Special Education Directors,

Join the ESS Program Management team for a 60-minute webinar to highlight items Directors and Business Managers need to know to close out the 2021 fiscal year.

Topics will include:

• IDEA Consolidated-Entitlement Grant reimbursement requests
• Maintenance of Effort Compliance and Eligibility testing
• Preparing your PEA’s FY22 Budget
• American Rescue Plan Act funds
• Compensatory Education Claims
• 30-minute Q&A session

Register for the IDEA Fiscal Year Wrap-Up webinar, May 11 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

For information about the IDEA Consolidate-Entitlement grant other special education funding opportunities, e-mail the ESS Program Management Inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

FY 2021 Special Education Year-End Data Checklist

This alert serves as a reminder to all PEAs that special education data should be reviewed for accuracy and edited if necessary, before the end of the fiscal year.

AzEDS is considered the system of record for the 2020-2021 school year and will close for current year data submissions at 5:00 PM on July 15, 2021. Data for all public education agencies (PEAs) must be complete and accurate in AzEDS for FY 2021. Data found to be inaccurate after the statewide data recalculation is subject to a data correction process (this may also meet the criteria of A.R.S. § 15-915) and must be corrected with the assistance of ADE School Finance personnel. ESS Data Management encourages our customers to strive for complete and accurate AzEDS data entry. Please see below for some helpful tips when submitting your data.

Reviewing AzEDS data:

Special education exit information must reside in AzEDS for all special education students: each student participating in your PEA's special education program must have both an exit date and exit reason in AzEDS, including students who stay in special education through the last scheduled day of school.

All students enrolled for membership must also have a year-end status or withdrawal code in AzEDS. Student records missing this information will fail AzEDS integrity processing. Students who are enrolled for membership through the last scheduled day of school must have a year-end status; students who withdraw before the last scheduled day of school must have a withdrawal code. Special education data coordinators may need to work with personnel at their PEA who submits membership information to AzEDS to ensure that the students' special education exit information and year-end or withdrawal status align.

Refer to the SPED Exit Validation Matrix to see which exit codes align with which withdrawal and year-end status codes.

Refer to the AzEDS SPED Codes document for a full description of all exit codes/reasons.

Review the SPED Participation Report (SPED72) for all schools in your PEA for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021).

Ensure that every student who participated in special education at your school(s) is listed on the report and that the students' data are accurate.  

Ensure that every student who participated in special education at a Non-Public Organization (approved private day school, residential treatment center, head start or other) with your PEA as the District of Residence (DOR) is listed on the report, and that the students' data are accurate.

Review the Student Data Integrity Report (INTEG15) to identify any student records failing State SPED integrity and FED SPED integrity. If possible, ensure that you have enough time to upload corrections to AzEDS and verify whether the uploaded data corrected the errors.  Troubleshooting documents to aid in resolving integrity errors can be found on our webpage under SPED Integrity Error Tools.

ESS Data Management encourages public education agencies (PEAs) to begin reviewing AzEDS data as soon as possible.

ESS Annual Data requirements:

The ESS Annual Data Collection (ADC) application extracts student exit data from AzEDS. Refer to the Exit instructions within the ADC application to ensure that all students' exit data are complete and accurate in AzEDS and aligns appropriately with withdrawal or yearend status by 5:00 PM on July 15, 2021 to ensure the data will be complete and accurate on the exit reports in ESS Annual Data.

Disciplinary data for all special education students must be submitted to the ESS Discipline Data Collection (DDC) application by 5:00 PM on July 15, 2021 for inclusion on the discipline reports in the ESS Annual Data application.

If you have any questions, please direct them to ESS Data Management.

Special Education Administrators and Preschool Program Coordinators,

Please review this memo regarding the need to correct the use of “Not Observed Due to School Closure” for Child Outcomes reporting in Teaching Strategies Gold.

Feel free to email the Early Childhood Special Education Unit with any questions.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT     

ESS Annual Data Collection application is now open.

We are pleased to announce the ESS Annual Data Collection (ADC) application is open and available to all public education agencies (PEAs). PEAs are expected to complete this data collection requirement electronically, utilizing ADEConnect to access the online application via the ESS Portal for FY 2021. 

