The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released a new document that summarizes developments and discusses trends in education using the latest available data. The Condition of Education 2014 presents a 42-indicator progress report on education in America. It includes the demographics of schools, resources for schooling, and outcomes of education. Good news such as having almost two-thirds of three- to five-year olds in preschool is contrasted with the knowledge that one in five school-aged children lives in poverty, which is an increase from one in seven in 2000. To view the document, go to http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2014083.

The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services seeks your input on our redesign of the Parent Involvement Survey.

IDEA requires states to measure and report the percent of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities. With the new cycle of the State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report, Arizona is taking advantage of the opportunity to improve the quality and relevance of our Parent Survey.

Please use the link below to prioritize the 11 questions in order of importance when considering the facilitation of parent involvement. Questions ranked with the most priority will be included in the new survey.

http://ess.fluidsurveys.com/s/parent-survey-2014/

Thank you for your assistance.

The Special Education Rule Committee’s purpose is to examine Arizona Special Education State Board 401 rules, to propose rules that are clear, instructive, and aligned to the IDEA, and to provide guidance for implementation. Please read the May 12, 2014, Rule Making Communique for more information about the Committee, the Core Team membership, and the May 12 meeting.

What does it take to give children the best start in life? We all know that the first years of a child’s life are the most formative and that learning and achievement gaps start long before kindergarten, but what can we do to enhance those precious few years? A new guide for state policy is a blueprint for developing early support systems that are better coordinated. It includes information on pre- and post-natal support, child care, early educational systems, and cohesive early support systems. Click here to download this new policy guide!

This guidance document categorizes and compares current best practices in the use of seclusion and restraint from the United States Department of Education, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Arizona Task Force on Best Practices in Special Education and Behavior Management. A list of references is provided at the end of the document.

A new option for summer reading began this April, and Arizona children as young as three will be able to access this free digital library through September 30, 2014. Thousands of books are available through the Internet, and there is even a free downloadable app available that will allow a reader to access as many as 20 books to read offline anytime. For the hesitant reader, there is the option for audio support with text highlighting and an embedded dictionary that gives help with pronunciation and definitions. The summer reading program is a project of Read On Arizona. To send your students home this summer ready to read, send home the instructions for accessing this service. Read on Arizona!

Click on the images below to download the flyers.

Student Flyer

Instructions to create an account

If your school has an interest in juvenile justice and school safety, you might be interested in applying for the 2014 National Institute of Justice (NIJ) grant entitled Developing Knowledge About What Works to Make Schools Safe. The funding is for schools to learn more about how personnel programs and activities contribute to their school safety. An example is hiring resource officers and mental health service providers to increase school safety. Applications are due on July 10, 2014. See the link above for more information.

The Special Education Rule Committee’s purpose is to examine Arizona Special Education State Board 401 rules, to propose rules that are clear, instructive, and aligned to the IDEA, and to provide guidance for implementation.  Please read the draft of the Child Find section generated at the meeting.  Please read the May 1, 2014, Rule Making Communique for more information about the Committee, the Core Team membership, and the May 1 meeting.

Please note the new address of the Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services section’s Phoenix office.

3300 N. Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ  85012

Click on the map to get driving directions.

The mailing address for all of ADE/ESS remains:

Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services
1535 W. Jefferson St., Bin #24
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Telephone: 602-542-4013
Fax: 602-542-5404

On May 15, 2014, an educational seminar entitled “Making the VR Connection” will be held, which will be captioned, recorded, archived, and available on webinar. The collaborative, in partnership with the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has designed the seminar for youth with disabilities, their families, practitioners, vocational rehabilitation counselors, educators, and other stakeholders to learn the value of collaborations in transitions for students with disabilities. To register for this webinar, which starts at 10:00 a.m. mountain time, go to: https://hschealthcaresystem.webex.com/hschealthcaresystem/j.php?MTID=m1e9710e284881621dd961bfbde319d60.