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DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: FY27 Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD) is Now Available

September 3, 2026
The Exceptional Student Services (ESS) Data Management team is pleased to announce that the Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD) application is now available to review data for the 2026-2027 school year.
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DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: SEDU Webinar for September

August 31, 2026
The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.
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DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Updated AzEDS SPED11 – Preschool Outcomes Report CSV Download

August 14, 2026
Updates
Data Management
The SPED11 – Preschool Outcomes Report found in the AzEDS Reports Portal has been updated to enhance data transparency for Public Education Agencies (PEAs). The CSV download now includes a new CreatedDate column, which indicates the date each preschool outcomes record was reported to AzEDS. This report provides a compilation of preschool outcomes scores for students receiving special education services that have been submitted to the Arizona Department of Education.
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OPERATIONS UPDATE: New October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard Now Available

August 13, 2026
Special Education Directors, ADE/ESS is pleased to announce the launch of the state October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard (Federal - Child Count and Educational Environments), the first publicly available ESS dashboard for featuring federally reported IDEA Section 618 data. It provides...
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Federal Child Count and Educational Environments Data

Federal Child Count and Educational Environments Data

State October 1 Special Education Data Collection

The federally required Child Count and Educational Environments data collection is an annual snapshot of children ages 3–21 receiving special education and related services under IDEA. In Arizona it is referred to as the October 1 Special Education Data Collection.

It captures the number of eligible children by age, disability category, and demographic characteristics, as well as the educational settings in which they receive services (e.g., general education classrooms, separate settings, or other placements). This data is used to ensure compliance with federal reporting requirements, monitor least restrictive environment (LRE) practices, inform funding and policy decisions, and support program evaluation and improvement.

For more information regarding the collection, please visit the ESS Data Management - October 1 Data Collection webpage.

 

Public Reporting Links:

School Year 2024-2025

School Year 2023-2024

School Year 2022-2023

School Year 2021-2022

School Year 2020-2021

2021-2025 October 1 Special Education Student Counts by Public Education Agency

2021-2025 October 1 Special Education Student Counts by County 

Private Special Education Schools and Emotional Disabilities–Public (ED-P) Programs

Private Special Education Schools and Emotional Disabilities–Public (ED-P) Programs

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE)/Exceptional Student Services (ESS) approves Private Special Education Schools that provide specially designed instruction to students placed by public education agencies, ensuring they meet established state criteria. ESS also oversees Emotional Disabilities–Public (ED-P) Programs, which deliver intensive, specialized services for students whose needs cannot be met in traditional special education settings. Through the ESS Operations team, the Education Program Specialists review and support both private providers and public district programs to ensure compliance and high-quality services. On this webpage you will find program requirements for both public and private schools, as well as approved and prospective providers.

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Approved Emotional Disabilities - Public Programs List 

ED-P Program – Special Education Program Approvals Application Manual - New!

ED-P Program Guidance Manual - New!

Criteria for ED-P Programs

ED-P Program Statement of Assurance

Guidance and Application Updates for Public ED-P Programs 4.22.2026 - New!

Reporting Guidance for Emotional Disabilities—Private/Public Programs

Concurrent Need and LRE Code Eligibility

Concurrent Need Eligibility Matrix

Approved Private Special Education Schools List & Calendars

Private SPED School – Special Education Program Approvals Application Manual - New!

Private Special Education Schools Guidance Manual - New!

Certification Matrix for Approved Private Special Education Schools

Criteria for Approved Private Special Education Schools

Private Special Education School Statement of Assurance

Guidance and Application Updates for Private Special Education Schools 4.21.2026 - New!

Information for Prospective Applicants 

If you are interested in starting a new ED-P program at your PEA or becoming an Approved Private SPED School, please fill out this form, and one of our Special Education Program Specialists will reach out to you.

Public Education Agency-Placed vs. Parent-Placed Students in Private Special Education Schools

Public Education Agency-placed (PEA): A public district or charter school determines that one of its students is to be placed outside its PEA into a private placement after considering other, less restrictive options. Students placed in such programs generally present with significant emotional, behavioral, and/or educational needs.  For PEAs to generate funding for PEA-placed students, the receiving private special education school must be approved by the Department of Education's Exceptional Student Services Unit. Approved special education schools are regulated and monitored by the Department of Education as it relates to services provided to publicly funded students.

Parent-Placed: A parent places their child in a private special education school and independently covers tuition. This also includes parents who utilize Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to pay for their child’s private school tuition. The Department of Education does not have jurisdiction over these programs.

Contact Us

Phone: (602) 364-4016

Email: [email protected]

Residential Vouchers - Residential Treatment Center Placement

Residential Vouchers - Residential Treatment Center Placement

Residential vouchers are for students who are placed in residential treatment centers by state placing agencies and IEP teams. When a state placing agency places a student into a residential treatment center, it is the responsibility of the home school district to determine if the student is eligible or non-eligible for special education per A.R.S. §15-765(E) and A.R.S. §15-1183(B). The vouchers provide funding to the residential treatment centers for the educational services that they provide.

