Special Education Directors,

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that the Compensatory Services Claims application is now open for the second wave of applications through the ESS Portal of ADEConnect and the cap for funds has been increased for each public education agency (PEA). Each PEA can now apply for one or multiple compensatory education claims up to $25,000 for each PEA.

ADE has been aware that PEAs may need relief when a free appropriate public education (FAPE) was unable to be provided during the Spring/Summer 2020 school closure while emergency remote learning was in effect. ADE/ESS, with the support of Superintendent Hoffman, advocated for $5 million of CARES Act funds to be dedicated to compensatory services relief for services already provided by the PEA to absorb some of the burdens.

Please visit the ESS Program Management website to review the Compensatory Services Claims materials and quick reference guide.

For questions about the application process, please contact ESS Program Management.

Special Education Directors,

Please see the professional development offering provided by the USDOE/OSEP below:
 

“Education Technology Resources to Support Students With or At Risk for Disabilities During COVID 19”

A WEBINAR for Special Education Practitioners, Administrators, Parents, and Stakeholders

Wednesday, October 28, 1PM to 2PM Eastern

(plus an “overtime” Q & A session from 2:00PM to 2:15PM)

REGISTER HERE: https://bit.ly/30HMSG3

Overview: During these unprecedented times, education technology has been called upon to play a central role to support teaching and learning. This webinar will feature short user-case video demos of five edtech resources that are ready now for use in special education, as well as conversations by practitioners and experts about the role of edtech in meeting the needs children and students with or at risk for disabilities during “the new normal” in education.

Hosted By: Brooklyn-based InnovateEDU and the Educate All Learners Alliance, a coalition of organizations committed to resource sharing and community-building that supports the efforts of the education community to meet the needs of students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Demos Featuring: Attainment Company (Early Reading Skill Builder), Education Modified (EdMod), University of Oregon (Numbershire), Penn State University (AvenuePM); & The Institute for Community Inclusion (Future Quest Island-Explorations)

Speakers: Erin Mote & Gabrielle Oates (InnovateEDU), Tara Courchaine & Edward Metz (US Department of Education), Rita Campbell & Rita Peterson (Special Education Practitioners from Washington state), Bart Epstein (Edtech Evidence Exchange), Margo Izzo & Andrew Buck (The Ohio State University), & Jose Blackorby (CAST)

Special Education Resources That are “Ready Now”: The developers presenting video demos are part of a larger network of special education software and assistive technology developers, researchers, and nonprofits who created edtech for special education with support from the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and National Institutes of Health. This group recently released a guide presenting information on 20 Education Technology Resources that are READY NOW to Support Special Education Practitioners and Children and Students with or At Risk for Disabilities

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 2020 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 2018–2019 school year. Through their efforts, 6,659 former students responded to the survey for a 78.5% participation rate with 72.5% 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, 2020. 

Our team wants to recognize PEAs that went above and beyond this season to complete their PSO requirements. We are excited to announce 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 target of 75% 
• 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,

Under Section 616 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA), States are required to make a determination for all public education agencies (PEAs) of their performance on identified special education criteria. The Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2018 determinations have been posted to the PEA Determinations section of the ESS website.

If you have questions regarding PEA Determinations, please email the ESS Operations unit.

Special Education Directors,

Please review the October update from the ESS Program Management team and forward to your Business Manager. Thank you!

Completion Reports

The completion reports (CR) for FY20 IDEA Consolidated – Entitlement grants have been rolling in steadily since 7/1/2020. The official due date for these completion reports is 12/30/2020. Remember, this means the CR must be approved by your County Business Manager (if necessary) by that date. If you have questions about how to fill out sections of the CR, please contact your Program Management specialist.

Reimbursement requests

We have entered the fourth month of the FY21 project period. Our goal this year is to have public education agencies (PEAs) submit reimbursement requests more frequently. Reimbursement requests can be submitted for all grants that have been approved by the SEA Director.

Full allocation to FY21 IDEA Basic and IDEA Preschool grants

Program Management will place comments in the History Log of your application to notify you of the upcoming allocation adjustment as your full award is deposited into the GME. If your funding application is currently in an SEA Director Approved status, it will be placed into a revision status. If it is in any other status, you will need to initiate a revision. If your PEA has obligations for Proportionate Share or Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS), you will note that those obligations have increased due to the full award.

