DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT     

ESS Discipline Data Collection application is now open.

We are pleased to announce the ESS Discipline Data Collection (DDC) application is now open for FY21 SPED discipline incident submissions.  All disciplinary incidents that result in the removal of a student receiving special education services are required to be submitted in the DDC application.  The application will only accept incidents for students reported as SPED in AzEDS on the date of incident.  More information about the ESS Discipline Data Collection is available on our Annual SPED Data Collection webpage.

The application allows for manual entry of incidents as well as bulk entry using the XML upload feature, introduced in FY20.  Please note the XML was updated in FY20 and Student Information System vendors were required to update their exports to the new XML schema.  There have been no changes to the XML Schema in FY21.  Systems updated to the new schema in FY20 are not required to update for FY21.

Please note:  XML file uploads will override all the discipline data for the current fiscal year only for sites included in your XML file.

The ESS Discipline Data Collection application will close on July 16, 2021.

For questions pertaining to the ESS Discipline Data Collection, please contact ESS Data Management at [email protected].

The ADE/ESS Professional Learning and Sustainability unit is pleased to announce two “grow your own” opportunities for educators in Arizona public schools.

• The General Education Teacher to Special Education Teacher (GETSET) program provides tuition reimbursement to certified general education teachers who want to pursue a career change to become certified in an area of special education.
• The Special Education Teacher Tuition Assistance (SETTA) program provides tuition reimbursement to paraprofessionals and educational interpreters that leads to special education teaching certification.

Certifications that satisfy the application requirements:

1. Mild/Moderate Disabilities
2. Moderate/Severe Disabilities
3. Early Childhood Special Education
4. Hearing Impaired
5. Visually Impaired

Materials for the GETSET application and the SETTA application are avilable online. LEAs have an opportunity to submit an application for one candidate per program. Applications earning the highest scores in the evaluation process will be approved until the funding that is set aside for the program is depleted. Applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 16, 2021.

Please note:

• Applicant must have been employed by the LEA for two full school years as of June 30, 2021.
• Applicant agrees to two full years of teaching in a special education capacity at the PEA once special education certification is achieved.
• Educational interpreters are now eligible to apply for the SETTA program (previously only available to paraprofessionals).

For any additional information, please email Aanya Rispoli or call (602) 364-4022.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

SPED Integrity Rule -40055

SPED integrity rule -40055 is defined as follows:  

If a student’s SPED Exit Reason does not match the student’s regular membership Year End or Withdrawal Membership status, then report the discrepancy as an error. This rule is triggered for all SPED data effective April 1st of the fiscal year to capture mismatches and relevant data elements not reported. (See the SPED Exit Validation Matrix)

1. If a student has all of the following four values, this rule will trigger anytime during the reporting year:
   • Withdrawal/Year-End exit value (Code/Reason)
   • Withdrawal/Year-End exit date
   • SPED Exit Code (Reason)
   • SPED Exit Date
2. If any of these elements are missing, then this rule will be triggered on April 1 and forward.

To further clarify:

Between July 1 and March 31 of each reporting year, this rule would apply only in cases where all 4 of the aforementioned values (a-d above) are present. Effective April 1, this rule would apply to all students even if one or more of the values is reported as “null” (not reported).

The intent of this rule is not only to ensure that the data is complete by the end of the fiscal reporting year with all 4 values, it is also intended to ensure that the exit dates/reasons align between SPED and ADM as appropriate.

If PEAs were not receiving this error previously and now have students failing, most likely one of the 4 values have not been reported.  To resolve integrity error -40055, replace the null values with the correct exit date(s) and/or exit reason(s) according to the SPED Exit Validation Matrix and resubmit to AzEDS. Please note that AzEDS will accept future dates.

Additionally, the SPED Integrity Error Tool for -40055 can be referenced to assist with troubleshooting.  

Post-integrity exit data is required to ensure that the federal exit reports within the Annual SPED Data Collection are accurate and valid. This exit data is also used to calculate the measurement for the graduation rate (Indicator 1) and dropout rate (Indicator 2) on the State Performance Plan / Annual Performance Report (SPP / APR).  

If you have any questions, please direct them to [email protected].

Public Notice Regarding Application for Federal Funds under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is applying for federal funding under IDEA 2004 for the period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.  The eligibility document serves as the basis for the operation and administration of activities to carry out the requirements of Part B of the IDEA. In accordance with 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.165 and 441 (b)(7), the federal regulations that implement the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) ((20 U.S.C. §1232d(b)(7)(B)), this application is posted for public participation and comment.

