Special Education Directors,

Please see the following memo regarding the reporting of discipline data. This communication includes a reminder of discipline data submission elements and a new requirement to submit information for children reassigned to an alternative education program as an alternative to suspension or expulsion or placed into an alternative to a suspension program beginning in fiscal year 2024. This additional reporting requirement was developed in response to feedback provided to Arizona from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and is designed to ensure that all eligible children with disabilities are served appropriately and equitably.

If you have any questions regarding this requirement, please email ESS Operations.

Special Education Directors,

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce the next 2022–23 national presenter, Mike Marotta, ATP. Mike’s workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.

“Explore and Identify Google Tools That Can Be Incorporated Into Educational Experiences”

Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.

Fee: $21 (breakfast and lunch included)

Where: Sunnyside Unified School District

Address: 2238 East Ginter Road, Tucson, AZ 85706

About Mike Marotta

Mike Marotta, ATP, is the owner of Inclusive Technology Solutions, LLC. Mike has been in the field of Assistive Technology for almost 30 years. His experience revolves around a vast array of accommodations for persons with disabilities and their family/support members. Mike is the Director of the Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center @ Disability Rights New Jersey, is the Founder @EdcampAccessNJ @EdcampAccessInt Co-mod #atchat Wed 8PM ET @BookCreatorApp Ambassador, and is a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator
Mike believes that networking and information-sharing are essential for the successful evaluation, consideration, implementation, and application of technology to support individuals of all abilities.

Workshop Description:

From Chrome apps and extensions to Google tools, Google can support all learners in your classroom. This full-day, in-person workshop will focus on exploring Google tools and identifying ways to incorporate these powerful tools into educational experiences. We will explore the feature match process to ensure a clear rationale for using built-in Chrome OS accessibility features, G Suite tools, and third-party Chrome apps and extensions. You will explore tools to assist students in the areas of reading, writing, and math, as well as with executive functioning skills that include time management, organization, task completion, and focus, to effectively meet the needs of every learner in all environments (classroom, transition, community). 

Register for “Explore and Identify Google Tools That Can Be Incorporated Into Educational Experiences”

If you have questions regarding this training, please email our AT inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Discipline Data Submissions

Please review the following memo which outlines upcoming changes to discipline data submissions in FY24.

Memorandum of Discipline Data Submissions.

Beginning in the next fiscal year, ESS will require Public Education Agencies (PEAs) to report any instance in which a PEA removes a child with a disability from his/her educational placement for disciplinary purposes into AzEDS via their Student Information System.

NOTE: SPED discipline incidents will still be collected in the ESS Discipline Data Collection application for FY23.  Any discipline data submitted to AzEDS for FY23 will be used for testing purposes only and will not be used for ESS data collections.

For any questions related to special education discipline data submissions, please contact ESS Data Management.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Exceptional Student Services (ESS) Portal information icon added for select applications

To aid Public Education Agencies in their interaction with ESS applications, a new information icon is available for select applications in the ESS portal. Selecting the information icon will produce a pop-up window with more information about the application, roles required to access, contact information, and website links for more training or information.

The blue information icon can be found to the left of the application button if available for that application. Additional applications will have information icons added in the coming weeks.

For any questions regarding this new feature, please feel free to contact [email protected].

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Upcoming change for Fiscal Year 2024 - Special Education Disabilities allowed for Preschool Programs for Students with Disabilities.

An update to allowable special education (SPED) disabilities for preschool programs will be introduced in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. This update is a continuation of our effort to further validate SPED reporting and ensure accurate data for the state.

Updates to integrity rules and validation matrices will take effect on 7/1/23 to allow all SPED disabilities to be reported for preschool programs except EDP. 

While disability codes DD, HI, PSD, SLI, and VI are only recognized for purposes of calculating Average Daily Membership (ADM), it does not restrict reporting other disability categories beyond those five codes for children with disabilities in preschool programs.

Integrity rules -40035 and -40029 validate the Concurrent Need and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Code Eligibility Matrix, and the Concurrent PEA and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Code Eligibility Matrix. Both matrices will be updated for this change closer to the start of FY24 and published on our ESS Data Management website.                                                               

Please contact [email protected] with any questions regarding this update.  

Special Education Directors,

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

Virtual Professional Learning Opportunities:

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

Count Me In! Exploring Adding and Subtracting Integers - Thursday, January 12, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Formative Assessment in Mathematics with Desmos (Grades 9–12) - Thursday, January 19, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Count Me In! Exploring Multiplying and Dividing Integers - Monday, January 30, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Take a D.I.P. into Esti-Mysteries (Grades K–6) - Wednesday, February 1, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Take a D.I.P. into Graphing Stories (Grades 6–12) - Thursday, February 2, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Empower Students to Use Universal Tools Through Instructional Routines - Wednesday, February 8, 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Introduction to Fluency with Whole Numbers (Grades K–6) - Choose one of the following dates:

Monday, March 27, from 3:30–5:00 p.m. - Register in advance for Introduction to Fluency with Whole Numbers (Grades K–6) on March 27