Timelines:

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires Annual SPED Data Collection information in order for Arizona to receive Part B IDEA funding. Therefore, failure to promptly submit your PEA’s data may cause an interruption of your federal funds and may also impact your PEA Determination. 

• Open Date: Monday, April 26, 2021 
• Exit & Discipline Data Submission Due Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021 by 5:00 PM 
• Data Certification Begins: Wednesday, July 21, 2021 
• ADC Due Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2021 

Training:

Training modules are intended to help PEAs and school personnel who are involved with special education data collection and reporting. Training modules relevant to this data collection are posted on the Training Videos webpage.

For questions pertaining to the ESS Annual Data Collection, please contact ESS Data Management at [email protected].

Special Education Directors,

Please see below for the IDEA Conference offerings in May:

May 4, 2021 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Imagining a Great Life for Your Son or Daughter: The Role of Employment

Presented by Sean Roy and Chris Tiffany

It may be difficult for families of youth with significant disabilities to imagine employment as part of their future. However, we know that employment is possible for all people, regardless of level of disability. The secret is for families to see employment as a possibility and to find the right supports to help each youth to be successful. This session will describe why paid employment in the community is so important to a person leading a “great life.” Common concerns will be addressed, and suggested actions will be provided so that families can embark on a clear path toward finding a meaningful job for their child.

May 6, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

Facilitating Student Work Experiences: Tools, Strategies, and Collaborating Part 1: Practical Strategies for Discovering Strengths and Engaging Families

Presented by Sean Roy and Chris Tiffany

Research suggests that meaningful work experiences in high school are a significant predictor of employment success for adults with disabilities. Providing individualized work experiences to students requires effective collaborations and the engagement of families and employers. Engagement of families and employers is consistently reported to be the biggest challenge in the transition process. This webinar series will offer real-world strategies reinforced by activities and shared tools that will help attendees to improve the quality of student work experiences and increase family and employer involvement. Improving work experiences for students with disabilities requires interagency teams to embrace the possibility of competitive employment for all and for those teams to have practical tools and strategies that fit into current schedules and workloads. This session will provide foundational information on Employment First and on supporting students to reach their employment goals. An understanding of the employment process will be established, and the Positive Personal Profile (PPP) will be introduced as the driver of the process. Aspects of effective family engagement will be outlined, as will the use of the structured family interview to build partnerships and gather information.

May 13, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

Facilitating Student Work Experiences: Tools, Strategies, and Collaborating Part 2: Engaging Employers and Setting Interagency Roles

Presented by Sean Roy and Dale Verstegen

Research suggests that meaningful work experiences in high school are a significant predictor of employment success for adults with disabilities. Providing individualized work experiences to students requires effective collaborations and the engagement of families and employers. Engagement of families and employers is consistently reported to be the biggest challenge in the transition process. This webinar series will offer real-world strategies reinforced by activities and shared tools that will help attendees to improve the quality of student work experiences and increase family and employer involvement. The one piece of facilitating work experiences that makes educators and employment professionals uncomfortable is speaking with employers. All too often, students are placed into work experiences based on existing relationships with businesses or by using a “place and pray” approach. This session will illustrate a new model of engaging employers that is based on existing employer networks and learning about their labor needs and goals (rather than jumping directly to asking for something). In addition, the importance of clarifying interagency roles within a Job Development Plan will be discussed.

May 18, 2021 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Assistive Technology Services at Arizona Colleges and State Universities

Presented by Michael Buckley

Entering college or a university is a big step for a student. Navigating available assistive technology (AT) services can make that step harder. In the first part of this session, you will learn about the general availability of assistive technology in higher education. During the second part, specific details of AT services in county colleges and state universities will be presented. The intent of this presentation is to give you practical information that you can use as you prepare for and start the next stage of your education.