The Application document sets forth policies and procedures that Arizona will undertake:

1. to ensure that all eligible children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that includes special education and related services to meet their unique needs;
2. to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected;
3. to assist public education agencies in providing for the education of all children with disabilities; and
4. to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate those children.
    

The IDEA Part B State Application and Interactive Spreadsheet are available to parents, educators, and members of the general public for review and comment starting March 8, 2021 through May 7, 2021 on the ADE website. Note that the U.S. Department of Education, Budget Services has not finalized the FFY 2021 allocations to States and has directed States to include the FFY 2020 Interactive Spreadsheet for public posting until allocations are disseminated and FFY 2021 information can be made available.   

Public comment for the 2021–2022 Proposed IDEA Part B State Application will be taken for 30 days starting March 8 through April 7, 2021. Comments may be submitted via email or in writing to:

Alissa Trollinger
Deputy Associate Superintendent
Exceptional Student Services
Arizona Department of Education
1535 West Jefferson Street, Bin #24
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Thank you.

Special Education Directors,

Please review this memo regarding the extension of CARES Act funding for IDEA compensatory services.

E-mail the ESS Program Management team with questions on how to submit a compensatory services claim.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Integrity Rule -40055 – Update to SPED Exit Validation Matrix

An enhancement to Integrity Rule -40055 will be introduced into the integrity process on FY21 SPED data shortly. This update is a continuation of our effort to ensure clean data for the state. Updated one-sheet Integrity Tools are available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage for troubleshooting tips.

Updates to the SPED Exit Validation Matrix will now be reflected in Integrity Rule -40055.

Most notably the SPED Exit Code SPED13 (End of School Year) may only be reported with an Enrollment Year End Code.  Updates to allowable SPED Exit Codes with Enrollment Year End Codes have also been addressed.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions regarding this update.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

NEW FY21 ESS Discipline Data Training Webinar  

ESS Data Management will be hosting a training webinar for the ESS Discipline Data Collection (DDC) on April 5, 2021, from 10am – 12pm. Please join us to learn about new updates and how to report your DDC data accurately and timely. If you’re unable to join us, we will be posting a recording of the webinar on our website.

Registration is required to attend: Register for the ESS Discipline Data webinar.  

The ESS DDC application opens March 15, 2021.

If you have any questions, please direct them to [email protected]. 

Special Education Directors,

Please share the following message about upcoming math professional learning with general and special education teachers who teach mathematics.

March Math Office Hours

The ADE Math Team has scheduled office hours to allow educators to meet together to network, problem-solve, and develop solutions to allow all Arizona teachers and students to continue to feel supported and to be successful.

Grade-band meetings are provided for all math teachers, including special education teachers! These grade-band meetings will include opportunities for networking, problem solving, and sharing different implementation models. Office hours are one hour long with an additional 30 minutes at the end for a Q & A session.  Participants can earn one hour of professional development credit for each session attended.

Elementary Math Office Hours (Grades K–5)

Monday, March 29 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. with Q & A from 4:30–5:00 p.m.

Register in advance for the Grades K–5 meeting.

Middle School Math Office Hours (Grades 5–8)

Tuesday, March 30 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. with Q & A from 4:30–5:00 p.m. 

Register in advance for the Grades 5–8 meeting.

High School Math Office Hours (Grades 8–12)

Wednesday, March 31 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. with Q & A from 4:30–5:00 p.m.

Register in advance for the Grades 8–12 meeting.

Note: accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of each webinar.

Please email Jenifer Fernandez or email Rob Hilliker with any questions.

Special Education Directors,

The purpose of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Compliance Testing is to ensure that local education agencies (LEAs) do not supplant state and local funds with IDEA federal funding sources per 34 C.F.R. §300.203(b). Any LEA that received federal entitlement funds for the IDEA must be tested for MOE Compliance.

While COVID-19 is still a factor in the state of Arizona, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has not issued any waivers or exceptions for any states in testing for IDEA MOE. As such, until ESS receives updated information from OSEP that provides an exemption, we are required by federal law to complete testing for IDEA MOE.

The ESS Program Management team will host a 90-minute webinar on March 9, from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Register for the webinar by March 7. This year’s preliminary compliance test results show that 125 out of 640 LEAs are at risk of failing to meet the compliance standard. During the webinar, the ESS Program Management team will guide LEAs through the MOE application and each of the allowable exceptions and reductions. The team will also explain how the MOE Compliance test results may be used to inform your LEA of how to budget in FY2022 to meet the MOE Eligibility test later this year.

Please review the FY2021 MOE Compliance Testing Window memo and e-mail the ESS Program Management Inbox with any questions.