Special Education Directors,

As part of our ongoing recruitment efforts on behalf of Arizona’s public schools, ADE/ESS compiles and updates a list of education career fairs happening at educator preparation programs across the country.

If your school is planning to recruit for special education teachers from out of state, we hope this list will make that task a bit easier for you. This list is available on the Arizona Education Employment Board website under the “Find a University Job Fair” icon.

For questions, please email Kim Rice or email Julie Lenza, ESS Recruitment and Retention Specialists.

Special Education Directors,

Please join us for a Lunch and Learn on Thursday, February 4 from 11:45 a.m.—1:00 p.m., when leaders from the Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) present, “Considerations for Completing Psychoeducational Evaluations in 2021.”

As schools are working to support students’ learning in distance, hybrid, and in-person settings, they are also challenged with determining how to meet the needs of diverse learners, including identifying and making eligible those students who are in need of special education. Please join us as our presenters share considerations for completing initial and reevaluations in the current educational environment. Topics covered will include collecting additional data, SLD determination, and teleassessment.    

Please click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Participant registration is first-come, first-served and is not limited to special educators—feel free to forward. Please email Sherri Schwindt with questions regarding this professional learning opportunity. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Special Education Directors,

To ensure compliance with federal reporting and program requirements for the fiscal year 2021, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is compiling data for student's special education data on October 1, 2020. Reports will be prepared using special education 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. This system is a part of the October 1 Enrollment Data.

Please read the below memo (originally disseminated in November 2020) from the Arizona Department of Education regarding important information and deadlines for October 1, 2020 Enrollment Data.

Read the Memo

Student special education data must be submitted by 5:00 PM on January 15, 2021.

Please use the contact information noted in the memo for questions.

Special Education Directors,

Vouchered students are normally reported by the district of residence (DOR) that is responsible for his or her education. In certain circumstances for students receiving services through an ASDB regional cooperative, a student may be attending a public school outside of the DOR. In this case, the district that operates the school the student is attending would be considered the district of attendance (DOA). As an example, a child in a high school grade that resides in an elementary-only district would attend a school outside his or her district's boundaries, such as a neighboring unified or high school district. In these cases, it is expected that the DOA (high school or unified district) would submit the data transactions. This memo provides more guidance on this topic.

For any additional questions, please contact ESS Data Management at [email protected].

Special Education Directors,

All school districts and charter schools are required to annually administer the State Performance Plan Indicator 8 Parent Involvement Survey to parents of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The survey will open January 19 ADEConnect ESS Data Surveys. For more information, visit the survey web page.

Furthermore, ESS is happy to announce that Traveling the Special Education Highway is now available in Spanish. Share this excellent family-friendly resource with parents to guide them through the process and strengthen family engagement.

For more information, please contact Becky Raabe at [email protected].

Special Education Directors,

Registration for the 2021 Arizona Education Virtual Job Fair is closing soon! Registration is open to Arizona public school districts and charter schools on a first-come, first-served basis until Wednesday, January 27, 2021.

Conducting recruitment efforts virtually allows schools to recruit without geographic limitations and access a much wider pool of talent. The event will take place on an online platform that provides an authentic job fair experience in a virtual setting, including:

• User-friendly booth set-up and custom booth design to suit your branding requirements
• Job seekers will be able to review and save your marketing materials and videos
• Live, one-on-one chat with applicants
• Ability to search candidates’ resumes before and on the day of the event
• Live, one-on-one video interviews with candidates
• Unlimited number of recruiters per booth

The cost of registration is $250.

For questions, please email Julie Lenza.

Register for the 2021 Arizona Education Virtual Job Fair here!

If you are unable to attend this year’s job fair, post your job vacancies on the Arizona Education Employment Board and take advantage of the increased activity on the job board during and immediately after the job fair.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

FY21 ESS October 1 Data Collection UPDATE

ESS Data Management has released two new training videos. These training videos focuses on Phase II: Reconciliation so individuals can pick and choose the relevant training videos that meets their needs.

As a friendly reminder, please continue checking the SPED07 report on a regular basis during this time, even if your PEA’s counts reconcile early in the process. Please ensure Phase II: Reconciliation is completed in AzEDS by Friday, January 15, 2021 at 5:00 P.M.  Note there is no submission action for Phase II. Ensuring your Verification and SPED07 counts reconcile on January 15th will indicate completion.

