Special Education Directors,

ESS collects data each year through the Teacher Attrition Survey to make informed decisions about recruitment and retention efforts in Arizona. Participation in the survey is mandatory for all public education agencies in Arizona.

The survey is open and will close on May 4, 2022. Please see this memo for further details. Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the survey can be located online. For additional questions, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox. 

Thank you for completing the Teacher Attrition Survey.

Special Education Directors,

The Arizona Department of Education encourages our public education agencies (PEAs) to register for the Arizona Educator Job Fair to recruit new employees to your school community.

• When: Saturday, February 26, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Where: Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Conference Center, 9495 W. Coyotes Blvd, Glendale, AZ 85305
• Registration: Click here to reserve your booth
• Registration Deadline: Thursday, February 10, 2022

Once registered, we encourage you to promote the job fair in your community to encourage attendance from prospective employees. A flyer and social media graphics (graphics option one and graphics option two) are available to share at your convenience! 

ADE’s Educator Recruitment and Retention Specialist, Carrie Brown, is available to support registration and ensure successful participation in our job fair. You can email Carrie directly. 

We look forward to seeing you at the February 26 Arizona Educator Job Fair! 

Special Education Directors,

As part of our ongoing recruitment efforts on behalf of Arizona’s public schools, ADE/ESS compiles and updates a list of education career fairs happening at educator preparation programs across the country.

If your school is planning to recruit for special education teachers from out of the state, we hope this list will make that task a bit easier for you. Review the Education Careers Fair Calendar to support your recruitment efforts this spring. The list is also available on the Arizona Education Employment Board website on the “Employer” page under the “Find a University Job Fair” icon.

If you have questions, please email Kim Rice or email Julie Lenza, ESS Recruitment and Retention Specialists.

Special Education Directors,

Please see below the free professional learning opportunity that is available to you and your staff.

From Barriers to Belonging: Supporting Inclusion for Students with Disabilities

with Eric Carter

Thursday, December 2 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Students learn best and flourish most when assured of their belonging. Yet too many schools still struggle to become places of widespread and meaningful inclusion for children and youth with disabilities. In his presentation, Dr. Carter will share a powerful framework for reflecting upon and fostering belonging within our schools and classrooms. Together, we will explore the implications of this work on the ways we welcome, support, educate, and embrace students with disabilities.

Register in advance for this event.

Erik Carter, PhD, is Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. His research and teaching focus on strategies for promoting full participation, belonging, and valued roles in school, work, community, and congregational settings for children and adults with intellectual disability, autism, and multiple disabilities. Prior to receiving his doctorate, Dr. Carter worked as a high school teacher and transition specialist. He has published widely in the areas of educational and transition services for children and youth with disabilities, including more than 250 articles and chapters as well as seven books. 

Questions regarding this professional learning opportunity can be sent to the ESS Recruitment and Retention inbox.

Please share the following details about upcoming professional learning opportunities for general and special education teachers who teach mathematics.

Count Me In! Exploring Adding and Subtracting Integers 

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Register in advance for Count Me In! Exploring Adding and Subtracting Integers.

In this free webinar, we will explore multiple representations to build conceptual understanding for the addition and subtraction of integers. We will apply and extend previous understandings of operations with whole numbers to create zero-sum pairs.  Additionally, we will demonstrate how to develop grit and creative problem-solving with accessible low-floor/high-ceiling tasks. 

Count Me In! Exploring Multiplying and Dividing Integers

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Register in advance for Count Me In! Exploring Multiplying and Dividing Integers.

In this free webinar, we will explore multiple representations to build conceptual understanding for the multiplication and division of integers. We will demonstrate how to develop grit and creative problem-solving with accessible low-floor/high-ceiling tasks. 

Attendance at both sessions is not required but recommended. A computer or tablet with the ability to access Google slides is not required but is strongly recommended to enable full participation in the session. Participants can earn 1.5 hours of professional development credit per session. 

Count Me In! Practice Session for Exploring Integers

Thursday, December 9, 2021 from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Register in advance for Count Me In! Practice Session for Exploring Integers.

Come to this session to refine your understanding of working with integers. Attendance at any prior “Count Me In! Integers” session is required to attend this practice session.  A computer or tablet with the ability to access Google slides is not required but is strongly recommended to enable full participation in the session. Participants can earn 1.5 hours of professional development credit for this session.

Note: Accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of each webinar. 

Please email Rob Hilliker with any questions.

