Please see the updates from the ESS Program Management Team and share with your Business Manager.

MOE Eligibility Please see the linked PowerPoint to learn more about the MOE Eligibility Testing requirements that will go into effect this July. The FY 2020 Budget that will be submitted to School Finance by July 15, 2019, will be subjected to the MOE Eligibility test in the ESS Maintenance of Effort Application. The PowerPoint will walk you through how to submit data if your Budget fails to meet the Eligibility Standard.

Substantially Approved Date Please note: The FY2020 IDEA Consolidated – Entitlement Grant applications have a different Substantial Approval Date process than other ADE grants due to federal IDEA fiscal requirements. ESS is required to wait until July 16, 2019, to review MOE Eligibility statuses and then change a public education agency’s (PEA’s) Substantially Approved Date based on whether the budget meets the Eligibility standard. This date is contingent upon when an adopted budget must be submitted to School Finance. Once your PEA’s application is approved by the ESS Program Specialist, the Substantial Approval Date will revert to July 1 if your application was submitted prior to July 1 or to the most recent date that the grant was updated to LEA Authorized Representative Approved if that occurs after July 1. If your Substantial Approval Date is after July 1, your PEA will be unable to obligate funds prior to that date.

FY 19 Completion Reports The FY19 IDEA Consolidated – Entitlement grant’s project period end date is September 30, 2019. Completion reports will be available in the Grants Management Enterprise (GME) System for PEAs that would prefer to close out the FY19 books immediately after June 30, 2019. The official due date for the completion report isn’t until 90 days after the end of the project period, so you have until December 30, 2019 to submit your data.

Expanding Charter Requests If your charter school is expanding and meets the definition of Significant Expansion as found on http://www.azed.gov/specialeducation/operations/, please e-mail ESS Program Management to notify your intent to expand and receive a new calculation for your IDEA allocation. The deadline to notify ADE for consideration of FY20 reallocation will be August 1, 2019.

As always, please e-mail ESS Program Management for any questions regarding your IDEA Consolidated – Entitlement grants. Thank you.

The Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services (ADE/ESS) is excited to announce the release of the SY 2019—2020 Monitoring Guidesteps and Student File form! This release is the earliest ESS has ever been able to provide this important resource to the field. We hope this helps all public education agencies (PEAs) in planning for the upcoming school year.

Each year, the ESS/Program Support and Monitoring (PSM) team reviews this document, along with findings of noncompliance and technical assistance provided to the field, to enhance the document and make it a better product for PEAs. An overview of this year’s enhancements is included below. As always, please contact your PEA’s assigned program specialist for any questions or assistance needed.

Enhancements:

• Cross-check for reporting in AZEDS re: eligibility and LRE
• Collection of why progress reporting was called out, when called out
• Frequency and duration for special education services
• Progress monitoring for secondary transition services

Special Education Administrators,

This past school year, Exceptional Student Services moved the reporting of students receiving Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) from Grants Management into AzEDS. CEIS are services provided to students in kindergarten through grade 12 who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral supports to succeed in a general education environment. If your public education agency is utilizing IDEA Entitlement funds, you must report which students are receiving services pursuant to 34 CFR §300.226(d). This letter provides more information regarding this data submission.

Please email ESS Program Management for any questions or concerns.

The API 5.0 External UAT is now available for LEA's. LEA's will use the same Key and Secret they used for API 4.0 External UAT.

• UAT API 5.0 URL (for FY2020 testing): https://uat-rest-api-r5.azeds.azed.gov/
• Base URL: https://uat-rest-api-r5.azeds.azed.gov/data/v3/

To request access to the API 5.0 UAT, please submit a ticket through our Self-Service Portal

Tips to Increase Participation

Use the ADEConnect ESS Parent Survey progress report tool to track survey completion by school site and student name.

• Send staff a screen shot of the school-site tally. Teachers will be motivated to increase parental participation on their campus.
• Study school-site rates to ensure the overall number of completed surveys represents district and school demographics.
• Reach out to parents of students who haven't completed the survey. Personal contact will make a difference.

For assistance contact: Becky Raabe, [email protected], or (928) 637-1871.

The Arizona Department of Education/ Exceptional Student Services, in partnership with AHCCCS, is pleased to announce that the National Council for Behavioral Health will deliver Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification (YMHFA) training to Arizona educators. This 3-day interactive training will teach participants how to:

• Teach the Youth Mental Health First Aid course, including the 5-step action plan, evidence-supported treatment and self-help strategies, and prevalence data.
• Present the program with fidelity to the tested, core model.
• Apply the program to a range of adult learning styles.
• Tailor presentations to diverse audiences and learning environments.

