DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

FY25 Statement of Assurances, required for all Public Education Agencies,

opens April 3, 2024

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the representative body for Special Education for Arizona, Exceptional Student Services (ESS), is required to annually obtain assurances from Public Education Agencies (PEAs) attesting that they are meeting the requirements under state and federal statutes. This requirement is completed via the Statement of Assurances application.

Completing the annual Statement of Assurances is a requirement for all entities defined as a PEA, regardless of whether they get federal funds. Non-Public Organizations (NPOs) are exempt from this requirement.

All PEAs must submit the FY25 Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the ESS Portal, accessed via ADEConnect.

The application will open on April 3, 2024, and close for submissions on June 12, 2024.

The SOA must be submitted by your Superintendent, Charter Holder, or Special Education Director before FY25 IDEA funding applications are approved in the Grants Management Enterprise system.

• The PEAs entity administrator must assign the role of ESS Special Education: Signer in ADEConnect to the individual who will review, sign, and submit the SOA.
• PEAs that do not apply for IDEA funds are still required to submit the SOA.

Once the role is assigned, please log in to ADEConnect, navigate to the Exceptional Student Services portal, and select the Statement of Assurances link under Surveys & Assurances:

Upon completion, the SOA can be printed for your records. If your PEA wants to ensure that the SOA was submitted, re-accessing the SOA will display the “Thank you for submitting” page.

Please direct any questions to the ESS Data Management inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, April 17, 2024

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, April 17, 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.

Federal Fiscal Year 2024 IDEA Part B State Application

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) will soon apply for federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. This application document serves as the basis for the operation and administration of activities to carry out the requirements of Part B of the IDEA. As part of the public participation process set forth in the IDEA Part B regulations at 34 CFR § 300.165 and in Section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 U.S.C. 1228a), the State must publish its Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023 IDEA Part B Application and allow public comment.

The application document sets forth policies and procedures that Arizona will undertake:

1. to ensure that all eligible children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that includes special education and related services to meet their unique needs
2. to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected
3. to assist public education agencies in providing for the education of all children with disabilities
4. to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate those children

Note: Arizona has not yet received the Allocation Tables for FFY 2024 grant funds from the US Department of Education. Thus, the FFY 2023 Spreadsheet has been included until the FFY 2024 allocation amount is received. Upon receipt of the FFY 2024 allocation documents, ADE/ESS will remove the FFY 2023 Spreadsheet and replace it with an updated FFY 2024 Spreadsheet.

Notice of Public Comment Period

Any individual or organization may submit written comments. Written comments shall be accepted through April 20, 2024.

The 30-day public comment period for the FFY2024 IDEA Part B Application will be open from March 21, 2023, through April 20, 2024. The State will review and consider all public comments and make any necessary modifications to the application as appropriate.

Special education stakeholders may submit comments in writing beginning March 22, 2024, using the following methods:

• Submit electronically via the ADE/ESS Public Comment webpage
• Submit electronically to Exceptional Student Services via email
• Submit handwritten comments directly to Exceptional Student Services via the USPS to Arizona Department of Education, 1535 West Jefferson St. Bin #24, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

The Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ArSHA) will hold its annual convention in Tucson on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13. There will be hundreds of speech-language pathologists (SLPs), speech-language technicians (SLTs), and speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) attending this event. 

The ADE/ESS sponsors the public school strand at the convention to support high-quality, relevant professional learning for school-based speech personnel. This year’s sponsored topics include eligibility for speech sound disorders, working memory, interprofessional collaboration in schools, and gestalt language processing. 

ADE/ESS will also have a table in the exhibit hall for recruiting SLPs, SLTs, and SLPAs to work in Arizona’s public schools. We plan to highlight all SLP/SLT/SLPA positions that are posted on ADE/ESS's Arizona Education Employment Board (AEBB). 

