The ADE/ESS Professional Learning and Sustainability unit is pleased to announce two “grow-your-own” opportunities for educators in Arizona public schools.

• The General Education Teacher to Special Education Teacher (GETSET) program provides tuition reimbursement to Public Education Agencies (PEAs) for certified general education teachers who want to pursue a career change to become special education teachers. Participants choose the Standard Teaching Certificate or the Full Special Education Teaching Endorsement in mild/moderate disabilities, moderate/severe disabilities, dead/hard of hearing, or visually impaired. Early childhood special education certification is only available via the Standard Professional Teaching Certificate.
• The Special Education Teacher Tuition Assistance (SETTA) program provides tuition reimbursement to PEAs for paraprofessionals and educational interpreters that leads to the Standard Teaching Certificate in mild/moderate disabilities, moderate/severe disabilities, deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired, or early childhood special education.

If the candidate chooses the Standard Professional Teaching Certificate Pathway, the teacher shall enroll in an Arizona State Board of Education-approved educator preparation program (EPP) that leads to special education teacher certification (view the list of approved programs that lead to special education certification). Courses for the Full Special Education Endorsement must be taken from an Arizona institute of higher education on the list of approved programs and must be verified by the Arizona Department of Education Certification Unit. See the Special Education Teacher Certification Pathways for more information.

PEAs have an opportunity to submit one application per program per year. Applications earning the highest scores in the evaluation process will be approved until the funding that is set aside for the program is depleted. Applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 2024.

Complete the SETTA Application Form or GETSET Application Form and email the completed corresponding application cover page(s) (attached) to the Exceptional Student Services Recruitment and Retention Inbox, using the subject line [District or charter school name]: 2024 GETSET/SETTA Application.

Please note:

• PEAs can now apply for the GETSET program for general education teachers who seek a full special education endorsement.
• Applicant must have been employed by the PEA for two full school years as of June 30, 2024.
• Applicant must agree to two full years of teaching in a special education capacity at the PEA once special education certification is achieved.

• GETSET and SETTA are tuition reimbursement programs. Potential expenses are pre-approved, and reimbursement is provided after each semester is completed and program requirements are met.

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

Call-for-Presentations

The IHD Evidence for Success Disability Conference showcases effective, evidence-based approaches, high-leverage practices, and research findings that result in improved services, supports, and outcomes for persons with disabilities across the lifespan.

Our 2024 conference will be held at the Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, AZ on Monday & Tuesday, June 3-4, 2024. Presentations will be delivered in person.

We are seeking timely presentations that focus on innovative, evidence-based approaches to disability-related issues affecting children and adults across the broad areas of ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNITY INCLUSION, EDUCATION, and EMPLOYMENT. We welcome presentations that address (but are not limited to):

Assistive Technology:

• Accessibility and Universal Design
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Assistive Technology Applications in Education, Employment, and Community Living
• AT for Specific Populations and Life Stages
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Community Inclusion

• Behavioral and Mental Health Supports
• Disability and Justice
• Independence and Access in the Community / Independent Living
• Plain Language / Inclusive Language

Education

• College and Career Competencies
• Early Intervention / Early Childhood
• High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities
• Inclusive Practices in Higher Education
• Secondary Transition

Employment

• Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE)
• Native American and State Vocational Rehabilitation Practices
• Supporting Workers with Disabilities across Employment Settings
• Transition & Workplace Accessibility

Proposals are due by Friday, February 9, 2024. Applicants will be notified of their proposal status by March 15, 2024.

Accepted presenters receive discounted registration fees. Commercial exhibitors selected to present must pay full exhibitor or sponsor registration fees.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL FOR A CONFERENCE PRESENTATION

For questions or assistance, contact Adi Schaeffer, IHD Events Manager, at [email protected] or [email protected]; 602-728-9537

Please share the following professional learning opportunities with general and special education teachers who teach mathematics.

Virtual Professional Learning Opportunities:

The following virtual sessions are offered via Zoom and are free to attend. Click the session link to view the session description and to pre-register.

Take a DIP into Estimation 180 (Grades K–12)
Thursday, February 1, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Math Language Routines that Help Students Understand Context (Grades K–12)
Thursday, February 8, from 4:00–5:30 p.m.
Take a DIP into Dot Talks (Grades K–12)
Tuesday, March 5, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Take a DIP into Growing Patterns (Grades K–12)

Tuesday, March 26 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Note: Accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of the webinar. Sessions will not be recorded. It is strongly recommended that you use a computer to access the webinar to enable full participation in the session.

Please email Rob Hilliker with any questions.

Please visit the ESS Math webpage to view more upcoming events and helpful resources. 

ESS Program Management is excited to resume the FY24 IDEA Funding Application webinar series on Tuesday, January 9, at 11:00 a.m. Please register for the event by clicking on the link below.  

