Special Education Directors,

The ADE Math Team has had an excellent turnout for math office hours during the past two weeks, and we have enjoyed working with hundreds of general education and special education teachers and leaders from across the state! We are excited to announce that we are now offering an additional session specifically for special education teachers.

Special Education Teacher Math Office Hours

These virtual meetups are a chance for special education teachers across Arizona to connect with each other, collaborate and learn from one another, and celebrate and share successes during this new educational landscape. Join our biweekly meetup and connect with your colleagues to learn and lead from wherever you are in our state!

First meeting is Thursday, April 16th from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please feel free to join any and all of our Math Office Hours for both general education and special education teachers:

Next meetings are Wednesday, April 22 at the following times:

Grade Band: High School

Grade Band: 6-8

Grade Band: K-2

Grade Band: 3-5

Together we can continue to provide exceptional learning for all Arizona students!

Your ADE Math Team

Special Education Directors,

There have been many challenges as a result of COVID-19 and, after careful consideration, our leadership team has made the difficult decision to cancel Teach Camp 2020 as well as a new professional learning opportunity that was planned for new special education directors.  Our goal is to begin a new cohort of Teach Camp and professional learning for new special education directors in the summer of 2021. Currently, we are considering ways to connect with our 2019 Teach Camp participants and help them reconnect with each other during the next school year.

For your information, a resource that has been available to teachers participating in Teach Camp is now open to others as well. CEC is opening its doors to the special education community in need of resources. Nonmembers of CEC can receive a free basic membership from now through May 31 by using the promotional code "CECED60". This will provide access to all of CEC’s journal articles, member discounts on publications and events, and their online membership community where educators can ask questions and receive support from special educators, administrators, and support personnel. Join now by clicking here.

Thank you for your continued service to our field. We look forward to collaborating with you to support new teachers and new special education directors again in the future.

Special Education Directors,

We understand that this has been a busy and stressful time as you work to meet the needs of your students and staff. As such, we are extending the application deadline for the SETTA and GETSET Tuition Assistance Programs until 5:00 p.m. on Friday April 17.

• General Education Teacher to Special Education Teacher (GETSET) Application
• Special Education Teacher Tuition Assistance (SETTA) Application

For questions, please email Aanya Rispoli or call (602) 364-4022.

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 district and charter schools in Arizona.

The survey is now open and will close on May 8, 2020. Please see this letter for further details. Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the survey can be located at http://bit.ly/teacherattritionsurvey. For additional questions, please contact [email protected].

Thank you for completing the Teacher Attrition Survey.

Special Education Directors:

Are your students with disabilities meeting the math requirements for middle and high school? Do they have the skills to meet and successfully complete the standards in Algebra One? Are there structures in place for special education and general education teachers to collaborate effectively to meet the needs of students with disabilities?  

Count Me In: Hands on Algebra is a two-day professional learning opportunity that will focus on inclusive practices for teaching mathematics for middle and high school students with learning disabilities. Teachers will walk away with a conceptual understanding of the progressions within algebraic reasoning and thinking and learn collaboration strategies that will support all students in meeting the High School Algebra standards.

We strongly encourage school teams of special education and general education teachers who teach mathematics in Grade 6 through High School Algebra to register. Participants will be required to attend BOTH in-person training days and a follow up one-hour coaching session.

Prescott—May 4 and 5, 2020: http://bit.ly/AlgebraPrescott

Show Low—June 18 and 19, 2020: http://bit.ly/AlgebraShowLow

Please see the attached flyer for further details. Additional trainings in Tucson and Phoenix will be offered in Fall 2020.

Questions about registration may be directed to [email protected].  Questions about the training may be directed to [email protected] or [email protected].

Join our ESS Math Listserv to stay informed of upcoming professional learning opportunities! bit.ly/essmathlist

Special Education Administrators,

The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce FREE upcoming math webinars:

Please see this flyer for more information and share with others who may also be interested in this professional learning opportunity. Questions can be directed to [email protected] or [email protected].

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

Special Education Directors,

The University of Arizona has been awarded $2.5M from the US Department of Education for two important projects.

The primary goal of the first project is to prepare teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs). This project will provide new applicants to the program with full tuition coverage and an opportunity to work closely with scholars from the rehabilitation counseling field. With adoption of the distance education model, all teacher candidates can complete the training program remotely.

If you know of a potential candidate who is considering becoming a TVI, this might be a perfect opportunity with financial support available. Questions can be directed to Sunggye Hong, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Special Education Unit Chair and Program Director of Visual Impairment Specialization at [email protected] and 520-621-0945.

The primary goal of the second project is to prepare educational interpreters. This project is an undergraduate program that will provide new applicants to the program with money for tuition. Undergraduate students must have finished ASL 1 - 6 and have at least 56 general education units completed.

If you know of a potential candidate who is considering becoming an educational interpreter, this is an excellent opportunity with financial support available.  Questions can be directed to Dr. Cindy Volk at [email protected].

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

For your convenience, we have updated this year’s list.  If your school is planning to recruit for special education teachers out of state, whether in person or by sending flyers or job postings to particular universities, we hope this list will make that task a bit easier for you. This list is also be available on the AEEB job board site under the “Find a University Job Fair” icon. https://www.arizonaeducationjobs.com/guest/post.

The Arizona Department of Education/ Exceptional Student Services, in partnership with AHCCCS, is pleased to announce that the National Council for Behavioral Health will deliver Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification (YMHFA) training to Arizona educators. This 3-day interactive training will teach participants how to:

• Teach the Youth Mental Health First Aid course, including the 5-step action plan, evidence-supported treatment and self-help strategies, and prevalence data.
• Present the program with fidelity to the tested, core model.
• Apply the program to a range of adult learning styles.
• Tailor presentations to diverse audiences and learning environments.

Upon the successful completion of the course requirements as outlined by the National Council for Behavioral Health, participants will be certified to teach the standard Youth Mental Health First Aid course.

Registration:

There is no fee for participants! However, registration is first-come, first-served and based on statewide representation.

Please see this application form for more details.  If you have questions, please contact Aanya Rispoli at [email protected].