We typically see a sharp increase in visits to the job board during and immediately after recruiting at an event like this. To be included in this recruitment effort, please post your speech positions on the AEEB by Monday, April 8. Review the Effective Job Posting Guide and act now to post your open positions! If you need assistance with reviewing or writing a job description that captures your PEA's strengths from an SLP perspective, contact Mary Keeney.  

The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that registration for Teach Camp is now open!  

Teach Camp provides professional learning and supports specifically designed for beginning special education teachers. Teach Camp aims to increase the retention of special educators by providing our newest special education teachers with the tools they need to survive and thrive during their first years in the classroom.  

Teach Camp is available to special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in the fall of 2024. Recent graduates from traditional teacher preparation programs, alternative certified teachers, and veteran general education teachers transitioning to special education are all welcome. Please note that participants must be currently employed in a school district or charter as a special education teacher, and participants must have no more than two years of special education teaching experience in total (including previous positions) to be eligible to attend Teach Camp.   

Teach Camp will launch this summer! The cost is $250 per teacher and includes:  

• 3-day summer “camp” to be held July 9-11, 2024, in Tempe, AZ* (breakfast and lunch provided)  
• One-day follow-up session in February 2025 in Phoenix* (lunch provided)   
• A copy of The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers  
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children  
• Additional valuable resources   

*Information regarding travel reimbursement for participants from eligible PEAs will be provided once registration is completed.  

Registration for Teach Camp is open until June 25, 2024, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration must be approved by the special education director and completed by the PEA, not the special education teacher. On-site registration is not available.   

Begin the registration process for Teach Camp! 

Please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox with any questions about Teach Camp

Looking for self-paced professional learning on current special education topics of interest?

Register today for Summer 2024 NAU SELECT courses!

Special Education Learning Experiences for Competency in Teaching (SELECT) is a federally funded program sponsored by ADE/ESS and offered through the Institute for Human Development at Northern Arizona University. SELECT courses are recommended for special and general education teachers, administrators, related service personnel, paraeducators, and other interested individuals.

First five-week summer session courses

June 3, 2024 to July 2, 2024

• Inclusion in Early Childhood
• Differentiating Emotional Disabilities and Behavioral Disorders
• Mild and Moderate Disabilities
• Research-Based Math
• Legal Aspects and Compliance
• Paraeducator: Roles, Best Practices, Perspectives

Second five-week summer session courses

July 8, 2024 to August 6, 2024

• Autism and Communication Skills
• School-Wide PBIS
• Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation Team
• Principles and Practices of Effective Co-Teaching
• Conflict Resolution in Special Education Administration
• Secondary Transition for Students with Disabilities

Please view the attached flyer with details of upcoming sessions.

Register on the NAU SELECT webpage. Registration closes when classes are full or two (2) weeks before the start of class.

• SELECT classes can be taken for university credit for those teachers or administrators who are required by their school districts to have official transcripts and for those who may need to transfer hours out of state (tuition and associated fees apply).
• The classes can also be taken for professional growth contact hours for free.

For more information, please email the SELECT Inbox.

Please join ADE/ESS for the next Special Education Professionals Check-In on Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. 

Select the link to join this Microsoft Teams event: Join Special Professionals Check-In on March 21, 2024

This month's Check-In will address two topics:

Topic 1

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires states to develop a State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR). This report includes indicators that evaluate the State’s efforts to implement the requirements of IDEA and describes how the state will improve its special education programs. These indicators measure child and family outcomes and other indicators that measure compliance with IDEA requirements.

Participants attending the Special Education Professional Check-In will hear the most recent progress on the SPP/APR indicators. This event is an opportunity for ADE to hear from special education directors and other educators if they have feedback on our state's direction to improve outcomes for children with disabilities.

