Administrators Academy: A Brick-by-Brick Approach to Building Knowledgeable, Empowered Leaders in Special Education
Administrators Academy is a four-part, interactive coaching series designed to teach participants how to practically and effectively apply the legal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
This academy is geared toward school leaders, such as principals and assistant principals, who want to better understand their role in the special education process; special education directors looking for a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate legalities involved in special education; and special education practitioners who are interested in the legal foundations and purposes of their jobs.
This intimate workshop experience will feature an in-depth analysis of obligations under the IDEA. Presenters will build participants’ knowledge and confidence brick-by-brick by explaining responsibilities as school and special education leaders through deconstructing and reorganizing the IDEA into coherent pieces, while allowing interactions with the information to improve comfort and familiarity with the material. The instruction received through this academy will provide the necessary foundation to be thoughtful and skilled decision makers and practitioners in special education.
Institute presenters will be Kacey Gregson, attorney and Director of Dispute Resolution for the Arizona Department of Education, and Shannon Chavez, special education teacher and Arizona Department of Education Corrective Action Compliance Monitor.
Registration Link: http://www.ade.az.gov/onlineregistration/EventLocationSelection.asp?EventID=3647
Event Dates:
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Friday, February 6, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
Event Location:
East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT)
1601 West Main Street
Mesa, AZ 85201
Registration Fee: $150 for the four-day attendance
Registration Deadline: September 30, 2014
Talk with ADE – SAVE THE DATE
Please note that Talk with ADE agendas and parking instructions will be sent out over the Special Education Directors’ litserv.
These are the dates of upcoming Talk with ADE meetings.
Friday, November 21
Friday, January 9
Friday, April 3
All meetings will be held at the 3300 N. Central Ave. office on the 16th floor from 9:45 AM – 11:00 AM
For more information, please e-mail essinbox@azed.gov.
Universal Design for Learning Institute
March 12–13, 2015
Pendergast Learning Center
3841 N. 91st Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85037
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to designing flexible curriculum, instruction, and materials that are accessible to all students. The training will introduce the principles of UDL and present information on a framework to reduce barriers and maximize learning opportunities for all students.
Presenter Jeff McCormick, MS, is the Program Director for the Universal Design for Learning Center at OCALI in Columbus, Ohio. Jeff presents at schools, universities, and state and national conferences on topics ranging from universal design for learning, technology integration, and educational project deployment at state levels. He has created on-line training modules for UDL that will be available throughout the year to institute participants at no additional cost.
AZCCRS for Special Educators – Discounted Registration Rate
ADE Training Opportunity Discount!
Meeting Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards (AZCCRS) for Special Educators
January 7–8 or March 4–5
Team up a special education teacher or leader with a general education teacher or leader and get 50% off one registration!
Throughout the two-day workshop participants will have the opportunity to engage in whole group, small group, and paired collaborative discussions within grade level and content areas to refine collaborative practices between general education and special education and develop and write AZCCRS standards-based Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals.
Training Outcomes
During this two-day workshop, participants will:
- Expand understanding of the AZCCRS for ELA/Literacy and Mathematics in order to develop standards-aligned IEP goals aligned to the student’s AZCCRS present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP)
- Integrate research of how children learn to order to identify areas of need in the development of IEP goals
- Obtain a solid understanding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to integrate learning into daily practice
- Develop and write standards-aligned IEP goals related to students’ needs as described in the PLAAFP
- Explore and use readily available resources, tools, and evidenced-based strategies to support students with disabilities to access the AZCCRS in ELA/Literacy and Mathematics
Elementary Emphasis: or Secondary Emphasis:
January 7–8, 2015 March 4–5, 2015
Sheraton Crescent Hotel, 2620 West Dunlap Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85021
Registration fee: $175 covers the two-day attendance, or team up a special education teacher or leader with a general education teacher or leader and get 50% off one registration (i.e., $175.00 for the special educator, $87.50 for general educator). Please type “discount” after the payment number when registering the general education teacher or leader.
Register at http://www.ade.az.gov/onlineregistration/EventLocationSelection.asp?EventID=3793&EventDate=1/7/2015.
