DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

October 1 Data Collection Phase II Trainings for FY 2025   

Annually, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is required to report special education (SPED) data to the federal government. The October 1 Data Collection (ODC) is part of that process and is required by all Public Education Agencies (PEAs). ODC has three phases:   

1. Child Count Verification and Personnel   

2. Child Count Reconciliation  

3. Child Count Non-Reconciliation (if applicable)   

During Phase II, PEAs must submit and reconcile student-level data for students with disabilities participating in a SPED program over the October 1 child count date through AzEDS. The primary goal of Phase II is to ensure that these students align with the verification count submitted during Phase I.   

ESS Data Management is excited to offer training opportunities to assist with Phase II, including an in-person workshop and a live webinar! Listed below is the schedule for the ODC Phase II training. Please note that registration is required. Click the link on the date that best fits your schedule to register.  

Online Training via Microsoft Teams
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024, 
Time: 9:00 am – 11:00 am 

 In-person training Registration required through APLD
Location: 100 N 15th Ave. Phoenix AZ 85007 
Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 
Time: 9:00 am – 11:00 am  

 Please email ESS Data Management with any questions. 

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

From December 5–7, 2024, ADE/ESS will staff a recruitment booth on behalf of all of Arizona’s public education agencies at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (AHSA) annual national convention in Seattle, WA. Over 20,000 SLPs and graduate students attend ASHA’s convention each year.

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 speech positions posted on the Arizona Education Employment Board and information about becoming licensed and certified to practice in Arizona.

Post your vacancies today!

To attract candidates to your PEA, consider including information about:

• Caseload size/caseload caps
• Resources provided (subscriptions to SLP Toolkit, The Informed SLP, SLP Now, etc.)
• Paid licensure and certification fees
• Funds for professional development
• Highlights of your city/town/community
• Highlight alternative calendars (4-day week, year-round)

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

ADE/ESS is providing notice to the field of the updated Arizona State Board of Education (SBE) rule A.A.C. R7-2-401(G)(4)(A) that was approved and effective on October 21, 2024. This announcement includes a memo that provides background, next steps for public education agencies (PEAs), and the state education agency (SEA) responsibilities and implementation. The approved SBE rule is included for reference. Note: This version of the approved SBE rule has been provided to ADE/ESS by the SBE and has yet to be chaptered into the Arizona Administrative Code.

At the November 21, 2024, Professionals Check-In, ADE/ESS will review the revised rule and attached memo while providing answers to submitted questions, where possible. Questions can be submitted through the Survey Monkey link below for the upcoming Professionals Check-In. ADE/ESS is planning additional training opportunities to assist PEAs with ensuring the implementation of the approved SBE rule. 

Submit questions for the November Professionals Check-In.

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 opened on November 1, 2024, and will close on January 31, 2025. Please see the attached memo for further details. Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the survey can be located online. If you have additional questions, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox.  

Thank you for completing the Teacher Attrition Survey. 

Special Education Professionals,

In partnership with ADE/ESS, the College and Career Competencies (CCCs) Project invites you to tune into a Fall 2024 professional learning opportunity for educators: Developing More Resilient Learners Through Self-Efficacy Instruction.

Target Audience: Special educators, school counselors, social workers, related services providers, instructional coaches, and interventionists

Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Time: 3:00–3:45 p.m.

Description: Do your students lack confidence in their abilities or give up easily when encountering obstacles? Do they become frustrated when learning becomes challenging? Students who don’t have confidence in their abilities and avoid challenges need to improve their self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is an individual’s perception of their ability to complete challenging tasks. Students who have strong self-efficacy understand the connection between putting forth effort and making progress. They accept their mistakes as learning opportunities and utilize calming techniques when learning becomes difficult. Educators who support students in developing self-efficacy observed increased confidence and the ability to view mistakes as learning opportunities in their students.

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 More Resilient Learners Through Self-Efficacy webinar.

For more information, see www.cccframework.org.

ESS/Program Support and Monitoring (PSM) is excited to announce that in-person regional training opportunities are taking place this school year. Trainings are free for participants. The content to be covered includes completing a mock student file review and learning about resources for crafting a compliant prior written notice. The dates, times, and locations are listed below. 

Please email Veronica Reza directly to register for one of these trainings. Additional training dates may be added based on responses from the field and internal capacity.  Any further questions can be directed to your PEA’s assigned PSM specialist.