May 27, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

Finding Success Through Resilience

Presented by Derek Clark

Derek Clark’s inspiring program provides insight and specific tools that will assist professionals in connecting with vulnerable and grieving youth. Professionals will gain understanding and knowledge about childhood responses to traumatic experiences as well as how to ask questions that build trust and shape futures. Every professional working with challenging youth has a purpose: to build a relationship of trust, to help them to reclaim their dignity and self-worth, and to know that their past mistakes do not have to infect their future. Derek will give participants insight into his personal childhood journey of 13 years in the foster care system and the key reasons why he did not turn out to be an addict, incarcerated, or dead. He will take you down his road of hate, anger, mistrust in adults, violent tendencies, rejection, lack of love, child abuse, and the memories that haunted his life. He believes that by changing the way you look at youth you can significantly impact their lives.

You can register by selecting sessions listed above or please visit the IDEA Conference web page

• The Professional sessions will take place on Thursday afternoons from 2:45–4:00 p.m.
• Youth and Family sessions will take place on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00–5:00 p.m.
• Participants must register 48 hours in advance to guarantee needed accommodations.

If you have questions, please email the conference inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

FY 2021 Annual Special Education Data Collection

GENERAL INFORMATION

On Monday, April 26, 2021 the Exceptional Student Services (ESS) Annual Special Education (SPED) Data Collection application for FY 2021 will be available to all public education agencies (PEAs). PEAs are expected to complete this data collection requirement electronically, utilizing ADEConnect to access the online application via the ESS Portal. 

Note: 

• If you belong to a cooperative, please do not ask your Cooperative Coordinator to submit your data. It is each PEA’s responsibility to submit individual data.
• If your PEA does not have data that qualifies for inclusion in this online application as determined by AzEDS, it is expected that you will click the “No Students Served” button on the home page to certify with signature. 

ADECONNECT

ADEConnect requires an email address and password, which is also used for other electronic data submissions to the Arizona Department of Education. You can access ADEConnect and support information at the following link: https://home.azed.gov/Portal/, however, PEAs are encouraged to access through their Student Information System (SIS). It is recommended that the SPED Director request access for all users.

The request will need to go through the PEA Local ADE Connect Entity Administrator. ESS Data Management will provide secondary approval.

TIMELINES

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires Annual SPED Data Collection information in order for Arizona to receive Part B IDEA funding. Therefore, failure to promptly submit your PEA’s data may cause an interruption of your federal funds and may also impact your PEA Determination.

 Open Date: Monday, April 26, 2021

• Exit & Discipline Data Submission Due Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021 by 5:00 PM
• Data Certification Begins: Wednesday, July 21, 2021
• ADC Due Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Updates for FY 2021 Annual SPED Data Collection Reporting

The Annual SPED Data Collection consists of the following sections: Exit and Discipline report required by all PEAs. Preschool Transition and Parentally Placed Private School Students reports are required by districts only (if applicable). 

There are minimal changes to the Annual SPED Data Collection this year; however, all data requirements are subject to change as federal guidance is received. The following updates will be incorporated in the online application:

• Instructions and FAQs posted on the home page will have changes outlined in bold. PLEASE READ!
• There are no changes to the Exit and Parentally Placed Private School Students reports.
• Modifications have been made to Preschool Transition to remove the COVID line item.

Exit Data Extract from AzEDS

Given that AzEDS is the system of record for FY 2021, the exit data report will be refreshed nightly. This data will be finalized after the FY 2021 Statewide Recalculation scheduled for July 15, 2021. 

Discipline Data Extract from DDC

ESS Discipline Data Collection (DDC) is available through ADEConnect via the ESS Portal. PEAs are expected to submit discipline data for special education students, either manually into the DDC application or by uploading data to DDC via an export from their SIS. The discipline report will be refreshed nightly, based on data extracted from DDC.

Discipline for Tuitioned-Out Students

As the district of residence (DOR), it is the PEA’s responsibility to manually enter the discipline data for tuitioned-out students. For purposes of this data collection, “tuitioned-out” refers to students who reside in your PEA and are tuitioned-out to one of the following: Approved Private Day Schools, Approved Private Residential Treatment Center, Head Start, Public Consortium, and Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB).

