Special Education Directors,Following the passage of Senate Bill 1177 during the last legislative session, the definition of home school district (HSD) has changed. The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services (ADE/ESS) has reviewed this statutory change and the attached guidance...

Given recent findings and questions from the field, the ESS/Program Support & Monitoring Hot Topic reviews the requirements for English Learners (ELs) under the IDEA. Specifically, July’s Hot Topic addresses the requirements for consideration of EL with regard to eligibility determination and IEP...

Dear Special Education Administrators,It has recently come to ADE’s attention that there is some confusion about the credentialing requirements for speech personnel working in the public schools. Speech-Language Technicians (SLTs) and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) must hold both a current...

Exceptional Student Services (ESS) has launched the ESS Portal, which will give users a single platform for all Special Education applications in one place! Over the next year, ESS will work on providing an easier and cleaner application interface to all public education agencies (PEAs) required to...

Please see the updates from the ESS Program Management Team and share with your Business Manager.MOE Eligibility Please see the linked PowerPoint to learn more about the MOE Eligibility Testing requirements that will go into effect this July. The FY 2020 Budget that will be submitted to School...

The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services (ADE/ESS) is excited to announce the release of the SY 2019—2020 Monitoring Guidesteps and Student File form! This release is the earliest ESS has ever been able to provide this important resource to the field. We hope this helps all...

Special Education Administrators,This past school year, Exceptional Student Services moved the reporting of students receiving Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) from Grants Management into AzEDS. CEIS are services provided to students in kindergarten through grade 12 who are not...

Tips to Increase ParticipationUse the ADEConnect ESS Parent Survey progress report tool to track survey completion by school site and student name.Send staff a screen shot of the school-site tally. Teachers will be motivated to increase parental participation on their campus.Study school-site rates...

The Arizona Department of Education/ Exceptional Student Services, in partnership with AHCCCS, is pleased to announce that the National Council for Behavioral Health will deliver Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification (YMHFA) training to Arizona educators. This 3-day interactive training will...

Directors of Special Education,ESS Program Management is sharing the following important dates for IDEA Funding and IDEA Fiscal Related activities. Included in this memo is an announcement of a half-day, in-person training at ADE Central on April 15, 2019.Please share these important updates with...