The ADE/ESS Recruitment and Retention team is staffing a recruitment booth at the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) annual convention from March 11–15, 2025, as part of our recruiting efforts on behalf of all Arizona PEAs. Each year, CEC draws thousands of preservice special education students, teachers, and related service providers.  

  Our booth includes Arizona Department of Tourism brochures showcasing the diverse beauty of our state, materials pointing attendees to our job board, and, of course, the famous cactus pencils. 

  Following our attendance at national conventions, we typically see a dramatic uptick in Arizona Education Employment Board visitors. Please make sure that your special education positions are posted on our free job board as soon as possible to take advantage of this opportunity. 

 For additional information, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox. 

There is still time to register for this spring’s virtual series on Universal Design for Learning.

The ADE/ESS Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices unit invites educators to its upcoming free virtual professional learning series on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This series is an excellent opportunity to deepen your understanding of UDL principles and how they can be applied to create more inclusive, accessible learning environments for all students. These virtual sessions will focus on providing practical strategies that can be implemented across classroom settings, supporting the success of all learners. We encourage your schools to take advantage of these no-cost virtual learning sessions to deepen knowledge and understanding and enhance instructional practices to ensure every student succeeds.

Don’t miss the next session on March 6, 2025. The registration links can be found in the attached flyer.

If you have any questions, contact Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices at [email protected].

The ADE/ESS Program Support & Monitoring (PSM) unit and the Secondary Transition team are collaborating to provide training in response to the Arizona State Board Rule Change for Secondary Transition Services. Join this in-person-only Professional Development opportunity to gain clarity on the rule change and how to apply effective practices for stronger transition plans.  

Attendees will receive an overview of transition planning requirements, implications for the 2024 Arizona State Board of Education rule changes, and effective practices. These trainings are geared towards school administrators, teachers, and other staff integral to transition planning and service delivery.

Please choose one of the following dates/times at your convenience, as it will not be recorded, and each session covers the same content. 

Title: Getting Ahead to Go Beyond: Secondary Transition Changes and Considerations 
Dates: Wednesday, April 2, and Thursday, April 3, 2025 
Times: 9:00–11:30 a.m. and 12:30–3:00 p.m. (select one) 
Where: ADE South Campus 
Address: 1535 W Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85007 

Title: Getting Ahead to Go Beyond: Secondary Transition Changes and Considerations 
Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 
Times: 9:00–11:30 a.m. and 12:30–3:00 p.m. (select one) 
Where: State of Arizona Complex  
Address: 400 W Congress, Tucson, AZ 85701 

Space is limited! Please register now for Getting Ahead to Go Beyond: Secondary Transition Changes and Considerations.

If you have questions about this training, please email Veronica Reza.  

Are you concerned about the current rate of suspensions and expulsions at your school or district? Do you feel students are losing valuable class time due to disruptions and other behavior problems? Are teachers struggling to be successful with classroom management? Are administrators spending too much time dealing with discipline issues?  If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you might find the solution in Multi-Tier Behavior Supports.

Multi-Tier Behavior Supports (MTBS) is a three-year training series that will assist district, charter, or school teams with the development of a school-wide approach for positive behavior management practices. This training is based on School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SW-PBIS) evidence-based elements. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) notes that “the IEP Team shall, in the case of a child whose behavior impedes the child’s learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address that behavior” (20 U.S.C. §1414(d)(3)(B)(i)). 

Several free informational webinars are being offered to outline additional details about the MTBS model, the three-year training sequence, the readiness requirements, and the process for applying.  Attendance at one of the informational webinars is the first readiness requirement necessary for participation in the training series.

If you are interested in learning more and/or starting the readiness process, review the attached flyer and register to attend one of the following free webinars:

Register for February 19 from 9:00–10:00 a.m.

Register for February 19 from 3:30–4:30 p.m.

Register for February 25 from 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Register for February 25 from 3:30–4:30 p.m.

Directions for applying for the training series will be provided during the webinar. Registration is limited to ten teams and only one team from each district. Applications earning the highest scores in the evaluation process will be approved until all seats are filled. Completed applications must be submitted by April 2 at 5:00 p.m.

The special education director is required to attend the readiness webinar for a PEA/district team. The principal is required to attend the readiness webinar for a school team.

Please see the MTBS 2025 flyer for additional information. If you have questions, please contact Celeste Nameth.

In partnership with ADE/ESS, the College and Career Competencies (CCCs) Project invites you to tune into a Spring 2025 professional learning opportunity for educational leaders and educators, Developing and Improving Students’ Persistence and Confidence Through Self-Efficacy.

