona’s Data Means for Students and Families

The data shows not only how important it is to support students with evidence-based classroom practices and learning community systems but also how important it is for students to have a consistent structure of support during early literacy development.

Because every student’s academic development was negatively affected by COVID-19 to a degree, it is important for families to be involved in knowing to what degree this impact is the case for their student. It is important for learning communities and families to work together to monitor indicators of early literacy development and to support each other with goals and plans that provide the necessary developmental support.

Additional Resources

Arizona’s SSIP web page

Arizona's Program Support and Monitoring web page

Arizona's Exceptional Student Services web page

The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy): Stakeholder Knowledge and the SSIP

The National Center for Systemic Improvement

Questions or comments can be emailed to the SSIP Coordinator, Shaun Stevenson.

< Indicator 16SPP/APR HOME 

Indicator 16: Mediation

Indicator 16: Mediation

What Indicator 16 Is

Indicator 16 measures the percentage of problems that are solved through mediation. If a parent has an issue regarding special education, for example, the parent and school may have a mediator (an unbiased third party) assist in coming up with an agreement.

Why Indicator 16 Is Important

Mediation is an informal, collaborative problem-solving process that encourages mutual respect, promotes communication, and often provides the basis for positive working relationships between parents and school staff.

How Indicator 16 Is Measured

Indicator 16 is the percentage of mediations that resulted in mediation agreements.

Data for Indicator 16

Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)

2021

2022

Data from School Year (SY)

2021–2022

2022–2023

Indicator 16 data

82%

74%

More Information

Arizona's Mediation web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.    

< Indicator 15SPP/APR HOMEIndicator 17 >

Indicator 15: Resolution Sessions

Indicator 15: Resolution Sessions

What Indicator 15 Is

Indicator 15 measures the percent of problems that are solved through resolution sessions. If a parent has an issue regarding special education services, for example, the parent and school may have a resolution session wherein they meet and try to come to an agreement..

Why Indicator 15 Is Important

The goal of the resolution session is to attempt to resolve the dispute that triggered the hearing request without the need for litigation.

How Indicator 15 Is Measured

Indicator 15 measures the percentage of hearing requests that are resolved through resolution session settlement agreements.

Data for Indicator 15

Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)

2021

2022

Data from School Year (SY)

2021–2022

2022–2023

Indicator 15 data

33%

50%

More Information

Arizona's Dispute Resolution web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.    

< Indicator 14SPP/APR HOMEIndicator 16 >

Indicator 14: Post School Outcomes

Indicator 14: Post School Outcomes

What Indicator 14 Is

Indicator 14 reports whether our students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are in school, have a job, or in some type of training one year after they leave high school by graduating, aging out at age 22, or dropping out.

Why Indicator 14 Is Important

Indicator 14 tells us about the lives of our students with IEPs one year after they have left high school. It is one way to help us understand whether students' education prepared them for adult life.

How Indicator 14 Is Measured

Students who exited high school are contacted one year after exiting high school. They are given a 14-question survey designed to capture student engagement in postsecondary education/training or employment.

Data for Indicator 14

Indicator 14A Graph FFY21 FFY22 (v2).png
Indicator 14B Graph FFY21 FFY22 (v2).png
Indicator 14C Graph FFY21 FFY22 (v2).png

Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)

2021

2022

Data from School Year (SY)

2021–2022

2022–2023

14A

19%

19%

14B59%57%
14C74%73%

More Information

Arizona's Post School Outcomes web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

< Indicator 13SPP/APR HOMEIndicator 15 >

Indicator 13: Secondary Transition

Indicator 13: Secondary Transition

What Indicator 13 Is

Indicator 13 checks whether Arizona students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), at the end of 9th grade or age 16, whichever is first or earlier, as determined necessary by the student’s IEP team. (A.A.C. R7-2-401(G)(4)(A))  receive secondary transition planning and services that comply with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Why Indicator 13 Is Important

Indicator 13 has components that can be a bridge from school programs to the opportunities of adult life, including higher education/training, employment, and independent living. This indicator checks to make sure certain critical pieces are part of the transition plan. 

How Indicator 13 is measured

Data is collected from Arizona’s monitoring system and is based upon a file review of a sample of files from PEAs in year 4 of their monitoring cycle.

Data for Indicator 13

Indicator 13 Graph FFY21 FFY22.png

Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)

2021

2022

Data from School Year (SY)

2021–2022

2022–2023

Indicator 13 data

65%

67%

More Information

Arizona's Secondary Transition web page

Arizona's rule change on secondary transition (began October 21, 2024)

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

< Indicator 12SPP/APR HOMEIndicator 14 >