PEAs that are unable to reconcile will need to complete Phase III: Non Reconciliation.  PEAs that are required to complete Phase III will be contacted after the January 15th deadline.

The ESS October 1 Data application is found in the ESS Portal via ADEConnect. If the ESS October 1 Data Collection button is greyed out, you must contact your local ADE Connect entity administrator for the proper role assignment to access the application: ESS October 1 Data LEA User, or ESS October 1 Data LEA Signer.

Instructions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are located within the ESS October 1 Data application, under the Help tab.

If you have any questions, please direct them to [email protected].

Special Education Directors,

Are you looking for ways to shift the focus from compliance alone to educational programming designed for student progress toward meeting challenging goals? Are you interested in learning more about an opportunity to partner with an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)-funded technical assistance center that provides information, resources, tools, and services to support local education agencies from kindergarten through secondary transition?

If so, please join the PROGRESS (Promoting Rigorous Outcomes and Growth by Redesigning Educational Services for Students with Disabilities) Center for one of three repeating virtual information sessions. Learn more about this possible partnership opportunity to support the development and implementation of high-quality educational programming that truly reflects the spirit of the IDEA.

Choose from one of three sessions:

• Register for December 10, 2020 from 5:30-6:30 pm EST. 
• Register for December 16, 2020 from 12:30-1:30 pm EST.
• Register for January 7, 2021 from 4:30-5:30 pm EST.

For more information, go to the PROGRESS Center website.

Special Education Directors,

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that registration for the Arizona Education Virtual Job Fair is now open! Join us online on Saturday, February 27, 2021. Registration is open to Arizona public school districts and charter schools on a first-come, first-served basis.

Conducting recruitment efforts virtually allows schools to recruit without geographic limitations and access a much wider pool of talent. The event will take place on an online platform that provides an authentic job fair experience in a virtual setting, including:

• User-friendly booth set-up and custom booth design to suit your branding requirements
• Job seekers will be able to review and save your marketing materials and videos
• Live, one-on-one chat with applicants
• Ability to search candidates’ resumes before and on the day of the event
• Live, one-on-one video interviews with candidates
• Unlimited number of recruiters per booth

The cost of registration is $250. Registration will close on January 27, 2021.

For questions, please email Julie Lenza.

Register for the 2021 Arizona Education Virtual Job Fair here!

Celebrate the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act's 45th Anniversary

Special Education Directors,

November 29, 2020, marked the 45th anniversary of President Gerald Ford signing the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) into law. The 1990 amendment to Public Law 94-142 changed the law’s name to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

In adopting this landmark civil rights measure, Congress noted that the law would accomplish two important goals: 

1. It would guarantee a free appropriate public education to every child, regardless of disability, on an equal basis with all other children; and
2. It would advance all Americans’ understanding of disability by bringing children with disability out of the shadows and into American schools where their gifts and strengths could be recognized.   

While tremendous progress has been made over the years, we must continue the hard work to address the challenges that still exist. Although we are able to help many children with disabilities to achieve their goals, we must continue our work to ensure that all children have the supports they need and to find ways for all children with disabilities to achieve meaningful results and outcomes. Even if we still have work to do to fully realize IDEA’s promise in the future, there is much to celebrate.

Nationally, where we were –> Where we are now:

• The number of infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities from birth through age 21 served under the IDEA has increased from 3,694,000 in the 1976-77 school year to 7,539,553 in the 2018-19 school year.
  • In 2018-19, 95% of students with disabilities were educated in a school. More than 6 million students with disabilities received services in a general education classroom at least part of the day.
• The number of infant and toddlers served under IDEA, Part C has increased from 154,065 in 1993-94 to 410,887 in 2018-19.
• The percent of students with disabilities exiting school ages 14 through 21 who graduated with a regular diploma has increased from 52% in the 1994-95 school year to 72.7% in the 2017-18 school year.
• The percent of students with disabilities exiting school ages 14 through 21 who dropped out has decreased from 34% in the 1994-95 school year to 16% in the 2017-18 school year.

Please join the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and ADE/ESS during the week of November 30, 2020, as education celebrates 45 years of providing education, supports and services to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families through the IDEA.

For more information about the 45th anniversary of the IDEA, along with resources (including data, videos, and infographics), please see OSEP’s IDEA 45 anniversary webpage. Additionally, follow OSERS on Twitter to celebrate 45 years of IDEA as they post new videos and blogs. You will also have the chance to test your IDEA knowledge and engage in some IDEA trivia.