DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

ESS October 1 Data Collection—Phase III: Non-Reconciliation Webinar

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team is happy to announce an upcoming October 1 Data Collection—Phase III: Non-Reconciliation training. Phase III is only for the PEAs that could not match the number of SPED students submitted in Phase I with the number of SPED students in AzEDS during Phase II.

PEAs will receive an email if they qualify for Phase III when the application opens on January 7th.

The training will be hosted via a live webinar on

Tuesday, January 13th, 2025, from 10:00a.m. – 11:30a.m.

Registration is required to attend. Register for the October 1 Data Collection—Phase: III Non-Reconciliation webinar.

If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.

Thank you,

Data Management
 Exceptional Student Services
 Arizona Department of Education

Office: (602) 542-3962

Data Management web page
 “We are a service organization committed to raising academic outcomes and empowering parents.”

The ADE/ESS Professional Learning and Sustainability team is pleased to offer an exciting “grow-your-own” opportunity for general educators who are ready to make a difference in special education.

The General Education Teacher to Special Education Teacher (GETSET) program offers tuition reimbursement to public education agencies (PEAs) in support of general education teachers who want to pursue a career change to become special education teachers.

Participants can choose one of the following pathways:

• Standard Professional Teaching Certificate in Special Education
• Full Special Education Endorsement in:
  • Mild/Moderate Disabilities
  • Moderate/Severe Disabilities
  • Deaf/Hard of Hearing
  • Visually Impaired

All coursework for both the Standard Professional Teaching Certificate and the Full Special Education Endorsement must be completed at an Arizona institute of higher education listed on the Arizona State Board of Education-approved educator preparation programs and verified by the Arizona Department of Education Certification Unit. Please note that Early Childhood Special Education is only available through the Standard Certificate pathway.

Key Details:

• Reimbursement is provided for pre-approved courses, fees, and required materials after each semester upon successful completion of program requirements.
• PEAs may submit one application per year. The application must be submitted by the PEA and not the candidate.
• The application deadline is Friday, February 6, 2026, by 5:00 p.m.
• Applicants must have two full years of employment with the PEA by June 30, 2026.
• Applicants must commit to two years of special education teaching in the hosting PEA after completion of the certificate or endorsement.

Ready to Apply?

1. Review the GETSET Application (including the cover page, program requirements, and application questions).
2. Answer all application questions in the GETSET Application Form.
3. Email the signed cover page and unofficial transcripts to the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox with the subject line:
   [Your District or Charter Name]: 2026 GETSET Application

Please note that a new cohort for the Special Education Teacher Tuition Assistance (SETTA) program for paraprofessionals will not be offered this year. Current SETTA participants will continue in the program. PEAs may explore other tuition assistance options for paraprofessionals through the Arizona Teachers Academy.

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

The $75 million additional funding provided by Arizona Senate Bill 1735 for FY 2026 will be distributed in two payments: $37.5 million by December 26, 2025, and $37.5 million in June 2026. Individual school district and charter allocations are based on the share of statewide weighted attending Average Daily Membership (ADM). The first $37.5 million payment was calculated based on the same ADM that was used for the FY26 December Classroom Site Fund (CSF) payment.

The file linked below will show the first payment amount and total estimated FY 2026 Prop 123 per LEA. Districts are listed first by county, followed by charters alphabetically.

FY2026 Prop 123 Payment 1 Worksheet

Please contact the School Finance Payment Team at [email protected] for any questions.

The first payment of the Free Reduced Priced Lunch (FRPL), District Additional Assistance (DAA), and Charter Additional Assistance (CAA) will be appropriated by Friday, December 26th. These one-time supplemental payments will each be split into two payments- one in late December and another in June. Please view this Hot Topic for more information.

Please see the attached spreadsheets for each payment at the bottom of this Hot Topic for information about the estimated annual payment amounts and the first payment amounts.

For school districts, these funds can be allocated to either the Maintenance and Operations fund 001 (M&O) and/or Unrestricted Capital fund 610 (UNR).

If you have any questions regarding the payment amount, please contact [email protected]. Thank you!

Free Reduced Priced Lunch (FRPL) Worksheet

District Additional Assistance (DAA) Worksheet

Charter Additional Asistance (CAA) Worksheet

Are you overwhelmed by professional development? Don’t have time for a 90-minute webinar? We got you! Join the ADE/ESS Assistive Technology Team for our 2025-26 spring series, Assistive Technology: Just One Thing (JOT). In these quick 30-minute sessions, we will highlight a single assistive technology tool or strategy that you can use to support your students.  

 Title:           JOT: 5 Fun Activities to Try with Guided Hands® 

Presenters:    Cecilia Dey- Program Coordinator, ADE/ESS AT Loan Library and Emily Gaylord, PT, DPT, ATP- Assistive Technology Specialist 

Date:          Wednesday, January 21, 2026 

Time:          11:30 AM-12:00 PM 

 Description: Join us for an exciting and “hands-on” session featuring a standout device from the ADE/ESS Short-term AT Loan Library! Our loan coordinator, Cecilia Dey, will showcase Guided Hands®, an assistive technology device that supports students with limited hand mobility to write, paint, draw, and use a touch-screen device. We’ll kick things off with a step-by-step demonstration, showing you how to set up fun and engaging activities using Guided Hands. Then, learn how to borrow this innovative device through the ADE/ESS AT short-term Loan Library. 

