Special Education Blog

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: Fall 2021 Project EASEL Exploring Strategies for Social Emotional Learning Professional Development

  • Wed, Oct 20 2021  •
    • Professional Learning and Sustainability
    • Updates

Project EASEL, in partnership with ADE/ESS, would like to invite you and your staff to tune into the Exploring Strategies for Social Emotional Learning Fall and Spring series (see attachment). We plan to share a variety of information and strategies that will support your understanding and implementation of Assertiveness, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Regulation.

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: November Math Office Hours

  • Wed, Oct 20 2021  •
    • Professional Learning and Sustainability
    • Updates

November 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.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Special Education Data Updates Webinar Registration

  • Wed, Oct 20 2021  •
    • Data Management
    • Updates

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will be hosting our next Special Education Data Updates live webinar on Wednesday, October 20th from 2pm – 3pm.

INTERNAL PD INFO: FY22 Program Management Webinar Series (IDEA Federal Funding)

  • Tue, Oct 5 2021  •
    • Program Management
    • Updates

Special Education Directors,

The ESS Program Management team has announced the FY22 webinar series of topics related to IDEA federal funding. Please visit the ESS Program Management website to register for each Zoom session and read session descriptions. The webinar series will take place on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m.

Data Management Alert: New Integrity Rule -51002 – Student Home and Mailing address required

  • Tue, Sep 28 2021  •
    • Data Management
    • Updates

A new Data Quality Validation integrity rule -51002 will be introduced into the integrity process on FY22 Enrollment data shortly. This update is a continuation of our effort to ensure clean data for the state. A new one-sheet Integrity Tool is now available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage for troubleshooting tips for Integrity Rule -51002.

INTERNAL PD INFO: 2021-2022 Assistive Technology National Presenter Series Kick Off

  • Tue, Sep 28 2021  •
    • Updates
    • Assistive Technology Upcoming Events
    • Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology (AT) National Presenter Series 

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology team is kicking off our 2021 AT National Presenter Series with Chris Bugaj. Chris is offering 3 separate presentations, attend one or attend all!

Christopher R. Bugaj, MA, CCC‐SLP, is a founding member of the Assistive Technology Team for Loudoun County Public Schools. Chris co-hosts the Talking with Tech podcast, and has hosted The A.T. TIPSCAST, a multi‐award winning podcast featuring strategies to design educational experiences.

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: Developing Fluency with Whole Numbers

  • Sun, Sep 12 2021  •
    • Professional Learning and Sustainability
    • Updates

What does it mean to be fluent in mathematics? In this webinar, we will examine the key components of fluency and make connections across mathematics standards that specify fluency as the intended end-of-year outcome in each grade level from K–6. Additionally, we will explore instructional routines, strategies, and games that will help all students develop flexibility to solve contextual and mathematical problems involving whole numbers.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Reporting of Primary/Secondary Needs in AzEDS

  • Tue, Aug 31 2021  •
    • Data Management
    • Updates

This notice serves as a reminder that the most accurate disability representation should be reported for all students with disabilities throughout the school year.

When reporting needs (disability categories) to AzEDS for students, all eligible needs listed on a student’s IEP should be reported for all special education placements in Arizona. If a student has only one need, that need is reported as the primary need. For students with multiple needs, only one can be reported as the primary need and the other need(s) would be reported as secondary. The primary need is defined as the one that most adversely affects the student’s ability to access the general curriculum.

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INFORMATION: Call for AASP Professional Practice Award Nominations

  • Tue, Aug 31 2021  •
    • Professional Learning and Sustainability
    • Updates

At their annual state conference, the Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) recognizes an outstanding school psychologist and administrator (principal or director) of the year, and they encourage your district or charter to nominate someone who provides excellent support and advocacy for students with disabilities in our state. Nomination forms can be located on the AASP website and should be submitted to Jamie Timmerman and Cathy Herring at AASP. Additional information is included in the attached flyer. It is recommended to submit at least three letters of support with each nomination. Nominations open on September 1, 2021 and close on September 30, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. The awards ceremony will be held Friday, November 5, 2021 in the morning at Desert Willow Conference Center. 

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: September Math Office Hours

  • Tue, Aug 31 2021  •
    • Professional Learning and Sustainability
    • Updates

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.