Special Education Administrators,

Please see the memo to review changes to the upcoming grant cycle for IDEA Basic and IDEA Preschool (IDEA Consolidated).

All public education agencies, regardless of IDEA funding status, must submit the IDEA Statement of Assurances. The Statement of Assurances can be accessed in the ESS Portal and must be completed by the Superintendent, Charter Holder, or Special Education Director of your public education agency. The PEA must assign the role of ESS Special Education : Signer in ADE Connect to the individual that will review, sign, and submit the statement of assurances.

Please e-mail the ESS Program Management Inbox with questions.

Special Education Directors,
Please see below for the IDEA Conference offerings in March:

March 2, 2021 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Supportive Decision Making

Presented by George Garcia, Jon Meyers, Sey In, and Juliana Huerena

Searching for an alternative to Legal Guardianship for people with disabilities? Join us in this session to learn more about how Supported Decision-Making serves as a less restrictive alternative to Guardianship and how to develop a plan of support that will allow a person with a disability to keep his or her rights while getting the support he or she needs to live independently.

March 4, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

The Burnout Cure

Presented by Chase Mielke

In this engaging, humorous, and heartfelt talk, Chase shares his experience as a veteran educator and provides key insights on how the science of small, positive moments creates thriving adults, learners, and communities. The audience will be empowered to take care of themselves so they can better take care of the young adults who need them. Participants will learn about:

• OPTIMISM—Refocus on the good in order to reignite our love for teaching,
• OWNERSHIP—Take control of our own well-being through simple, research-based actions that boost purpose and happiness,
• MINDFULNESS—Be present and turn minor moments into major momentum to thrive personally and professionally, and
• COMMUNITY—Cultivate positive relationships with kids and adults to build supportive and resilient cultures.
   

March 16, 2021 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

         Skills to Pay the Bills: Let’s Explore Enthusiasm and Attitude!

Presented by Arizona Youth Leaders of Diverse Ability Incorporated

Join the Arizona Youth Leaders of Diverse Ability Incorporated for an opportunity to highlight your strengths related to positive attitude and enthusiasm. 

March 25, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

The Iron is HOT: Using UDL in the Virtual Classroom

Presented by Paula Kluth

It’s undoubtedly important to teach in ways that honor learning differences and to structure lessons that are engaging, varied, and appropriately challenging. However, in this era focused on universal design for all, it is also critical to explore the underlying habits of mind related to “teaching them all.” This presentation centers on big ideas related to teaching and learning. The presenter, Paula Kluth, will discuss the role of “teaching up” and presuming both competence and complexity. She will explore the need to focus on student strengths, passions, and interests. She will also talk about the need to design lessons that are responsive and dynamic. This presentation will contain video clips, classroom stories, examples, and illustrations. It will provide both points of reflection and practical strategies. More importantly, it will feature ideas to help all teachers better respond to the diversity that exists in their classrooms every single day.

You can register by selecting sessions listed above or please visit the IDEA Conference web page:

• The Professional sessions will take place on Thursday afternoons from 2:45–4:00 p.m.
• Youth and Family sessions will take place on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00–5:00 p.m.
• Participants must register 48 hours in advance to guarantee needed accommodations.

If you have questions, please email the conference inbox.

Special Education Directors,

Please review the attached memo for information on how to apply for a High-Cost Child Claim.

The next round of applications will close on March 12.

Please e-mail the ESS Program Management Inbox with any questions.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT     

AzEDS SPED Integrity Rule Update -40071

An enhancement to Integrity Rule -40071 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, and the rule has been updated on our SPED Integrity Rules Reference document. 

Integrity Rule -40071

This rule has been enhanced to further validate the SPED10 exit code. In addition to validating the exit code is only used for 3-5 year-olds in PS, KG or UE grade, this rule will now validate the enrollment ends on the same date.

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

Special Education Directors,

Please review the FY22 Preliminary IDEA Allocation Memo for updates from the ESS Program Management team regarding the IDEA Consolidated-Entitlement funding application.

If you have questions, feel free to send them to the Program Management Inbox.

Special Education Directors,

ESS is excited to announce a unique professional learning opportunity for speech-language pathologists. Please share information about this free webinar with your SLPs.

Comprehensive Assessment for SLI Eligibility: Research, Regulations, and Resources

Friday, February 19, 2021

9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.

Description:

This presentation will discuss the use of various tools and strategies to determine a student’s patterns of strengths and needs. It will include a systematic method of integrating data from standardized and informal measures such as interviews, focused observations, language sampling, and dynamic assessment to determine presence or absence of language disorder and provide recommendations for interventions that are connected to the curriculum. The session will offer practice in implementing a comprehensive assessment approach for evaluation and eligibility decision making in schools using new tools and case studies that model the integration of multiple data sources for decision making purposes. Free assessment tools, documentation strategies, and resources will be reviewed.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe research, tools, and techniques for comprehensive assessment that align with IDEA
• Explain how to implement a microstructure and macrostructure narrative analysis using the free resources provided
• Summarize dynamic assessment methods and techniques to increase accuracy of assessment practices

Presenter:

Marie Ireland, CCC-SLP, works for the Virginia Department of Education as an educational specialist for Speech Language Pathology, Related Services, and Evaluation and Eligibility Processes. Marie has experience advocating for legislation that impacts speech-language pathologists and individuals with communication disorders at the state and national levels. She has served on the ASHA School Finance Committee, ASHA SLP Advisory Council, ASHA Medicaid Committee, and is the past president of the State Education Agencies Communication Disabilities Council (SEACDC), a national consortium of state consultants. She served as the ASHA Vice President for SLP Practice (2018–2020).

Registration:

This professional learning opportunity is free. Please click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Participant registration is first-come, first-served until all available seats are filled. Government sponsored professional development may be used to meet licensure requirements and ASHA certification maintenance hour requirements but are not offered for ASHA CEUs. For more information regarding this professional learning opportunity, please email Mary Keeney.

Special Education Directors,

ESS collects data each year through the Teacher Attrition Survey to make informed decisions about recruitment and retention efforts in Arizona. Participation in the survey is mandatory for all district and charter schools in Arizona.

The survey is now open and will close on May 7, 2021. Please see memo for further details. Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the survey can be located at http://bit.ly/teacherattritionsurvey. For additional questions, please email Kim Rice. 

Thank you for completing the Teacher Attrition Survey.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

New Integrity Rules for FY21: -40080, -40081, -40082, and -40083

Four new integrity rules for FY21 will be introduced into the integrity process on FY21 SPED data shortly.  These new rules are a continuation of our effort to further validate SPED Exit Codes to ensure clean data for the state.  New one-sheet Integrity Tools are available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage for troubleshooting tips, and the rules have been added to our SPED Integrity Rules Reference document.  These rules have been moved to the upcoming section on the FY 2021 ESS Data Reporting Updates document.

Integrity Rule -40080

This rule will validate when a SPED01 Exit Code (Transferred to Regular Education) is used; there is a continuing enrollment reported the next in-session day for the student without SPED data.

Integrity Rule -40081

This rule will validate when a SPED04 Exit Code (Deceased) is used; the enrollment ends on the same day, and there are no follow up enrollments in the state.

Integrity Rule -40082

This rule will validate when a SPED03 Exit Code (Reached Maximum Age) is used; the student is 21 or older on the date of exit, and no new LREs are started at the site after that date.

Integrity Rule -40083

This rule will validate when a SPED09 Exit Code (Ends one LRE but starts another) is used; the student is not reported Graduated on the same date or before the LRE Exit Date.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions regarding these new rules.