The ADE/ESS Professional Learning and Sustainability unit is pleased to announce two “grow your own” opportunities for educators in Arizona public schools.

• The General Education Teacher to Special Education Teacher (GETSET) program provides tuition reimbursement to certified general education teachers who want to pursue a career change to become certified in an area of special education.
• The Special Education Teacher Tuition Assistance (SETTA) program provides tuition reimbursement to paraprofessionals and educational interpreters that leads to special education teaching certification.

Certifications that satisfy the application requirements:

1. Mild/Moderate Disabilities
2. Moderate/Severe Disabilities
3. Early Childhood Special Education
4. Hearing Impaired
5. Visually Impaired

Materials for the GETSET application and the SETTA application are avilable online. LEAs have an opportunity to submit an application for one candidate per program. Applications earning the highest scores in the evaluation process will be approved until the funding that is set aside for the program is depleted. Applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 16, 2021.

Please note:

• Applicant must have been employed by the LEA for two full school years as of June 30, 2021.
• Applicant agrees to two full years of teaching in a special education capacity at the PEA once special education certification is achieved.
• Educational interpreters are now eligible to apply for the SETTA program (previously only available to paraprofessionals).

For any additional information, please email Aanya Rispoli or call (602) 364-4022.

Please see this important announcement regarding training for school-based sign language interpreters below. ADE/ESS contracts and works with TAESE to support assessment and training of school-based interpreters by TASK12. Training slots are limited, so don’t let this important opportunity pass by – please forward to your staff as appropriate.

The Training of Interpreters in Public Schools (TIPS) is accepting registrations from Arizona sign language interpreters to participate in an intensive training that begins with a face-to-face on January 11, 2020 and is followed by three online modules over a five-month period. The aim of this training is to improve interpreter performance skills and ultimately benefit children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to:

LeeAnn Lundgreen TASK12 | www.task12.org Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education www.taese.org | Utah State University | Tel: 435.797.9045

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 license from the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) and a current professional non-teaching certificate from the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). Speech-Language Pathology Assistants (SLPAs) are only required to hold a current license from AZDHS; the ADE does not issue a certificate for SLPAs.

PEAs are responsible for verifying that speech personnel working with their students hold the appropriate credentials. The potential repercussions of providing speech-language services without the appropriate credentials are serious for both the individual and the public education agency (PEA), regardless of whether they were employed directly by the PEA or contracted through a staffing agency.

Speech personnel should provide a copy of the required credentials prior to employment. You may confirm the AZDHS license by entering the holder’s name in the AZDHS’ Care Check Portal. District and charter school HR administrators may confirm the ADE certificate through the Certification Portal via their ADE Connect account.

For additional information about the provision of speech services in the schools, please refer to ADE/ESS’ Arizona Technical Assistance System (AZ-TAS) document, “Speech-Language Services in Arizona’s Schools: Guidelines for Best Practice” on the ADE website. Please forward this information to any interested parties, including your PEA's HR office.

Questions can be directed to [email protected].

See this graphic for further information.