Special Education Stakeholders,

 Due to the inability to ensure the safety of participants relative to COVID-19 and the variability of school re-entry plans, ADE/ESS has made the decision to cancel the in-person IDEA Conference in August 2020. The plan for this year was to provide a joint conference, combining the best professional development and spirit of the annual Transition Conference and Directors’ Institute. However, we want to assure you that the brick and mortar IDEA Conference will be back in 2021 and we look forward to coming together with the special education community in Arizona to learn, connect, and share.  

Even though the in-person IDEA Conference has been canceled for this year, we would still like to share content virtually throughout the 2020—2021 school year. We are currently working to develop a year-long schedule that encompasses state and local experts for both the secondary transition and special education director strands – and all sessions will be FREE for participants! We are anticipating a kickoff to the IDEA Virtual Conference year in late August – stay tuned for additional information!

We appreciate you all and look forward to the year ahead. As always, questions can be sent to the IDEA Inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

ESS Discipline Data Collection Application XML Upload Feature

This alert serves as a notice to all PEAs that bulk upload feature in ESS Discipline Data Collection will be made available on 6/17/20.  Please released memo for more information.  This menu option will be available under Incident within the application.

Users will have the option to bulk upload with XML exports from your Student Information System.  Link to the XML schema is available on the Home page in the ESS Discipline Data Collection application.  Please contact your student information system vendor to specifically modify your XML export to match the new XML schema.

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

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

Special Education Directors,

Please see the available professional development opportunities below.

Dive Deep into AZ Math Standards

for

Special Education Teachers

We know that, as special education teachers, you are typically working across multiple grade levels and with students who have various strengths, and we are here to support you in making it all work!

Join us as we spend time diving into our math standards and supporting documents to consider the following:

• Where are the students coming from? We will delineate content from the previous grade level.
• What do they need to learn this year? We will discuss the major content standards of the current grade level and how we can embed previous year learnings.
• Where are they headed?  We will look at connections across grade bands that will support student learning in subsequent years.

See the list of sessions below, and please feel free to sign up for the session(s) that are most relevant to you, based on the students that you support.

Elementary Sessions

• Grades K-2:  June 23, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. or July 21, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
• Grades 2-3:  June 24, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. or July 22, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
• Grades 3-5: June 25, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. or July 23, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
• Grades 5-6: June 26, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. or July 24, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Secondary Sessions

• 6^th Grade: June 23, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. or July 21, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
• 7^th – 8^th Grade: June 24, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. or July 22, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
• HS Algebra I/II: June 25, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. or July 23, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
• HS Geometry: June 26, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. or July 24, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

NEW INTEGRITY RULE: Integrity Rule -40077

Effective Fiscal Year 2021, a new field will be required in AzEDS for SPED Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) records:  Resident School ID.  Student Information Systems (SIS) should be updated by your vendor to allow this new field according to the FY21 AzEDS API.

Integrity rule -40077 will validate every SPED LRE reported has an associated Resident School ID, identified in the API as Student Education Organization Responsibility Association.  Regardless of enrollment, this is defined as the EntityID of the site the student would attend within the District of Residence (DOR) without an IEP:

• Private Day School - the public school site where the student would be enrolled and attending if not placed in the private day school.
• Voucher - the public school site where the student would be enrolled and attending if not placed in the residential treatment center or a state institution.
• Public Education Agency Placement (PEA) - the public school site where the student would be enrolled and attending if not placed in another PEA.
• Head Start Programs - the public school site where the student would be enrolled and attending if not placed in the Head Start program.
• Public School - defaults to the public school site where the student is currently enrolled & attending.

A new integrity one-sheet tool has been published on our website to aid troubleshooting this error:  Integrity Tool -40077

Special Education Directors,

Please see this important Notice of Public Comment from ADE Assessment:

ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT PERIOD WAIVER REQUEST PURSUANT TO 34 C.F.R. §200.6(c)(4) June 4, 2020

As part of waiver requirements, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is posting an opportunity for public comment regarding the ADE seeking a one-year waiver pursuant to §8401(b) from requirements within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). The USDOE requires state educational agencies, when seeking waivers from statutory or regulatory requirements, solicit and respond to public comment on the request and provide evidence of the available comment period. This 15-day public comment period will be open from June 4 through June 19, 2020.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: Any individual or organization may submit written comments on the proposed waiver pursuant to 34 C.F.R. §200.6(c)(4). Written comments shall be accepted through June 19, 2020.

Requirements from which Arizona is seeking a waiver include:

• Sections 1111(b)(2)(B) (v)(ii) that require states to test all students in science not less than one time during Grades 3 through 5; Grades 6 through 9; and Grades 10 through 12.

• Section 1111(b)(2)(B)(v)(x) which requires reporting results for students, schools, and districts.

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is planning a census field test for both its standard and alternate assessments in spring 2021 in Grades 5, 8, and 11. These new assessments will be aligned to the new 2018 Arizona Science Standards (adopted October 2018), which are based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education and Working with Big Ideas of Science Education, and will be ready for spring 2022.

This waiver for Grade 8 will enable the ADE to administer the census field test statewide in spring 2021 in lieu of the legacy science assessments (AIMS Science and AIMS A Science) that are aligned to the old standards and not the new Arizona Science Standards. The waiver will help Arizona’s students and educators in many ways:

• It will reduce testing time for students and educators in Grade 8. This is the only grade with overlap.
• It will allow schools to rework their curriculum and instruction to align to the new Arizona Science Standards.
• It will enable teachers to begin teaching the new science standards without the pressure of also preparing students for the legacy assessment.
• A census field test will prepare students and educators for both the technical and academic expectations of this assessment for 2021 and beyond.

