DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT     

Special Education Data Updates Webinar 

  The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will be hosting the next Special Education Data Updates live webinar on Wednesday, November 17th from 10am – 11am. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include:  

• Reminders  
• Trending topics  
• Topics requested by you  
• 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].  

Special Education Directors,

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

On November 18–20, 2021, ADE/ESS will be recruiting for speech personnel on behalf of all public education agencies (PEAs) at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) annual fall conference. ESS will operate a booth in the virtual exhibit hall to promote the advantages of working in a school setting and to showcase speech vacancies in Arizona's public schools. 

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 the job board as well as to information about becoming licensed and certified to practice in Arizona. 

Post your speech vacancies at the Arizona Education Employment Board.

If you have questions, please email the Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

Announcing the Arizona Professional Learning Series

An Opportunity for Public Education Agencies

The ADE/ESS Arizona Professional Learning Series (AZPLS) provides district and school teams with a systemic method for achieving systems change in aligning state, district, and school site efforts to impact literacy achievement for all students and to close the literacy achievement gap for students with specific learning disabilities. 

The AZPLS provides districts and schools with:

• Six inclusive professional learning modules for K-8 general education teachers, special education teachers, school site leadership, and coaches.
• Six accompanying, interactive professional learning modules for parents and students.
• Leadership coaching from a national presenter to build site capacity in facilitating module professional learning, coach with a focus, collect and analyze data through an inquiry cycle, and sustain implementation.
• Collaborative team structure inspiring shared leadership and decision making from all stakeholders.
• A coaching framework designed for job-embedded professional learning focused on collaborative teams and teacher instructional planning/delivery.
• Web-based data tools and reporting to support targeted needs throughout implementation.

Required AZPLS team members include the district special education director, curriculum director, a school site administrator, two or three general education teachers from different grade levels/content areas, one special education teacher who works closely with general education teachers, and one school site coach.

To indicate your interest in an informational webinar, please sign up at this link by November 11, 2021.

If you have any questions, please email Stacy Riccio.

Special Education Directors,

Please see this flyer from our colleagues with the Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) regarding their upcoming annual conference.

The Annual Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) Conference has gone hybrid!

Early registration ends October 30!

We are livestreaming several sessions on topics that may be of interest to school administrators, special education teachers, general education teachers, school counselors, social workers, and nurses. These sessions include presentations on dyslexia screening and evidence-based reading instruction, mental health, and legal issues. Check out the attachment or the conference web site.

Come join us in-person or virtually! 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT   

FY 2022 October 1 Data Collection Application is now OPEN

The October 1 Data Collection (ODC) application is now open and Phase I is underway.

This phase includes the submission of your PEA’s  SPED student count and personnel FTE data. 

This data is due Wednesday, November 17, 2021.

Please refer to the Important Dates document on the ODC timeline and review the email below for additional details.

Contact [email protected] with questions.

Special Education Directors, 

Are you looking for Occupational Therapists (OTs) and/or Occupational Therapy Assistants?

On October 15—16, 2021, ADE/ESS will be recruiting for OT personnel on behalf of all public education agencies (PEAs) at the Arizona Occupational Therapy Association’s annual fall conference. ESS will operate a booth in the exhibit hall to promote the advantages of working in a school setting and distribute flyers listing all current and anticipated OT vacancies in Arizona public schools. We will also run a banner ad on the conference website directing OTs to the Arizona Education Employment Board.

If your PEA would like ESS to promote OT opening(s) at ArizOTa, please post them on the ADE job board as soon as possible. The banner ad will be visible on the ArizOTA website well before the convention dates, so please post quickly!

Post your OT/COTA vacancies at the Arizona Education Employment Board.

If you have questions, please email the Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

Special Education Directors,

Please share this announcement with your Business Managers and Grant Writers.

The ESS Program Management team has announced the FY22 webinar series of topics related to IDEA federal funding. Please visit the ESS Program Management website to register for each Zoom session and read session descriptions. The webinar series will take place on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m.