Annual Financial Reports due to School Finance

The FY2020 Annual Financial Reports (AFR) are due to School Finance on October 15. Please remember the IDEA Maintenance of Effort Compliance test is based on the value your PEA reports on Page 8 of the AFR. To review information about the Maintenance of Effort test, please visit the ESS Operations website. View your PEA’s MOE comparison year data by logging into the Maintenance of Effort application through the ESS Portal of ADE Connect.

Upcoming Webinars

Program Management will launch a webinar series on the second Tuesday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

November 10 – Proportionate Share Calculations and the October Data Collection

December 8 – FY 2021 High-Cost Child Applications

January 19, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. – Allowable Costs Under the IDEA Please note the change of date.

February 9 – FY2022 IDEA Consolidated – Entitlement funding application

March 9 – Maintenance of Effort Compliance

Help us plan for upcoming webinars, modules, and videos by filling out this training survey.

The ESS Program Management team is here to help you. Please email Program Management or contact your specialist directly: Alice Nunes, Tanya Rodriguez, or Candice Trainor. Sign up for the ESS Program Management listserv.

Special Education Directors,

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

Algebra Tiles Part 2: Exploration of Algebra Tiles in Solving Linear and Quadratic Equations

October 20 from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Register in advance for Algebra Tiles Part 2.

In this webinar, we will explore the use of virtual algebra tiles to solve linear equations, multiply binomials, factor quadratics, and divide quadratics.

Attendance for Part 1 is not required to attend Part 2. A computer or tablet with the ability to access Google slides is not required but is strongly recommended to enable full participation in the session. Participants can earn 1.5 hours of professional development credit for the session.

October 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.

Grades 7–12

Monday, October 26 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. with Q & A from 4:30–5:00 p.m.

Register in advance for the Grades 7–12 meeting.

Grades K–6

Tuesday, October 27 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. with Q & A from 4:30–5:00 p.m. 

Register in advance for the Grades K–6 meeting.

Note: Accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of the webinars.

Please contact Eboney McKinney or contact Jenifer Hutchinson with any questions.

Hello Educators,

With the start of the 2020–2021 school year, obstacles and unique barriers may be faced by staff working with transition-aged youths. The ADE/ESS Secondary Transition Team would like to invite you to tune into the Transition Tuesdays series. These sessions are intended to share information and strategies that will support the transition planning process throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Details for the upcoming Transition Tuesdays session:

Office Hours

October 20, 2020 at 2:30 p.m.

Do you have questions about Secondary Transition? Join us this fall for one of our virtual office hours. These one-hour informal meetings are opportunities to discuss transition planning topics and brainstorm strategies with Secondary Transition Specialists and other AZ educators.

Registration is required for all Transition Tuesday sessions.

Please view this flyer for upcoming Transition Tuesday sessions with updated details.

Email the Secondary Transition Team with any questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Special Education Directors,

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is the federal agency that leads service and volunteering in the United States, helping millions of Americans improve their lives and the lives of their fellow citizens through service.

Schools, districts, public charters, non-profit organizations, colleges, universities, and other institutions are eligible to apply to bring AmeriCorps members to their sites. AmeriCorps provides funding for members who work under the supervision, guidance, and support of the eligible organization.

AmeriCorps State and National Grants provide support and/or facilitate access to services and resources that

• contribute to improved educational outcomes for economically disadvantaged children;

• improve school readiness for economically disadvantaged children;

• improve educational and behavioral outcomes of students in low-achieving elementary, middle, and high schools;

• and/or support economically disadvantaged students’ preparation for success in post-secondary educational institutions.

The AmeriCorps State and National Grants FY 2021 application is now open, and Arizona applications are due via eGrants by November 6, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. The Governor’s Office will review your submission and provide feedback to you for an ultimate deadline of late December. For more information, contact Randy George, AmeriCorps Training Administrator, or Emily Litchfield, AmeriCorps Director, Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.

For more information on funded AmeriCorps education programs, visit the AmeriCorps Evidence Brief – Effective Education Programs.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT   

FY 2021 October 1 Data Collection Application is now OPEN

We are pleased to announce that the October 1 Data Collection (ODC) application is accessible for the submission of the Verification Count and Personnel data.

This data along with the required electronic signature are due November 18, 2020 for Phase I of the October 1 Data Collection. Please refer to the Important Dates document for more detail on the timeline of the ODC.  More information on performing the ODC is available on our Data Management website.

Thank you for your patience.