Special Education Directors,

Arizona students with disabilities receiving special education services are reported into AzEDS to generate state funding as appropriate. Dependent on the disability, students with disabilities receive varying weighted totals under state aid. There is a fundable scenario that is not able to be reported into AzEDS at this time, which is comprised of students who require ancillary services but do not require special education instruction as outlined in A.R.S. § 15-769(D).

ESS and ADE/School Finance are seeking to gather information regarding this item from PEAs. Please see the attachment for more information and contact [email protected] with questions.

Special Education Directors,

As part of our ongoing recruitment efforts on behalf of Arizona’s public schools, ADE/ESS compiles and updates a list of education career fairs happening at educator preparation programs across the country.

If your school is planning to recruit for special education teachers from out of state, we hope this list will make that task a bit easier for you. This list is available on the Arizona Education Employment Board website under the “Find a University Job Fair” icon.

For questions, please email Kim Rice or email Julie Lenza, ESS Recruitment and Retention Specialists.

Special Education Directors,

Please join us for a Lunch and Learn on Thursday, February 4 from 11:45 a.m.—1:00 p.m., when leaders from the Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) present, “Considerations for Completing Psychoeducational Evaluations in 2021.”

As schools are working to support students’ learning in distance, hybrid, and in-person settings, they are also challenged with determining how to meet the needs of diverse learners, including identifying and making eligible those students who are in need of special education. Please join us as our presenters share considerations for completing initial and reevaluations in the current educational environment. Topics covered will include collecting additional data, SLD determination, and teleassessment.    

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 and is not limited to special educators—feel free to forward. Please email Sherri Schwindt with questions regarding this professional learning opportunity. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Special Education Directors,

To ensure compliance with federal reporting and program requirements for the fiscal year 2021, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is compiling data for student's special education data on October 1, 2020. Reports will be prepared using special education data that has been submitted by Arizona school districts, charter schools, and other public education agencies (PEAs) via their respective student information systems to ADE and has Passed Integrity in AzEDS accordingly. This system is a part of the October 1 Enrollment Data.

Please read the below memo (originally disseminated in November 2020) from the Arizona Department of Education regarding important information and deadlines for October 1, 2020 Enrollment Data.

Read the Memo

Student special education data must be submitted by 5:00 PM on January 15, 2021.

Please use the contact information noted in the memo for questions.

Special Education Directors,

Vouchered students are normally reported by the district of residence (DOR) that is responsible for his or her education. In certain circumstances for students receiving services through an ASDB regional cooperative, a student may be attending a public school outside of the DOR. In this case, the district that operates the school the student is attending would be considered the district of attendance (DOA). As an example, a child in a high school grade that resides in an elementary-only district would attend a school outside his or her district's boundaries, such as a neighboring unified or high school district. In these cases, it is expected that the DOA (high school or unified district) would submit the data transactions. This memo provides more guidance on this topic.

For any additional questions, please contact ESS Data Management at [email protected].

Special Education Directors,

All school districts and charter schools are required to annually administer the State Performance Plan Indicator 8 Parent Involvement Survey to parents of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The survey will open January 19 ADEConnect ESS Data Surveys. For more information, visit the survey web page.

Furthermore, ESS is happy to announce that Traveling the Special Education Highway is now available in Spanish. Share this excellent family-friendly resource with parents to guide them through the process and strengthen family engagement.

For more information, please contact Becky Raabe at [email protected].

Special Education Directors,

Registration for the 2021 Arizona Education Virtual Job Fair is closing soon! Registration is open to Arizona public school districts and charter schools on a first-come, first-served basis until Wednesday, January 27, 2021.

Conducting recruitment efforts virtually allows schools to recruit without geographic limitations and access a much wider pool of talent. The event will take place on an online platform that provides an authentic job fair experience in a virtual setting, including:

• User-friendly booth set-up and custom booth design to suit your branding requirements
• Job seekers will be able to review and save your marketing materials and videos
• Live, one-on-one chat with applicants
• Ability to search candidates’ resumes before and on the day of the event
• Live, one-on-one video interviews with candidates
• Unlimited number of recruiters per booth

The cost of registration is $250.

For questions, please email Julie Lenza.

Register for the 2021 Arizona Education Virtual Job Fair here!

If you are unable to attend this year’s job fair, post your job vacancies on the Arizona Education Employment Board and take advantage of the increased activity on the job board during and immediately after the job fair.