ASDB STUDENTS

As the DOR, PEAs that voucher preschool students to ASDB are responsible for reporting preschool transition data for their students. The home district receives the referral from AzEIP and is ultimately responsible for the IEPs of its students. DORs will also be responsible for reporting discipline and exit data for voucher students to DDC and AzEDS. If your PEA has discipline data to report for voucher preschool students to ASDB this data must be manually entered under the school identified as “Tuitioned-out School” found on your PEA’s School list.

Data Certification

The data certification process will commence on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, and electronic signatures are due to ADE/ESS by Wednesday, August 4, 2021 by 5:00 PM. During this time period, PEAs will have the opportunity to complete any outstanding agency reports, review exit and discipline reports, proceed with the data certification process, make any required exit data corrections, complete Section E of the Discipline report for students without disabilities (if applicable), and submit the required electronic signature. Signatures will only be accepted from the SPED Director, business manager or superintendent/charter school administrator attesting to the accuracy and the validity of the data submitted.

TRAINING

Training modules are intended to provide assistance to PEA and school personnel who are involved with special education data collection and reporting. The following training modules relevant to this data collection are posted on the Training Videos webpage:  

1.  An Overview of the ESS Annual Data Collection reporting requirements;
2. Exit and Discipline School Reports;
3. Print Reports 101; 
4. Agency Reports, an overview of the Preschool Transition and Parentally Placed Student reports;
5. Discipline Data Collection, an overview of the data submission requirements for purposes of the Discipline report (note that this webinar was held on April 12th and a recording of this webinar will be available under its own section soon); and
6. Data Certification, an overview on the steps required to close out this data collection requirement.  

 The target audience of these training modules will be the novice user. However, these modules are also available to advanced users who wish to review a “refresher” on this data collection.

If you have any questions, please direct them to ESS Data Management.

Special Education Directors,

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 Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) evidence-based elements.

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 this flyer and register to attend one of the following free webinars:

Register for April 20  from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Register for April 26 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Register for April 27 from 3:30–4:30 p.m.

Register for April 28 from 9:00–10:00 a.m.

Directions for applying for the training series will be provided during the webinar. Registration is limited to 10 teams and only one team from each district or charter. Applications earning the highest scores in the evaluation process will be approved until all seats are filled. Completed applications must be submitted by May 4, 2021 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.

For information regarding MTBS, please contact Celeste Nameth.

Special Education Directors,

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that preregistration for Teach Camp 2.0 is now open!

Teach Camp is a year-long support system that includes professional learning specifically designed for beginning special education teachers. The goal of Teach Camp is to increase 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 will launch virtually this summer and is designed for special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in the fall of 2021. Due to the unforeseen circumstances in the summer of 2020, we are including third-year teachers in this year’s camp. Recent graduates from traditional teacher preparation programs, alternative certified teachers, and veteran general education teachers transitioning to special education are all welcome.

The cost of participation in Teach Camp is $150 and includes a three-day virtual summer “camp” from July 7–9, 2021, a one-hour virtual session in the fall and in the spring, and a one-day, in-person session in May 2022. Each camper will receive a copy of The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers, a one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children, and additional valuable resources.

Seating is limited to 250 teachers. Public districts or charter schools may indicate interest in sending staff to Teach Camp using the link below until Monday, May 17, 2021.

Preregister for Teach Camp.

After submitting your online preregistration form, you will receive an e-mail confirmation that your request has been received. Preregistration does not guarantee a seat at Teach Camp.

The ADE/ESS team will review all preregistration requests and respond by Monday, May 24 with the number of seats available to each public education agency. We cannot guarantee all seats requested; however, we will be as equitable as possible with the process. Districts and charter schools must register their special education teachers for Teach Camp by Friday, June 18.

Please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox with any questions about Teach Camp. For more information about Teach Camp, please visit the ESS Teach Camp webpage.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

FY22 Update: Integrity Rules Upgrading from Warning to Failure

Effective Fiscal Year 2022, two Integrity Rules will be upgrading from a warning to a failure.

Please be aware you can identify students receiving these warnings in FY21 to prepare for your reporting in FY22.  Please check your INTEG15 report in the AzEDS Portal to determine if your entity is failing any Integrity Rules. The INTEG15 report can filter by warnings only.