• October 12 - American Rescue Plan (ARP-IDEA) Funds and MOE Considerations
• November 9 - Proportionate Share and the October Data Collection
• December 14 - High-Cost Child and Extraordinary Special Education Needs Fund Applications
• January 11 - Allowable Costs Under the IDEA
• February 8 - FY23 IDEA Funding Application
• March 1 - Maintenance of Effort Compliance
• April 12 - Topic – TBD
• May 10 - Fiscal Year Wrap-Up

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

• November 16 – 2nd Quarter ESS Office Hours
• February 15 – 3rd Quarter ESS Office Hours
• May 17 – 4th Quarter ESS Office Hours

Sign up for the ESS Program Management listserv and take the FY22 Training Survey to give feedback on April’s topic.

Send questions about IDEA and other federal funding opportunities to the ESS Program Management Inbox.

The Heart, Art, Craft, and Sciences of Reading/Writing for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

The Exceptional Student Services Professional Learning and Sustainability, Special Populations, and Assistive Technology teams are partnering to offer a professional learning opportunity focused on a literacy strengths-based teaching and learning approach for students with low-incidence disabilities in grades K–12.

This three-part series will focus on the sciences of reading and writing, adapted to meet the complex needs of all students at Tier 1. The Assistive Technology team will also share tips, tricks, and tools on using technology to enhance reading and writing for all students. Educators will walk away with skills and strategies that can be implemented the next day. This literacy series is for all educators! Participants can earn a total of 4.5 professional development credits for attending the entire series.

Part 1 Teaching the Whole Child

Tuesday, October 26, 2021, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Part 2 Understanding the Words

Tuesday, November 30, 2021, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Part 3 Bridging the Processes

Tuesday, January 11, 2022, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Materials

Participants will receive the book, Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction and Assessment, Second Edition.

Register early to ensure that you receive the book in the mail before the first session.

Cost

The cost is $30 per person.

Location

All three sessions will be held virtually on Zoom.

Accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of each session. Please email Sandra Figueroa or email Christy Hegebush with any questions.

Register today!

Special Education Directors,

Please share the following message with your staff who support Post School Outcomes (PSO) Survey data collection.

The ADE/ESS Secondary Transition team would like to thank those who participated in the 2021 PSO data collection season. The PSO Survey helps PEAs collect and report information to meet Indicator 14 requirements. Between June 1 and September 30 of this year, PEAs statewide worked hard to reconnect with former students who had IEPs when they exited high school during the 2019–2020 school year. Through their efforts, 6,245 former students responded to the survey, for a 78.7% participation rate with 71.8% of respondents engaged in postsecondary education/training or employment. A more detailed view of this year's PSO Survey results will be posted on the PSO Website by October 31, 2021.

Our team wants to recognize PEAs that performed exceptionally this season to complete PSO requirements. We are excited to share the PSO Celebration Website, which highlights the PEAs that completed all PSO surveys and met criteria for one of the following categories:

• PSO All-Star—Met or exceeded the statewide participation rate goal of 80% and engagement rate average of 71.8%
• PSO MVP—Met or exceeded the statewide participation rate goal of 80%

Please join us in congratulating Arizona's exemplary PEAs for their hard work and dedication!

Questions regarding PSO can be sent to the PSO Inbox.

Special Education Directors,

Project EASEL, in partnership with ADE/ESS, would like to invite you and your staff to tune into the Exploring Strategies for Social Emotional Learning Fall and Spring series (see attachment). We plan to share a variety of information and strategies that will support your understanding and implementation of Assertiveness, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Regulation.

New targeted webinars announcement! Project EASEL will be offering 3 new targeted webinars. 

• Career and Technical Education (CTE)
• Secure Care
• Secondary Transition

Registration is required for each session. Please view this flyer for upcoming sessions with updated details and registration links.

Topics include:

Raise Student Confidence through Self-Efficacy Activities and Guided Practice

• Tuesday, October 26, 2021 @ 3:00 p.m.

Teach Students Respectful Communication through Assertiveness

• Tuesday, November 9, 2021 @ 3:00 p.m.

Teach Students to Self-Regulate in Career and Technical Education (CTE) (Targeted)

• Tuesday, November 30, 2021 @ 3:00 p.m.

Teach Adjudicated Students to Believe in their Abilities (Targeted)

• Tuesday, December 14, 2021 @ 3:00 p.m.

Teach Respectful Communication and Self-Advocacy to Students Receiving Transition (Targeted)

• Tuesday, January 11, 2022 @ 3:00 p.m.

On behalf of the Project EASEL, we want to say welcome back to a new and exciting school year, and we look forward to seeing you virtually this fall.

If you have any questions, please email the Pattie Noonan at [email protected].