Wednesday, May 3, from 3:30–5:00 p.m. - Register in advance for Introduction to Fluency with Whole Numbers (Grades K–6) on May 3

Count Me In! Algebra Tiles Part 1: Exploration of Algebraic Expressions - Thursday, March 30, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Take a D.I.P. into Open Middle (Elementary Grades K–5) - Wednesday, April 12, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Take a D.I.P into Open Middle (Secondary Grades 6–12) - Thursday, April 13, from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Literacy and Math Intertwined: Using Poetry to Engage All Learners - Monday, April 17, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Count Me In! Algebra Tiles Part 2: Exploration of Substitution and Solving Equations - Monday, April 24, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Count Me In! Algebra Tiles Part 3: Multiplying Binomials and Dividing Quadratic Equations - Tuesday, May 2, from 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Count Me In! Algebra Tiles Part 4: Factoring Quadratic Expressions - Wednesday, May 10, from 3:30.–5:00 p.m.

Note: Accommodations must be requested at least one week in advance of each webinar. These sessions will not be recorded. A computer or tablet is not required but is strongly recommended to enable full participation in each session.

Share the Spring 2023 ADE/ESS Math Professional Learning Offerings flyer.

Please email Jenifer Fernandez or email Rob Hilliker with any questions.

Special Education Directors,

The Arizona Education Job Fair & Career Expo will take place on February 4, 2023, from 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Conference Center.

The Job Fair and Career Expo is an excellent opportunity for you to recruit new employees to your school community.

Register for the Job Fair and Career Expo!

The registration deadline is December 5, 2022.

Email the Educator Recruitment and Retention fair inbox for more information.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT      

New Technical Assistance Document for Reporting Parentally-Placed Students on an ISP to AzEDS

The following information applies to school districts with a geographic boundary only.

School districts with a geographic boundary providing Special Education (SPED) services to parentally-placed students on an Individual Service Plan (ISP) are required to report SPED services to AzEDS.

A new technical assistance document has been developed to assist school districts with this reporting requirement.

Please review the SPED Student Reporting – Parentally-Placed Students that Receive Services on an Individual Service Plan document located under Tools & Resources on the AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage.

Additionally, for requirements reporting counts for parentally-placed students in private non-profit schools, please review the October 1 Data Collection Manual.

If you have questions regarding this guidance, please email [email protected].

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT       

October 1 Enrollment Data for Fiscal Year 2023  

Please review the October 1 Enrollment Data information below. This coincides with the ODC Phase II due date of January 18, 2023.

What is October 1 Enrollment Data?
To ensure compliance with federal reporting and program requirements for the fiscal year 2023, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is compiling data for students enrolled on October 1, 2022. Reports will be prepared using enrollment data that has been submitted by Arizona school districts, charter schools, and other public education agencies (PEAs) via their respective student information systems to ADE and has Passed Integrity in AzEDS accordingly.

Student-level enrollment and program data reported by public education agencies are critically important to funding and program determinations for all education programs. ADE uses the data to manage eligibility, calculate funding of limited federal dollars, comply with federal reporting requirements, and serve as the basis for general population statistics about Arizona schools.

October 1 data is used for many internal and external accountability reports, such as statewide dropout rate, and to identify students in certain subgroups. Therefore, schools must review and, if applicable, correct this data as soon as possible so we can produce accurate numbers for federal reporting.
 

What are the important deadlines?
Arizona school districts, charter schools, and other PEAs should have submitted most student-level enrollment and program data as of now. The final October 1 enrollment data deadline is Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Between now and January 18, PEAs are strongly encouraged to review and correct data submissions, using ADE program area staff for support.

What are the consequences of not submitting accurate, valid, and timely October 1 Enrollment Data?
Information submitted after 5:00 PM on January 18, 2023, will not be included in the grants or reports indicated in the chart below. Incomplete, inaccurate, or late reporting may result in a delay of state and/or federal funds, possible sanctions, and in some cases, a loss of potential funding for these grants and systems. The following chart shows the type of student-level enrollment and program data required for each federal reporting and program determination requirement, along with the ADE contact who can be accessed to assist with data reporting questions:

*In order to submit Title I Support Program data to AzEDS your ESEA Consolidated application must be Director approved within GME. Title I Support Program data can continue to be submitted throughout the data capture dates posted by School Finance.

**Validations for the SPED data are done through the ESS October 1 Data Collection process that is also captured on Friday, January 18, 2023. It works in tandem with the October 1 enrollment process.

***In AzEDS, school districts and charter schools can verify their EL Program Participation data by reviewing the EL71 - EL Program Participation Report, which is available via the AzEDS Portal application in ADEConnect, and by clicking the Reports tab and selecting English Learner from the menu.

We appreciate your help optimizing funding for all the education programs benefitting students and teachers of Arizona.

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

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.

Certified school personnel can take SELECT classes for renewal hours.

• 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.

Register at the NAU SELECT webpage. Courses are offered in 5-week and 8-week sessions. Registration closes when classes are full or two (2) weeks before the start of class.

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