The ADE will not issue scores from the field test for students, schools, or districts. However, districts and schools will be held accountable for participation in the 2020 – 2021 Arizona AzSCI field test for Grade 8. The Arizona State Board of Education is aware and approves of this waiver request. The State Board will be addressing the impacts for State Accountability for Grade 8.

You may submit your comments electronically June 4 through June 19, 2020, using the following link: /assessment/public-comment-science-waiver/ or directly to Audra Ahumada, Deputy Associate Superintendent of Assessments, Arizona Department of Education, 1535 West Jefferson St. Bin #6, Phoenix, AZ 85007. Mrs. Ahumada may be reached by telephone at 602-542-5450, by fax at 602-542-5467, or through email at [email protected].

A new Budget Narrative Guidance document has been created to support LEAs with completing the budget section of their FY20 Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund Grant applications.

The CARES Act provides for a high degree of flexibility for local uses of ESSER Funds to local support COVID-19 response efforts. However, an appropriate level of detail is required within the budget to ensure accountability and transparency for these grant funds.

Please send any questions you may have to [email protected]

Thank you!

Two training and Q&A opportunities for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund Grant are being held this week.

The first, on June 2^ndfrom 1PM-2:30PM will be hosted through a collaboration with Arizona School Administrators (ASA), Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO) and Arizona School Board Association (ASBA).

The second will be hosted by the Greater Phoenix Educational Management Council (GPEMC) on June 5^thfrom 9AM-10AM.

Detailed registration information for both events may be found below.

Reminder, all ESSER Fund Grant Resources and Guidance Documents are now available on the ADE ESSER Fund website. Attendees are encouraged to review these materials in advance and bring questions they may have with them to these sessions.

Questions regarding the ESSER Fund Grant may be sent to [email protected]

ASA, AASBO and ASBA Webinar On The CARES Act Funding Application Process

• Time: June 2, 2020 from 1PM-2:30PM

Click Here to Register: https://tinyurl.com/y85s6hfh

GPEMC Curriculum Council Meeting on CARES Act

• Time: June 5, 2020 from 9AM–10AM

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/97818240568?pwd=VXhKT215RTl1RENlMWFqZDVIUjNyQT09

Meeting ID: 978 1824 0568 Password: 7cKRj2

May 29, 2020

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has received funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide new Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund grants to LEAs to support local relief, preparation and prevention, and recovery needs and efforts in response to COVID-19.

90% ($249 million) of Arizona’s total ESSER Fund award ($277 million) must be sub-granted to LEAs based on the proportionate share of Title I-A funds they received in FY20. ADE is also choosing to fund LEAs that are not Title I-A using approximately half of ADE’s State Education Agency set-aside funds for state-level activities.

Thank you for all you are doing to support our students, educators and communities! ADE is once again humbled by the leadership and spirit of service demonstrated by our schools. We look forward to continuing to support you all through these recovery efforts.

ESSER Application

Special Education Directors,

Based on questions received during Special Education Director Check-Ins and through the ESS Inbox, it appears that there is some confusion about the credentialing requirements for speech-language pathologists (SLPs), including out-of-state telehealth providers, speech-language technicians (SLTs), and speech-language pathologists-limited (SLPLs). Also, ADE/ESS has learned there may be some questions regarding the job duties of a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA). The following information has been provided to ADE/ESS by the Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Special Licensing.

“To work in a public school setting, SLPs, including out-of-state telehealth providers, SLTs and SLPLs must hold both a current license from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and a current non-teaching professional certificate from the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). SLPAs only need ADHS licensure as ADE does not issue certificates to SLPAs. Individual practitioners must check with the credentialing agencies of the state where they reside to determine if they must also be licensed/certified in that state in order to (tele)practice in another state.

SLPAs must be supervised by a master’s level licensed and certified SLP , SLPL, or a SLT with a SLPL certification. Please see A.R.S. § 36-1940.04(E) through (G) for more information. Please see A.R.S. § 36-1940.04(E) through (G) for more information.

Public education agencies (PEAs) are responsible for verifying that speech personnel working with their students hold the appropriate credentials. The potential repercussions of providing speech-language services without the appropriate credentials are serious for both the individual and the public education agency (PEA), regardless of whether the individual is employed directly by the PEA or contracted through a third party.

Speech personnel should provide a copy of the required credentials prior to employment. You may confirm the AZDHS license by entering the holder’s name in the ADHS Care Check Portal. District and charter school HR administrators may confirm the ADE certificate through the Educator Certificate Search Portal.

For additional information about the provision of speech services in the schools, please refer to ADE/ESS’ Arizona Technical Assistance System (AZ-TAS) document, “Speech-Language Services in Arizona’s Schools: Guidelines for Best Practice” on the ADE website. Please forward this information to any interested parties, including your PEA’s HR office.”

If you have questions about ADE certification of speech personnel, please contact ADE certification specialists. If you have questions about the licensure of speech personnel, contact AZDHS, Office of Special Licensing. Thank you.

Special Education Directors,

The opening of ED-P applications (public entities) for the 2020-2021 school year has been delayed until June 1, 2020 to make internal changes to the application in preparation for next year. There will not be a definite due date until we get closer to the end of June. Failure to apply to the application may potentially cause integrity failures toward the end of the upcoming school year, which may affect state payments.

Please see memo for more information.