Upon the successful completion of the course requirements as outlined by the National Council for Behavioral Health, participants will be certified to teach the standard Youth Mental Health First Aid course.

Registration:

There is no fee for participants! However, registration is first-come, first-served and based on statewide representation.

Please see this application form for more details.  If you have questions, please contact Aanya Rispoli at [email protected].

Directors of Special Education,

ESS Program Management is sharing the following important dates for IDEA Funding and IDEA Fiscal Related activities. Included in this memo is an announcement of a half-day, in-person training at ADE Central on April 15, 2019.

Please share these important updates with your PEA’s Business Manager.

If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this update, please contact [email protected] or call 602-542-4013 to speak to an ESS Program Management Specialist.

Special Education Directors,

ADE/ESS has important announcements to share regarding the upcoming 2019 Post School Outcomes (PSO) Survey data collection season.

• The student list is now open. At your earliest convenience, review your student list for accuracy. This is also a great time to start working on exclusions.
• ADE is currently hosting two webinars associated with PSO.
  • PSO 2018 Statewide Results
  • 2019 PSO Survey Essentials

Review the PSO webpage for exact details on dates, times, and registration links.

• NOTE: There has been an update to one PSO Survey Essentials session (April 2 at 3:00 p.m.). It has been rescheduled to April 1 at 3:00 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your flexibility. Flyers and registration through the Events Management System (EMS) reflect the updates.

It is recommended that all staff who will be conducting the survey this upcoming summer, at a minimum, attend the PSO Essentials webinar. The main purpose of this webinar is to share and explain the changes to the 2019 PSO Survey.

Please feel free to view and distribute the attached flyers and to forward this email to staff that can benefit from the above-listed webinars. All are welcome to attend, and the ADE/ESS encourages all PEAs that will be participating in the 2019 PSO Survey to participate.

We look forward to supporting you throughout the various stages of this initiative. As a reminder, PSO staff can be reached at [email protected].

Dear Special Education Director,

The Arizona Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ArSHA) will be holding its annual convention in Phoenix on April 5 and 6. Hundreds of Speech-Language Pathologists, Speech-Language Technicians, and SLPAs will attend the convention.

The Arizona Department of Education sponsors school-based speakers at the convention to support high quality, relevant professional development for our school-based speech personnel. This year’s ADE-sponsored topics include AAC, executive function, critical thinking, push-in therapy, and using telepractice in a school setting.

ADE/ESS will have a table in the exhibit hall to recruit SLPs/SLTs/SLPAs on your behalf. If you have a speech vacancy in your district or charter, please post your job on ADE’s free Arizona Education Job Board: https://www.arizonaeducationjobs.com/sides.

At the convention, we will hand out a flyer that lists all SLP/SLT/SLPA positions posted on the Arizona Education Employment Board as of April 1. Don’t miss this opportunity to advertise current job openings!

Hello Special Education Directors,

ADE is gratified by the overwhelming interest in the Arizona Technical Assistance System (AZ-TAS) document for graduation requirements. In the roughly three weeks since the guidance document was published on the ADE website, the Departmenthas heard from a wealth of stakeholders through a variety of channels. We have spoken personally with constituents with questions, helped them brainstorm solutions to tricky situations on school campuses, and presented to the Special Education Advisory Panel. Through these interactions, we have received valuable input that we will use to improve guidance provided in this document.

We understand that there is a need for clarification in specific areas within the document to ensure the guidance is useful, meaningful, and supports all students with disabilities in accordance with the requirements of the IDEA, state statute, and State Board Rule, while not imposing additional requirements but still allowing schools to implement their own best practices. ADE/ESS, in consultation with ADE/Dispute Resolution, ADE/Assessment, and the Arizona Attorney General’s office, is currently reviewing and considering all feedback provided in order to revise the Graduation AZ-TAS document. As a result, effective immediately, please view the version currently published on the website as a working document.

I would like to thank each individual or group that reached out to ADE to provide feedback or articulate concerns. Your voice will help us shape better guidance and keeps ADE in touch with realities in the field. If you have not yet provided feedback, feel free to contact [email protected], who is maintaining a repository of information to help inform the ongoing revision.

Link to the document: https://cms.azed.gov/home/GetDocumentFile?id=5c6c37de1dcb25058400e9f2

Link to all AZ-TAS documents: http://www.azed.gov/specialeducation/az-tas-documents/