DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Updated AzEDS SPED11 – Preschool Outcomes Report CSV Download

The SPED11 – Preschool Outcomes Report found in the AzEDS Reports Portal has been updated to enhance data transparency for Public Education Agencies (PEAs). The CSV download now includes a new CreatedDate column, which indicates the date each preschool outcomes record was reported to AzEDS. This report provides a compilation of preschool outcomes scores for students receiving special education services that have been submitted to the Arizona Department of Education.

To access the SPED11 report in AzEDS, users must have the AzEDS Data Coordinator: SPED Reports role in ADEConnect. If you do not have this role assigned, please contact your local ADEConnect Entity Administrator for assistance. You can locate your PEA’s entity administrator through the ADEConnect website.

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

Special Education Directors,

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce the launch of the state October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard (Federal - Child Count and Educational Environments), the first publicly available ESS dashboard for featuring federally reported IDEA Section 618 data. It provides interactive access to annual special education child count data, allowing users to explore information by disability category, age, demographics, and other characteristics.

The October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard represents an important milestone in the agency’s commitment to making special education data more accessible, meaningful, and user-friendly for educators, administrators, families, policymakers, researchers, and the public.

View the dashboard: Federal Child Count and Educational Environments Data | Department of Education

Please explore the dashboard and share this resource with colleagues and stakeholders who may benefit from access to these data. ESS looks forward to continuing to expand public access to special education data in the future.

Exceptional Student Services
Arizona Department of Education
Exceptional Student Services website

Office: 602-542-4013
 

Data in AzEDS will be used to calculate ADM for Payment 3.

Payment 3 will be based on data captured that is passing integrity and generating ADM in AzEDS. There is no option for districts to be paid on prior year data, or for charters to be paid on estimated counts.

Please ensure data is reconciled and free of integrity errors prior to the data capture date. Review the following reports in AzEDS:

• INTEG15 – ensure data is free and clear of membership ADM Integrity errors
• STUD10 – validate all students are listed in AzEDS
• ADM15 – ensure all students expected to generate funding are indicated as fundable
• ADM20, SPED20, and EL20 – ensure ADM amounts for each ADM type 

Important Note: FY27 Calendars need to be submitted, passing integrity, and certified for ADM and funding to be generated.

FY 2027 Monthly Payment and AzEDS Processing Schedule

If additional assistance is needed, please submit a HelpDesk ticket.

The FY 2026 Open Enrollment Participation Report is now available on the School Finance webpage under the Data Collection & Reporting for School and Student Membership Data section. This report provides open enrollment participation rates by school district, school, county, and specific related data. 

For questions, please email School Finance at [email protected].

Are you in your first or second year as a special education director? If so, don’t miss this opportunity to register for the 2026–2027 Special Education New Director Symposium (SENDS)!

The purpose of this professional learning opportunity is to support new special education directors in effectively navigating federal and state special education requirements, accessing ADE/ESS resources, and building a strong professional network. The SENDS series addresses key areas of ADE/ESS oversight and support including compliance and legal requirements, funding, data management, dispute resolution, assessment, and professional learning opportunities.

Eligibility
New special education directors directly employed by Arizona public education agencies in their first or second year of being a special education director (including any previous positions) in the fall of 2026 are eligible to attend SENDS.

Registration
The $100 registration fee for SENDS includes:

• Registration for the in-person kick-off session on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at ADE North,100 N. 15th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007 
• Follow-up webinars scheduled during the 2026–27 school year 
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and CEC’s Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) special interest division as well as the Arizona Council for Exceptional Children (AZCEC) and the Arizona Council of Administrators of Special Education (AZCASE)

Registration is open until Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

Travel Reimbursement
Funding is available to support travel costs for districts and charter organizations traveling 50 miles or more from the district, charter, or school work location of the special education director to ADE North, 100 N. 15th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007.  Reimbursements will be issued to the district or charter organization, not the special education director, through the Arizona Procurement Portal. Please note that APP registration is required.  Additional information regarding travel reimbursement for eligible PEAs will be provided upon completion of registration. 

Register for the Special Education New Director Symposium (SENDS)!