        Information on Institutional Vouchers - State Institutions                                      Information on the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)

Resources

FAQ - Residential Vouchers

FAQ - Determining the HSD

Flowchart - Determining the HSD

Role Assignments for ESS Vouchers

RSE Placements (by an IEP team)

Reporting Students Served by Other Educational Entities and Specialized Programs

ESS Vouchers Toolkit

 

Home School Districts (HSD)

Training for HSDs

Required Documents for HSDs

How to Create an HSD Application and Upload Documents

How to Create an Extension Application

Training Videos: 

How to Approve an Initial Application

How to Create an HSD Application and Upload Documents

How to Create an Extension Application

 

Residential Treatment Centers (RTC)

Training for RTCs

2026-27 Approved RTC List

FY27 Residential Voucher Rates

RTC Calendars

RTC Criteria

RTC Agreements

Special Education Program Approvals (SEPA) Renewal Application

 

State Placing Agencies (SPA)

Training for SPAs

FY25 Residential Voucher Process Change

Training Video:

How to Submit an Initial Application

 

Contact ESS Vouchers

Email ESS Vouchers

[email protected]

Phone: (602) 542-4555

Page revision date: September 23, 2026

ESS Data Management

ADE Logo, Exceptional Student Services, Data Management

ESS Data Management

The Exceptional Student Services (ESS) Data Management (DM) team is responsible for the collection, review, validation, verification, and analysis of Special Education data in Arizona as required under Section 618 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Sign up for Data Management Alerts

Trending Topics

ESS DM Blog

FY27 Data Reporting Updates

Important Dates Dashboard

Special Education Data Updates Webinars (SEDU)

Beginner's Guide to Data Management

Are you new to a SPED leadership and/or data management role?

Check out the resources on the Beginner's Guide page for helpful information on where to start.

SPED Data Reporting & AzEDS

Find essential tools for submitting data on students with disabilities to Arizona Education Data Standards, including AzEDS codes, reporting guidance, integrity error tools, and more on the AZEDS SPED Reporting page.

Data Collection & Reporting

October 1 Data Collection (ODC)

Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD)

Public Reporting of IDEA Part B Data

Survey & Assurances

Data collected through surveys is one of several ways to comply with IDEA 618 data and the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report requirements. Visit the Surveys & Assurances page for more information.

Contact Us

With general questions, please contact the ESS Data Management Inbox.

Main Phone: (602) 542-3962

Contact the Arizona Department of Education

Important Dates Dashboard

Important Dates Dashboard

AzEDS SPED Reporting

AzEDS SPED Reporting

Discover useful tools for those who submit data for students with disabilities to the Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS). Find relevant AzEDS codes, tables that illustrate which needs may be reported with which service codes, and more.

Links to Tools & Resources

Ancillary Needs

AzEDS Process for Exit Code SPED09

Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS and CCEIS)

Discipline Data

Emotional Disability, Public/Private Programs (ED-P) Students

Ensuring Compliance in Key Scenarios
(DD, PSD, transfers from out-of-state)

Home Placement Students

Online Environments (AOI)

Parentally Placed ISP Students

Preschool Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) Guidance

Preschool Outcomes Reporting Guidance

Reporting Students Served by Other Educational Entities and Specialized Programs - New!

SPED School Concurrency and Federal Primary Need Indicator

Ungraded Elementary Students

AzEDS SPED Codes Tool

Criteria for DD, PSD, MD, and MDSSI

ESS DM Year-End Checklist - New!

FAQ – ADEConnect

FAQ – LRE Students 3-21

FAQ – SPED Reporting

LRE Decision Trees

Matrix: Concurrent Need and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Code Eligibility

Matrix: Concurrent Need Eligibility

Matrix: Concurrent PEA and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Code Eligibility

Matrix: SPED Exit Validation

School Finance - Age Validation in AzEDS

SPED Add-On Weights 

SPED Reports 101

SPED-Related Integrity Rules

Vouchers: Flowchart for Determining the Home School District

Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS)

Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) and Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) 

Approved Private Special Education Schools and ED-P Programs

Approved Residential Treatment Centers

A new template has been added to the ADE Helpdesk Ticket System for public education agencies (PEAs) to request an AzEDS reporting relationship with the following entity types:  

  • Approved Private Special Education School
  • Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs)
  • Head Start Programs
  • Special Education Programs Operated by Another Public School District/Serving Entity
  • Secure Cares

Follow the steps in the ESS ADE Helpdesk Ticket Instructions for AzEDS Relationship Requests to submit a Helpdesk ticket to ESS Data Management.

The ticket must include:

  • Reporting PEA Name and Entity ID
  • Serving Entity Site Name and Entity Site ID
  • Student placement type
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