All special education census data is due in SAIS
All special education census data is due in SAIS by 5:00 p.m. The final SPED07 report will be based on the data in SAIS as of 5:00 p.m. on this date.*
* PEAs whose final counts do not reconcile will be notified and asked to complete the non-reconciliation portion of the census process by
May 8, 2015.
ADE Special Education Certificate Changes Webinar
The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services is pleased to announce an upcoming webinar. We hope that you can join us for this learning opportunity.
ADE Special Education Certification Changes
This webinar will explain changes to special education certification that will be effective January 1, 2016. Reciprocity and proficiency exams will also be discussed.
Date: Friday, February 13, 2015
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Space is limited.
Reserve your webinar seat now at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/770619782.
Dispute Resolution: Facilitated IEP
What is Facilitated IEP?
Facilitated IEP is a process in which a student’s IEP is developed by a collaborative team in a structured meeting. The team includes all required IEP team members who share the responsibility for the meeting process and results, and decision-making is managed with effective facilitation skills. IEP facilitation is a student-focused process in which a trained individual (facilitator) assists the IEP team in developing an IEP that provides a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to the student. The Dispute Resolution Unit believes there are three components needed to facilitate a successful IEP meeting: standardized meeting practices; knowledge of the IEP process; and the use of meeting management skills that aid in minimizing conflict and maximizing collaboration. Dispute Resolution offers Facilitated IEP training designed to teach these three components.
Facilitated IEP Trainings for 2015
Because the six regional Facilitated IEP (FIEP) trainings in the fall of 2014 were so successful, the Arizona Department of Education/Dispute Resolution Unit is happy to announce additional FIEP trainings for 2015. The two-day training is $75.00 and includes breakfast, lunch, and training materials.
Who Should Attend: Any school personnel involved in a student’s IEP including special education and general education teachers, district representatives, and school psychologists. (Maximum 50 participants)
TRAINING DATES, LOCATIONS, and TIMES (check back for additional training dates):
- February 4 – 5, 2015 – Peoria Unified School District
- March 9-10, 2015 – Safford Unified School District
- April 23-24, 2015 – Tempe Union High School District
Sign-in: 8:30 – 9:00
Event: 9:00 – 4:00
Registration for the above trainings is now open. Click on ADE’s Calendar of Events to register. (Advance the calendar to the training date in order to register for that training.)
Contact: Amy Dill @ 602-542-7579
Back to Dispute Resolution
De-escalate: Stop the Power Struggle
In this full-day session, participants will learn prevention and de-escalation techniques, as well as the importance of understanding their own emotional states in avoiding power struggles. Participants will have the opportunity to connect and apply these techniques through case studies, role play activities, and real-life discussions and examples and will learn how to make connections to their own emotional reactions and how these reactions relate to their students’ responses. This session is for any school staff members who want to be proficient at de-escalating and avoiding power struggles with students.
Presenters: Kerri Brown, Ph.D., and Donna Morelli, education consultants for the Capital Region Education Council in Hartford, Connecticut
February 4, 2015
Event times: 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Event location:
Arizona Department of Education
1535 West Jefferson Street, Room 312
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Registration fee: $115
Register at http://www.ade.az.gov/onlineregistration/EventLocationSelection.asp?EventID=3914
Workshops and Webinars for Census Reconciliation and Detour to Solutions
In a continuation of the special education child count training series offered by ESS Data Management, we are pleased to present webinars and workshops geared towards the second phase of the annual special education census process, reconciliation, as well as the opportunity for participants to advance their knowledge on how to resolve SAIS integrity failures related to special education participation data. Please see the attached flyer for details; registration is required for each session. Note that the Detour to Solutions session requires a working knowledge of special education data in SAIS. In the spring, ESS Data Management will close out the training series with webinar sessions that focus on the final phase of the annual special education census process, non-reconciliation.
Special Education Census Reconciliation & Detour to Solutions Trainings
Please contact ESS Data Management with questions.
ESS Data Management
Arizona Department of Education
Exceptional Student Services
ESSDataMgmt@azed.gov