Each year, ESS updates its contact lists of Lead Speech-Language Pathologists, Lead Occupational Therapists, Lead Physical Therapists, Lead School Psychologists, and Assistive Technology Specialists. We use these contact lists to:

• Keep related service providers informed of relevant professional learning
• Facilitate opportunities for developing discipline-specific professional learning networks or communities of practice
• Develop a pool of expert, experienced, school-based practitioners we may call upon for such things as surveying the need for particular topics in professional learning and providing content expertise to inform or review guidelines and policies developed by ADE/ESS

 Please complete this brief survey, even if your PEA has had no changes in personnel since last year or has no designated leads for related service providers.

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

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) Team is pleased to announce the second presentation in our 2024—2025 AT National Presenter Series: Technology Tools to Support Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation for K-12, with Elisa Wern, M.Ed., OTR/L, ATP. This presentation is intended for special education administrators, special education teachers, general education teachers, OTs, PTs, SLPs, and assistive technology specialists.

Date/Time:                  Wednesday, November 13, 2024 - 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (Seats are limited; register now!)

Fee:                                $25 - lunch on your own

Where:                          Conference Center at Rio – Rio Salado College (2323 W. 14th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281)

Elisa Wern is an Occupational Therapist with a master’s degree in special education and is a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP). With over 20 years of experience in pediatric therapy, she presents at various state and national conferences, including regional training, AOTA, CEC, PATINS A2E, ATIA, Closing the Gap, OTAP/ECHO TIES Project, CATE, TalkingAAC, and AAC in the Cloud. Elisa is the Local Assistive Technology Specialist for Alachua County Schools in Gainesville, Florida, where she coordinates AT services for the district and serves as the Lead Occupational Therapist. In her spare time, she runs a private practice, AT & OT Consulting and Coaching, supporting students and families primarily through teletherapy evaluations, consultations, and interventions, as well as providing consultation for companies. She proudly served as a Year 1 Mentor as a Joy Zabala Fellow and coordinates the Facebook group book study on Comprehensive Literacy for All.

Session Description:
In today’s diverse classroom environments, fostering executive functioning and self-regulation skills in students is critical for their academic and personal success. This session is designed for K-12 educational staff and therapists who seek to integrate educational and assistive technology tools into their practice to enhance these essential skills. Participants will explore a range of innovative technological solutions, including low- and no-tech tools, apps, software, and devices, which can aid in improving organization, time management, task initiation, emotional regulation, and more.

Session Outline

• Overview of Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation: Understanding the key components, the research behind them, and their importance in student development.
• Assessment and Identification: Tools for assessing executive functioning and self-regulation challenges specific to the educational setting and occupational therapists.
• Technology Solutions: Detailed exploration of specific tools such as digital planners, reminder apps, visual schedules, and resources.
• Implementation Strategies: Practical guidance on integrating these tools into daily routines and individualized education plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans.
• Case Studies, Research, and Best Practices: Real-world examples of successful technology integration and its impact on student outcomes.
• Interactive Demonstrations: Hands-on opportunities to explore and experiment with selected technology tools.

By the end of this session, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively leverage technology to support the executive functioning and self-regulation needs of their students, leading to more independent and successful learners. The session includes hands-on time with no-tech, low-tech, and technology-based applications and strategies, featuring a mix of free and paid resources to support executive functioning.

Register for Technology Tools to Support Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation for K-12.

If you have questions about this training, please email [email protected]

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, October 16, 2024

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include (subject to change):   

• 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.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Reporting Special Education Students Attending Secondary Transition Programs and October 1 Child Counts 

On February 13, 2024, Public Education Agencies (PEAs) were notified that new school sites must be created if they meet specific criteria. In the process, it became necessary for PEAs to report students in Secondary Transition programs located in businesses or colleges, including creating new entities for these programs. 

We appreciate your patience while we create these new entities in our systems and update AzEDS and integrity rules to allow reporting. We anticipate PEAs will be able to successfully report their students attending Secondary Transition programs in AzEDS by November. 

Special Education students attending Secondary Transition programs must be counted for the October 1 Child Count if they received services on October 1.  

Once AzEDS has been updated to allow the reporting, we will send a follow-up alert with guidance. 

Please email the ESS Data Management inbox with any questions or concerns.