Indicators 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13

• Indicator 4: Indicator 4 looks at incidents of discipline in excess of 10 days among students with disabilities across different races/ethnicities.
• Indicators 9 and 10: Indicator 9 compares the races/ethnicities of students with disabilities to the races/ethnicities of students without disabilities in a school district. Indicator 10 is similar but looks at the disability category of students.
• Indicator 11: Indicator 11 measures the percentage of students who received an initial evaluation for special education within 60 days of a parent giving consent.
• Indicator 12: Indicator 12 looks at children (ages 0–2) who may qualify for special education services. Indicator 12 measures the percentage of students who have a formal plan ready by their third birthday if they qualify.
• Indicator 13: Indicator 13 calculates the percentage of students with disabilities (ages 16+) with certain components in their educational plan. Their plan must include appropriate goals, transition information, services, and courses. 

Topic 2

The second topic of this month’s Check-In is ESS Proportionate Share Obligations & Equitable Services. Arizona public school districts are required to count parentally placed private school students and report the number of eligible special education students attending non-profit private schools and homeschools within the district boundaries. These counts are used to determine the Proportionate Share Obligations for equitable services under the IDEA. ESS Program Management will discuss the calculation for the fiscal year 2025 proportionate share obligations and give districts an opportunity to review data for the upcoming grant cycle.

SY 2023–2024 Check-In Schedule: 2023–2024 Special Education Professionals Check-Ins occur monthly, on the third Thursday of every month, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

If you have questions or suggestions for content for Check-Ins, feel free to send them to the ESS Inbox. 

Arizona’s 2024 IDEA Conference: Expect, Engage, Achieve, will be held in person from September 4–6, 2024, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix.

ADE/ESS is requesting proposals that represent your creative and research-based work. The conference will feature over 75 professional learning opportunities, including IDEA legal issues, instructional practices, national trends and hot topics, special education compliance, preschool and secondary transition, and content for related service providers. Make your mark at the 2024 IDEA conference; submit your proposal now!

Session proposals are due Sunday, March 31, 2024. See the Call for Papers guidelines for information on how to submit.

Thank you for your continued dedication to advancing special education in Arizona. ESS looks forward to your valuable contributions at this year's conference. Questions can be sent to the IDEA Conference inbox.

The ADE/ESS Recruitment and Retention team is staffing a recruitment booth at the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) annual convention this week 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 the job board as soon as possible to take advantage of this opportunity.

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

The Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services, is thrilled to share exciting opportunities for conference attendees during Arizona's 2024 IDEA Conference: Expect, Engage, Achieve. Nominate someone today for their tremendous contributions to secondary transition services or share the artistic talents of students in person September 4–6, 2024, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Please take a moment to explore both opportunities below:

Nominations Open for Arizona Secondary Transition Services Awards

Your nomination is important to recognize the secondary transition contributions and successes happening across Arizona. To nominate a youth/young adult, community member, and/or educator for their exceptional efforts, please submit an online nomination form.

Nomination Categories:

1. Youth/Young Adult: A youth or recently graduated young adult with active engagement and successful navigation of the secondary transition planning process.
2. Community Member: An individual (employee, manager, business owner, etc.) providing exemplary support for students and/or young adults with disabilities to enhance community-based experiences.
3. Educator: A PEA or Secure Care certified staff, classified staff, support staff member, related service provider, or administrator who provides remarkable secondary transition services.

All nominations submitted on or before Friday, May 31, 2024, will be considered. Award winners will be selected and notified in July.

Call for Student Artwork: Showcase Your Talent at the IDEA Conference

The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services (ADE/ESS) is excited to announce the display of student artwork during this year's IDEA Conference! Are you a student artist, or someone who knows of a student, who is interested in displaying artwork during this event? View the Call for Student Artwork flyer to learn more about this opportunity.

Artwork criteria and additional details can be found on the 2024 Student Artwork Entry Form. All artwork entries must be received by May 31, 2024. Please consider supporting your students in submitting artwork!

If you have any questions about nominations for the Secondary Transition Service Awards or Call for Student Artwork, please email the IDEA conference inbox.

Please download our Secondary Transition Services Award and Call for Student Artwork Flyer.