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.

Special Education Directors,

ESS is excited to announce a third professional learning opportunity with Lauren Enders, CCC-SLP, on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 from 4:00–5:15 p.m. for special educators and related service providers.

Presentation

Harnessing the Power of YouTube to Support Language Development (Including AAC Users):

YouTube is the world’s largest online video sharing platform. With millions of videos covering a staggering array of topics, there are videos available to engage people of all ages and abilities. With such broad appeal, YouTube can be a wonderful language learning tool to engage your students during remote (or in-person) instruction. In this fast-paced and resource-packed session, you will learn how to use YouTube content as a fun addition to your remote instruction toolbox. You will be provided with a list of excellent YouTube Channels that can be used as is or used as inspiration for creating your own content. Throughout the session, you will be provided with suggestions on how YouTube videos can be used to support language development in students of varying ages and skill levels, including those who are learning to communicate using AAC. Tips and tricks for modeling all types of AAC systems during YouTube-based activities will be shared. Attendees will leave with a digital resource containing links to the resources presented during the session.

Learner Outcomes 

• Describe 2 ways to show a YouTube video during a remote session without showing the visual clutter of surrounding text and images.
• Identify at least 3 fun YouTube channels that can be used to support language development in AAC users
• Name a YouTube channel that you plan to use with a student and describe how you will use a video from that channel in a remote session

Presenter

Lauren S. Enders, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed and ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologist currently working as a full-time Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT) Consultant for Bucks County Intermediate Unit in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She has had a passion for using AAC and other forms of assistive technology to support students with complex communication needs and complex bodies since she began her career in 1995. Lauren presents regularly at national conferences including Closing the Gap, ATIA, and ASHA, as well as more intimate conferences, speaking engagements, and webinars. She has shared her knowledge via blog posts on Praacticalaac.org as well as articles published in the ASHA Leader and Closing the Gap Solutions Magazines. Lauren enjoys sharing AAC and AT related resources and networking with others in the field via Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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 until all available seats are filled.

Questions regarding this professional learning opportunity can be sent to [email protected].

 DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

New SPED Integrity Rule for FY21: -40085 

A new SPED integrity rule will be introduced into the integrity process for FY21 shortly. This new rule is a continuation of our effort to further validate Tuition Payer codes to ensure clean data for the state. A new one-sheet Integrity Tool is available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage for troubleshooting tips, and the rule has been added to our SPED Integrity Rules Reference document. This rule has been updated from the upcoming section in the FY 2021 ESS Data Reporting Updates document. 

Integrity Rule -40085 

Parentally Placed students on an ISP reported with Least Restrictive Environment J (Private School Placement by Parents) are part of Proportionate Share funds and must be Tuition Payer Code 2 (Privately paid tuition, no tuition charged, or not eligible for state funding). 

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

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

New Integrity Rule for FY21: -10133 

 A new Average daily Membership (ADM) integrity rule will be introduced into the integrity process for FY21 shortly. This new rule is a continuation of our effort to further validate Tuition Payer codes to ensure clean data for the state. A new one-sheet Integrity Tool is available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage for troubleshooting tips, and the rule has been added to our SPED Integrity Rules Reference document. This rule has been updated from the upcoming section in the FY 2021 ESS Data Reporting Updates document. 

 Integrity Rule -10133 

 Students reported with Tuition Payer Code 7 (Students funded through other state formula programs) must have a SPED Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) reported for all dates of the Tuition Payer Code 7. 

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

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT     

ESS Discipline Data Collection application is now open.

We are pleased to announce the ESS Discipline Data Collection (DDC) application is now open for FY21 SPED discipline incident submissions.  All disciplinary incidents that result in the removal of a student receiving special education services are required to be submitted in the DDC application.  The application will only accept incidents for students reported as SPED in AzEDS on the date of incident.  More information about the ESS Discipline Data Collection is available on our Annual SPED Data Collection webpage.

The application allows for manual entry of incidents as well as bulk entry using the XML upload feature, introduced in FY20.  Please note the XML was updated in FY20 and Student Information System vendors were required to update their exports to the new XML schema.  There have been no changes to the XML Schema in FY21.  Systems updated to the new schema in FY20 are not required to update for FY21.

Please note:  XML file uploads will override all the discipline data for the current fiscal year only for sites included in your XML file.

The ESS Discipline Data Collection application will close on July 16, 2021.

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

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 certified general education teachers who want to pursue a career change to become certified in an area of special education.
• The Special Education Teacher Tuition Assistance (SETTA) program provides tuition reimbursement to paraprofessionals and educational interpreters that leads to special education teaching certification.

Certifications that satisfy the application requirements:

1. Mild/Moderate Disabilities
2. Moderate/Severe Disabilities
3. Early Childhood Special Education
4. Hearing Impaired
5. Visually Impaired

Materials for the GETSET application and the SETTA application are avilable online. LEAs have an opportunity to submit an application for one candidate per program. 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 April 16, 2021.

Please note:

• Applicant must have been employed by the LEA for two full school years as of June 30, 2021.
• Applicant agrees to two full years of teaching in a special education capacity at the PEA once special education certification is achieved.
• Educational interpreters are now eligible to apply for the SETTA program (previously only available to paraprofessionals).

For any additional information, please email Aanya Rispoli or call (602) 364-4022.