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. 

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.

• January 16, 2024
• February 20, 2024
• March 19, 2024
• April 16, 2024
• May 21, 2024

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

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

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.

In conjunction with AzEIP, ADE/ESS/ECSE is proud to announce that the 2024 Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Summit is scheduled for February 28–March 1, 2024, from 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (MST). The three-day virtual conference will bring practitioners, administrators, leaders, and families together to share best practices for children with disabilities and of age birth to eight in:

• Early Intervention, helping families to transition children to preschool 
• Outcomes achieved through Early Intervention and preschool programming
• Instructional strategies for inclusive programs
• Supports to prevent and address challenging behaviors
• Resources to ensure that all children experience a team of professionals working with families to address the children's needs 

Registration for the Summit is now open on APLD.

Please bookmark the EI/ECSE Summit web page for updates and additional conference information.

We are also seeking presentations for the Summit. Requests for proposals are now available for Early Intervention proposals and Early Childhood Special Education proposals. Please consider submitting a presentation that represents the creative work and/or research you are doing in early intervention or early childhood special education.

ECSE appreciates your consideration in joining us to teach and learn as we work together to build high quality early childhood programs that meet the needs of all of our young children. If you have any questions, please email the ECSE Inbox.