Special Education Directors,

Are you looking for Speech-Language Pathologists and/or Speech-Language Pathology Assistants? 

On November 18–20, 2021, ADE/ESS will be recruiting for speech personnel on behalf of all public education agencies (PEAs) at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) annual fall conference. ESS will operate a booth in the virtual exhibit hall to promote the advantages of working in a school setting and to showcase speech vacancies in Arizona's public schools. 

If your PEA would like ESS to promote your speech opening(s) at ASHA, please post them on the ADE job board as soon as possible. Our recruiting materials will direct candidates to the job board as well as to information about becoming licensed and certified to practice in Arizona. 

Post your speech vacancies at the Arizona Education Employment Board.

If you have questions, please email the Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

Announcing the Arizona Professional Learning Series

An Opportunity for Public Education Agencies

The ADE/ESS Arizona Professional Learning Series (AZPLS) provides district and school teams with a systemic method for achieving systems change in aligning state, district, and school site efforts to impact literacy achievement for all students and to close the literacy achievement gap for students with specific learning disabilities. 

The AZPLS provides districts and schools with:

• Six inclusive professional learning modules for K-8 general education teachers, special education teachers, school site leadership, and coaches.
• Six accompanying, interactive professional learning modules for parents and students.
• Leadership coaching from a national presenter to build site capacity in facilitating module professional learning, coach with a focus, collect and analyze data through an inquiry cycle, and sustain implementation.
• Collaborative team structure inspiring shared leadership and decision making from all stakeholders.
• A coaching framework designed for job-embedded professional learning focused on collaborative teams and teacher instructional planning/delivery.
• Web-based data tools and reporting to support targeted needs throughout implementation.

Required AZPLS team members include the district special education director, curriculum director, a school site administrator, two or three general education teachers from different grade levels/content areas, one special education teacher who works closely with general education teachers, and one school site coach.

To indicate your interest in an informational webinar, please sign up at this link by November 11, 2021.

If you have any questions, please email Stacy Riccio.

Special Education Directors,

Please see this flyer from our colleagues with the Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) regarding their upcoming annual conference.

The Annual Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) Conference has gone hybrid!

Early registration ends October 30!

We are livestreaming several sessions on topics that may be of interest to school administrators, special education teachers, general education teachers, school counselors, social workers, and nurses. These sessions include presentations on dyslexia screening and evidence-based reading instruction, mental health, and legal issues. Check out the attachment or the conference web site.

Come join us in-person or virtually! 

Special Education Directors, 

Are you looking for Occupational Therapists (OTs) and/or Occupational Therapy Assistants?

On October 15—16, 2021, ADE/ESS will be recruiting for OT personnel on behalf of all public education agencies (PEAs) at the Arizona Occupational Therapy Association’s annual fall conference. ESS will operate a booth in the exhibit hall to promote the advantages of working in a school setting and distribute flyers listing all current and anticipated OT vacancies in Arizona public schools. We will also run a banner ad on the conference website directing OTs to the Arizona Education Employment Board.

If your PEA would like ESS to promote OT opening(s) at ArizOTa, please post them on the ADE job board as soon as possible. The banner ad will be visible on the ArizOTA website well before the convention dates, so please post quickly!

Post your OT/COTA vacancies at the Arizona Education Employment Board.

If you have questions, please email the Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

The Heart, Art, Craft, and Sciences of Reading/Writing for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

The Exceptional Student Services Professional Learning and Sustainability, Special Populations, and Assistive Technology teams are partnering to offer a professional learning opportunity focused on a literacy strengths-based teaching and learning approach for students with low-incidence disabilities in grades K–12.

This three-part series will focus on the sciences of reading and writing, adapted to meet the complex needs of all students at Tier 1. The Assistive Technology team will also share tips, tricks, and tools on using technology to enhance reading and writing for all students. Educators will walk away with skills and strategies that can be implemented the next day. This literacy series is for all educators! Participants can earn a total of 4.5 professional development credits for attending the entire series.

Part 1 Teaching the Whole Child

Tuesday, October 26, 2021, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Part 2 Understanding the Words

Tuesday, November 30, 2021, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Part 3 Bridging the Processes

Tuesday, January 11, 2022, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Materials

Participants will receive the book, Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction and Assessment, Second Edition.

Register early to ensure that you receive the book in the mail before the first session.

Cost

The cost is $30 per person.

Location

All three sessions will be held virtually on Zoom.

Accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of each session. Please email Sandra Figueroa or email Christy Hegebush with any questions.

Register today!