If you have questions about SENDS, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce the launch of the state October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard (Federal - Child Count and Educational Environments), the first publicly available ESS dashboard for featuring federally reported IDEA Section 618 data. It provides interactive access to annual special education child count data, allowing users to explore information by disability category, age, demographics, and other characteristics.

The October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard represents an important milestone in the agency’s commitment to making special education data more accessible, meaningful, and user-friendly for educators, administrators, families, policymakers, researchers, and the public.

View the dashboard: Federal Child Count and Educational Environments Data | Department of Education

Please explore the dashboard and share this resource with colleagues and stakeholders who may benefit from access to these data. ESS looks forward to continuing to expand public access to special education data in the future.

The FY 2027 K-3 Reading Budget and FY 2026 K-3 Reading AFR zip files have been posted to the LEA Budget Resources page of the School Finance website.

The completed files must be uploaded via the Budget System by October 1, 2026. 

If you have any questions, please email School Finance at [email protected] .

Thank you!

The ADE/ESS, Academic Achievement & Inclusive Practices unit invites you and your educators to join our upcoming free professional learning webinar series focused on the High-Leverage Practices (HLPs).

The High-Leverage Practices are research-based instructional and collaborative practices that have the greatest impact on improving outcomes for students with disabilities while strengthening teaching and learning for all students. Whether you are a classroom teacher, instructional coach, administrator, or related service provider, this series offers practical strategies that can be immediately applied to support inclusive, high-quality instruction.

Featured Facilitator
We are excited to co-facilitate this series with Dr. Jocelyn Washburn, Co-Director, Director of Professional Development, and Assistant Research Professor for the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. Dr. Washburn is nationally recognized for her expertise in adolescent literacy, inclusive instructional practices, professional learning, and educator collaboration. Her work focuses on translating research into practical, evidence-based strategies that educators can implement across diverse learning environments.

What You’ll Gain

Participants will:
- Explore evidence-based High-Leverage Practices that improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
- Learn practical instructional strategies that can be implemented immediately in classrooms.
- Strengthen inclusive practices that benefit all learners.
- Engage in professional learning that supports sustainable instructional improvement.

How to Register: Registration information and the complete webinar schedule are included in the attached flyer. We encourage you to share this opportunity with educators across your district and invite your teams to participate.

Monthly from 9:00am-11:00am

August 11

September 15

October 27

November 10

January 12

February 9

March 9

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to ensuring every student has access to high-quality, inclusive instruction. We hope you will join us for this exciting learning opportunity!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices team.

Flyer may be found here.

Data Management Alert
FY26 Special Education Data Dashboard Open for Certification

The issue affecting the Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD) has been resolved. The application is now available, and Public Education Agencies may resume and complete certification activities.

As a reminder, certification of data within SEDD can only be completed by authorized ADEConnect users with the “ESS Special Education Data Dashboard: PEA Signer” role associated with their account.

Thank you for your patience during this interruption. Please do not hesitate to contact the ESS Data Management team with any questions.

ESS/PSM is excited to offer free, in-person regional training opportunities throughout the school year. Participants may register for the training topic(s) that best meet their needs.

There are two training topics being offered this year. To provide flexible attendance options, each topic will be offered multiple times throughout the year. Please note that all sessions for the same topic contain identical content. To maximize training availability and accommodate as many participants as possible, we encourage participants to register for only one session per topic. Additional information about topics, dates, times, and locations are included below.

Guide Steps

This training focuses on using the Guide Steps technical assistance document to review a mock student file for compliance with IDEA and state requirements. Participants will practice navigating the Guide Steps, identifying compliance requirements, and reviewing supporting documentation. The training will also highlight Prior Written Notices (PWNs) as a common area of statewide noncompliance and provide an opportunity to discuss frequent documentation issues and applicable requirements.

Prior Written Notice (PWN)

This training provides an in-depth review of Prior Written Notice (PWN) requirements and ADE resources. Participants will examine common PWN compliance issues identified through monitoring activities, explore factors that contribute to noncompliance, and engage in interactive exercises using real-world scenarios to strengthen their understanding of PWN requirements and best practices.

To register, please email Veronica Reza [email protected] directly with your preferred date and time. If you have any further questions, please contact your PEA-assigned PSM specialist.