One-sheet Integrity Tools are available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage for troubleshooting tips, these rules are included in our SPED Integrity Rules Reference document and FY 2021 ESS Data Reporting Updates document.

Integrity Rule -40077

When a student’s SPED Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is reported a Resident School ID must be reported.

Integrity Rule -10131

Preschool students not receiving SPED services must be reported with Tuition Payer code 2 for each day of enrollment. Preschool students on an IEP and receiving SPED services should be reported with Tuition Payer code 1 (regular) or 7 (ASDB voucher) for each day of enrollment.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions regarding this FY22 update. 

Special Education Directors,

Please share the following message about upcoming IDEA Conference Sessions with your staff:

April 1, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

Reducing Data Overload & Improving Results Pivot Tables 101

Presented by Dr. Ildi Laczko-Kerr

Designed to support school and district leaders in data-driven decision making, this introductory Microsoft Excel workshop provides an overview of Pivot Tables. Participants will learn how to use Pivot Tables to analyze any data that is in Excel to drive program and instructional goal setting, planning, and decision-making. 
Participants will:

1. Learn how to save time and energy by efficiently and effectively analyzing student achievement, growth, and program data in Excel.
2. Learn how to create tables and graphs that are easy to read, interpret, and share and that communicate complex data and information.
3. Create a SMART goal to put these new skills into practice with their own data.

Prior to the training, participants should download the 2019 A-F Static data file from the Arizona Department of Education’s ADE Connect. Participants who are unable to access this data can download a sample data file from our Pivot Tables 101 session.

April 6, 2021 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

The Burnout Cure

Presented by Chase Mielke

In this engaging, humorous, and heartfelt talk, Chase shares his experience as a veteran educator and provides key insights on how the science of small, positive moments creates thriving adults, learners, and communities. The audience will be empowered to take care of themselves so they can better take care of the young adults who need them. Participants will learn about:

• OPTIMISM—Refocus on the good in order to reignite our love for parenting,
• OWNERSHIP—Take control of our own well-being through simple, research-based actions that boost purpose and happiness,
• MINDFULNESS—Be present and turn minor moments into major momentum to thrive personally and professionally, and
• COMMUNITY—Cultivate positive relationships with kids and adults to build supportive and resilient cultures.

April 8, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

Post School Outcomes: Stories and Strategies Behind the Data

Presented by Lisa Livesay and Sam Klein

The 2021 Post School Outcomes (PSO) survey is fast approaching. PSO involves a year-round process of gathering and analyzing data about the post school engagement of students with disabilities in postsecondary education/training or employment. In this session, you will learn the basics of PSO, review the results of Arizona's most recent PSO Survey, explore available tools and resources, and share best practice strategies for enhancing participation and engagement rate. Join us in this interactive session to share your stories and build your PSO toolkit toward a successful data collection season for you and Arizonan youths.

April 20, 2021 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Skills to Pay the Bills: Let’s Explore Teamwork and Professionalism!

Presented by Arizona Youth Leaders of Diverse Ability Incorporated

Join the Arizona Youth Leaders of Diverse Ability Incorporated for an opportunity to develop teamwork skills along with professionalism to help you succeed and move ahead in the world of work.

April 22, 2021 from 2:45–4:00 p.m.

Skills to Increase Confidence and Perseverance: Strategies to Build Self-Efficacy

Presented by Pattie Noonan

Learn how to empower students to shift from a fixed to a growth mindset, recognize when they lack confidence, and take steps to persevere through Self-Efficacy. By teaching them how effort connects with progress and abilities, youth will be more motivated, will persevere longer, and will engage in learning. Students who have self-efficacy are more likely to take on challenging tasks, more open to feedback, and view mistakes as opportunities to learn. Free upcoming professional development opportunities will be shared through Project EASEL: Empowering Arizona with Social-Emotional Learning.

You can register by selecting sessions listed above or please visit the IDEA Conference web page:

• The Professional sessions will take place on Thursday afternoons from 2:45–4:00 p.m.
• Youth and Family sessions will take place on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00–5:00 p.m.
• Participants must register 48 hours in advance to guarantee needed accommodations.

 If you have questions, please email the conference inbox.