Students who don’t have confidence in their abilities give up easily when they experience obstacles. They struggle to understand the connection between putting forth effort and making progress. Self-efficacy is an individual’s perception of their ability to complete challenging tasks. Students with strong self-efficacy understand that learning new things is a process that includes multiple attempts, analyzing each attempt, and applying feedback to improve. They view mistakes and setbacks as opportunities to learn and utilize calming techniques when learning becomes challenging. Educators who support students in developing self-efficacy observed increased confidence and the ability to view mistakes as learning opportunities in their students. Academic and behavioral outcomes are improved when educators are supported in developing students’ self-efficacy.

For K-12 Educational Leaders
Title: Improving Students’ Persistence and Confidence Through Self-EfficacyTarget
Audience: School and district administrators, special education directors, curriculum directors, directors of teaching and learning, professional development coordinators, and other school administrators.
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Time: 9:00–9:45 a.m.

Please join us for this interactive 45-minute webinar as we explore these topics: 

• Accessing free professional learning for your staff
• Teaching self-efficacy with free curriculum
• Systematic approaches to implementing self-efficacy instruction
• Coaching educators as they provide self-efficacy instruction

Register for Improving Students’ Persistence and Confidence Through Self-Efficacy.

For K-12 Special Educators and Interventionists

Title: Developing Students’ Persistence and Confidence Through Self-Efficacy
Target Audience: Special educators, school counselors, social workers, related services providers, instructional coaches, and interventionists
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Time: 3:00–3:45 p.m.

Please join us for this interactive 45-minute webinar as we explore these topics: 

• Teaching self-efficacy with free curriculum
• Measuring students’ self-efficacy
• Individualized support for developing students’ self-efficacy
• Accessing free self-efficacy courses for special education professionals

Register for Developing Students’ Persistence and Confidence Through Self-Efficacy.

For more information, see www.cccframework.org.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT    

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include:    

• Reminders  

• Trending topics  

• Top Three Integrity Errors 

• Q&A     

 Please register by clicking this link. Registration is required to attend. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.  

The memo below was initially sent out on November 1, 2024.

Please review the attached memo for important information on determining the primary need when reporting preschool severe delay (PSD), developmental delay (DD), multiple disabilities (MD), or multiple disabilities - severe sensory impairment (MDSSI).

All school districts, charter schools, secure care facilities, and the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) are required to annually administer the State Performance Plan Indicator 8 Parent Involvement Survey to parents of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The survey open on January 20, 2025, via ADEConnect Data Surveys and will close on May 31, 2025.

Mail Merge Feature: The survey application has merged the individual student login codes and parent letters. This feature will make it easier for users to disseminate parent instructions.

Additional forms and guidance can be found on the Parent Involvement Survey Info for Schools website and in ADEConnect on the Data Surveys page.

If you do not already have access to the survey application or need to add additional users who should have the right to use this information and administer the survey, contact your entity ADEConnect administrator and ask to be assigned the Data Surveys: User Role. If additional assistance is needed to be assigned the User Role, use the Help Desk ticketing system via ADEConnect.

Please email the Parent Survey Inbox with questions.

This email updates public education agencies (PEAs) regarding the October 1 Enrollment Data process.

The closing date for October 1 data submissions was December 11, 2024. The integrity process was initiated as usual but took longer than expected to finish, delaying the October 1 processing. As such, the October 1 processing finished on December 13, 2024, and included data submitted on December 12, 2024. We will be cognizant of these factors during the October 1 Non-Reconciliation Phase if they are needed for specific PEAs. Overall, this increased the data quality by allowing an extra day of data, allowing PEAs to further clean their data in AzEDS.

The October 1 Enrollment Data has successfully processed integrity rules and is finalized in AzEDS. The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) encourages PEAs to review final October 1 reports in AzEDS or relevant applications. The October 1 data is now static and will be utilized for financial allocations, research, or other business purposes as appropriate. ADE appreciates the efforts of all PEAs in submitting timely and accurate data.

The ADE/ESS Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices Unit invites all educators to our upcoming free virtual professional learning series on Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

This series is an excellent opportunity to deepen your understanding of UDL principles and how they can be applied to create more inclusive, accessible learning environments for all students.

These virtual sessions will focus on providing practical strategies that can be implemented across diverse classroom settings, supporting the success of all learners. We encourage your schools to take advantage of these no-cost virtual learning sessions to deepen knowledge and understanding and enhance instructional practices to ensure every student succeeds.

The registration links are in the attached PDF flyer or on the following website: January and February UDL Webinars.

Thank you for your continued dedication to fostering inclusionary education. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the facilitator at [email protected].