Whether you're new to assistive technology or looking to expand your toolkit, this session is a great opportunity to explore practical solutions that empower independence. 

Register for AT JOT: 5 Fun Activities to Try with Guided Hands  

Please note that JOTs are not recorded.

If you have questions regarding this professional development opportunity, please email [email protected]. 

The ADE/ESS is pleased to sponsor this event. There is no fee to attend. This presentation is a repeat of Amy’s September 2025 session.

February 6, 2026 

8:30 AM – 4:00 PM 

Rio Vista Recreation Center 

8866 W Thunderbird Rd., Peoria, AZ 85381   

Thank you to the Peoria Unified School District for providing the venue for this event. 

Lunch is on your own; there are many restaurants nearby. You also have the option to pack your lunch or pick something up and bring it back to the venue. 

Agenda 

FAQs 

Are ASHA CEs provided? No. ASHA CEs are not provided; however, you will receive a certificate of completion for 6 Professional Development Hours (PDH), which count toward CCC maintenance. You can find more information from ASHA about PDHs here. 

What is the fee to attend the workshop? This workshop is free. Lunch is on your own. 

Where do I park? You may park anywhere in front of the recreation center. Spots are plentiful, and parking is free. 

Should I bring my laptop? Yes. Amy will be sharing resources digitally throughout the day. Please charge your devices fully before you arrive. There is no power to the tables, but charging stations will be available along the walls.  

Apply to attend. Complete the application. You will be notified of the status of your application as soon as possible. 

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

What if you had a clear, actionable roadmap for making inclusion thrive? That’s what you’ll find in The Way to Inclusion: Leadership Book Study. If this question has been circling in your mind as a Special Education Director, School Administrator, Special Education Teacher, General Education Teachers, or Instructional Coach, this virtual book study is for you!

 Virtual Meetings will be held via Zoom from 3:30-5:00 pm.

• January 15
• February 5 and 19
• March 5
• April 1   

 Together, we’ll tackle barriers, strengthen collaboration, and create systems that work for educators and students.

 Join authors Dr. Julie Causton and Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education’s Exceptional Student Services Academic Achievement & Inclusive Practices Team as they guide you through strategies that help you:

✅ Build systems that support all learners
✅ Redesign schedules and staff roles
✅ Strengthen collaboration
✅ Lead change with courage and clarity

This is inclusion made doable, and creating a space for Arizona leaders to reimagine what’s possible.

 Sign up now!

 Learn about the facilitators: https://inclusiveschooling.com/about.

 For additional questions, please contact Academic Achievement & Inclusive Practices.

We are pleased to announce that both the SPED73 and SPED07 reports have been updated and finalized to reflect integrity processing (State SPED, FED SPED, ADM, and Accountability) and data submitted through the Phase II deadline of December 10, 2025.

The SPED07 report will be considered the final data for federal reporting purposes and non-reconciliation activities, if applicable to your PEA.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we worked to ensure that the SPED07 report is accurate, valid, and final. 

For questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox. 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

SPED73 and SPED07 Report Update

Due to an issue with the Data Mart processing, the SPED73 and SPED07 reports were last updated on December 8, 2025. These reports should be updated later today, and we will send a follow-up alert to advise when they are available based on last night’s integrity run.

As a reminder, the SPED73 report provides a list of students receiving special education services, indicating whether each student was counted in the federally reported ESS October 1 Child Count.

The SPED07 report displays a list of students ages 3-21 identified in AzEDS as receiving special education services over the October 1 child count date, as of the most recent integrity run.

In the meantime, we recommend using the SPED72 report to view a student’s integrity status, which indicates whether they are passing or failing.

The final SPED07 report will be generated on Thursday, December 11, after 10:00 am.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

For questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox. 

Work to involve input from educators, other stakeholders

 PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is pleased that the state Board of Education has approved opening the process to review statewide teaching standards to remove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion terms to comply with a federal Executive Order.

Horne stated, “This is an excellent decision by the Board and I’m grateful for their understanding of how important this issue is. The president issued an Executive Order requiring DEI language to be removed from programs funded by federal dollars. It made it abundantly clear that federal education funding is at risk if DEI language remains in education programs. If Arizona does not comply with federal guidance, the state may lose an estimated $866 million to Arizona schools. That is a major funding cut, so starting this process is vital to addressing this situation.”

He added, “There is a philosophical issue at stake too. All people should be judged based on their character and ability, not their race or ethnicity. DEI language and programs promote the exact opposite, and they have no place in the classroom. These terms do not belong in teaching standards, which are meant to direct educators on the most effective ways to teach students' core academics. Every instructional minute is precious, and DEI efforts distract from that essential mission.”

The process will begin in early 2026 with the goal of providing draft material for Board consideration in September of 2026. The working group will build definitions for DEI-related language to determine what language should be revised or removed. The Board also approved language that any changes ensure high pedagogical standards be maintained.

The group will attempt to have representatives from all 15 counties, including teacher representatives from General Education, Special Education, and other educator subgroups. The department will work with key stakeholder groups to gather recommendations for the working group including Higher Education Institutions, County Education Superintendents, Arizona School Administrators, Arizona Rural School Association, Arizona Educators Association and Current Structured English Immersion Course Providers, among others.