• Allowable Costs Under the IDEA - January 9, 2024
  • This session will provide a foundation-level overview of how public education agencies may spend IDEA Part B funds to support special education programs. 
• FY25 IDEA Funding Application - February 13, 2024
  • The Fiscal Year 2025 IDEA Part B funding applications open in March. Join the ESS Program Management team for helpful tips and tricks on how to apply for the Section 611 and Section 619 funds. This webinar is targeted for special education administrators, business managers, and grant writers. 
• Maintenance of Effort - March 1, 2024
  • The IDEA requires every public education agency to maintain a level of fiscal support from state and local funds. The IDEA MOE Compliance and Eligibility tests are conducted twice a year. This session will showcase the data used for the MOE calculations and how PEAs can provide evidence of reducing state and local spending requirements. Special education administrators and business managers are encouraged to attend.
• Special Education Funding: How, When, and What Order to Spend?  - April 9, 2024
  • How does a SPED Director plan a budget? Which funding source is better suited for a fixed versus a variable cost? Come to this session to learn how state and federal fund are intertwined in Arizona.
• Fiscal Year Wrap-Up - May 7, 2024
  • This session will provide guidance on how to wrap up fiscal year 2024 grants and prepare for the completion report season.

ESS Office Hours

ESS Program Management will also host Office Hours on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. PEAs are invited to attend these informal Zoom meetings to bring questions directly to their program specialist.

• January 16, 2024
• February 20, 2024
• March 19, 2024
• April 16, 2024
• May 21, 2024

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming PD event.

Overwhelmed by professional development? Don’t have time for a 90-minute webinar? We got you! Please join the Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services/Assistive Technology team for our spring series titled “Assistive Technology: Just One Thing” (JOT).

These fast, 30-minute sessions will showcase just one organizational or assistive technology tool or strategy that you can use in your classroom or teacher/therapist life. Are mornings or afternoons better for you? No worries—each JOT will be presented on Wednesdays at lunchtime and after school. Choose the time that works for you. The next spring session will take place on Wednesday, February 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. The topic will be “Visual Scene Displays with Click AAC”.

Visual Scene Displays (VSD) provide a way to represent meaning. They have been a part of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems for years. Here’s a new vision on using VSDs as language organization on your iOS or Android devices.  During this JOT, we will look at an exciting, free, still-developing AAC app that can be used to enhance and support students’ current AAC systems or that can be an additional tool for classroom instruction and activities. Join us for a look at the Click AAC app.  

Register for the 11:30 a.m. session

Register for the 3:30 p.m. session

If you have questions regarding this professional development opportunity, please email the AT Team inbox.

In conjunction with AzEIP, ADE/ESS/ECSE is proud to announce that the 2024 Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Summit is scheduled for February 28–March 1, 2024, from 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (MST). The three-day virtual conference will bring practitioners, administrators, leaders, and families together to share best practices for children with disabilities and of age birth to eight in:

• Early Intervention, helping families to transition children to preschool 
• Outcomes achieved through Early Intervention and preschool programming
• Instructional strategies for inclusive programs
• Supports to prevent and address challenging behaviors
• Resources to ensure that all children experience a team of professionals working with families to address the children's needs 

Registration for the Summit is now open on APLD.

Please bookmark the EI/ECSE Summit web page for updates and additional conference information.

We are also seeking presentations for the Summit. Requests for proposals are now available for Early Intervention proposals and Early Childhood Special Education proposals. Please consider submitting a presentation that represents the creative work and/or research you are doing in early intervention or early childhood special education.

ECSE appreciates your consideration in joining us to teach and learn as we work together to build high quality early childhood programs that meet the needs of all of our young children. If you have any questions, please email the ECSE Inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, January 17

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live webinar on Special Education Data Updates on Wednesday, January 17, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include (subject to change):

• Reminders
• Trending topics
• Top Three Integrity Errors
• Q&A

Registration is required to attend. Register for Special Education Data Updates webinar. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.

Data Management Alert

New Integrity Rule: -40095

Effective October 31, 2023, a new integrity error has been implemented for SPED data validations in AzEDS. This new integrity error is part of an ongoing effort to ensure clean data during the fiscal year and to avoid corrections of data after the close of the fiscal year.

-40095 Duplicate Least Restrictive Environment records are reported.

This rule ensures that duplicate Least Restrictive Environments (LREs) are not reported. Duplicate LREs can cause issues with some ADE systems and reporting. The error notifies a PEA that their SIS has duplicated the LRE and to work with their SIS vendor to remove one of the duplicates.

The SPED Integrity Error Tool for this rule is linked below:

SPED Integrity Error Tool -40095

One sheet SPED Integrity Error Tools for all SPED integrity rules can be found on the ESS Data Management website.

If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.

Please see the following important information from our ADE/Assessment partners:

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT       

Special Education Data Updates Webinar Wednesday, November 15 

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next Special Education Data Updates live webinar on Wednesday, November 15, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include (subject to change):   

• Reminders 

• Trending topics 

• Top 3 Integrity Errors 

• Q&A    

Registration is required to attend: Register for Special Education Data Updates webinar. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.