DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT   

FY 2026 October 1 Data Collection Application is now OPEN

The October 1 Data Collection (ODC) application is now open, and Phase I is underway. This phase includes the submission of your Public Education Agency (PEA) Special Education student count and personnel Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) data. 

The ODC child count is a crucial process consequential for federal reporting, determining federal allocations, and providing information for the state to make educational determinations over time.

All PEAs are required to verify the aggregate count of students receiving Special Education services over October 1, including zero counts. This is an internal count using your student information systems and student rosters; AzEDS reports should not be used to gather Phase I Verification Count.

This data is due Wednesday, November 5, 2025. More information and training is available on the ESS October 1 Data Collection website.

Please refer to the Important Dates Web Page on the ODC timeline for a complete outline of deadline requirements for this data collection.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is seeking input from educators, therapists, and school staff across the state to help shape future professional learning opportunities in assistive technology. 

We kindly ask that you share the following survey with teachers, therapists, and other relevant staff in your district. The survey is short (approximately 5-7 minutes), anonymous, and designed to ensure that upcoming training and resources are relevant, practical, and impactful. 

2025 Assistive Technology Needs Survey 

Please complete the survey only once. Your responses are confidential and will be used solely to inform statewide professional development efforts. The survey will close on October 31, 2025. 

Thank you for your support in helping us better serve Arizona’s educators and students through meaningful professional learning. 

 ADE/ESS AT Team

[email protected]

Horne rebuts Treasurer’s denial

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne is rebutting a denial by Treasurer Kim Yee that her office was unaware of its duty to review and approve a cash advance for the Nadaburg Unified School District northwest of Phoenix.

Yee stated in a letter sent to Horne on Tuesday, Sept. 30, “…the press release suggests that ASTO was somehow unaware of its duty to review and approve the cash advance request under A.R.S. § 15-973(C). This is incorrect.”

However, Yee’s office sent this email to ADE on August 29:

    Message: Hello, my name is Nick Barnhiser and I am the Network

    Admin at the State Treasurer's Office. Our Treasurer, Kimberly

    Yee made us aware of some emails she is getting from a Ryan Young

    at the Department of Education via Adobe Sign asking her to sign

    a Cash Advance for the Nadaburg School District. This is not

    something the Treasurer nor our office handles and the message

    was forwarded to us as possibly fraudulent. Doing a quick search

    i was able to determine that Ryan Young does seem to be a staff

    member at the Dept of Ed so perhaps these are being sent by

    mistake? I was not able to obtain Ryan's contact information. If

    someone could look into this for us it would be appreciated. The

    emails have been hitting her inbox consistently for the past

    several days and we are hesitant to put any blocks in place for

    fear of interrupting potentially legitimate mail. If more

    information is needed please let us know. Thank you!

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2025 8:51 AM
To: Questions <[email protected]>
Subject: Form submission from: Communicate with ADE

==Contact Information==

    First Name: Nick

    Last Name: Barnhiser

    Email: [email protected]

    Phone Number: (602) 542-

    Organization: AZ State Treasury

Effective 9/30/2025, the update has been applied to the AzEDS Portal Average Daily Membership Calculation Engine (ACE) system to display non-fundable intervals on the ADM15 report.

 These intervals will be applied to students that have met the threshold for excessive absences as well as having reported attendance blocks. For more information on non-fundable intervals please see Defining Excused Absences guideline posted here: /finance/school-finance-external-guidelines

Districts and charters should review their ADM15 reports to view any non-fundable intervals identified in their student data.

If you need additional assistance, please submit a HelpDesk ticket. 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT    

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include:    

• Reminders  

• Trending topics  

• Top Three Integrity Errors 

• Q&A     

Please register by clicking this link. Registration is required to attend. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.  

Cites meaningful Dysart district efforts to combat issue

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says a new report issued by the Helios Foundation shows tough measures need to be taken to address catastrophic levels of chronic high school student absenteeism in Arizona. Chronic absenteeism is defined as nine absences in a semester or 18 absences in a year.

Horne notes the Dysart Unified district in the Phoenix area has been very effective in lowering the absence rate by taking tough measures that hold students and parents accountable.

Horne said, “The Helios Foundation found that grades 1-8 in Arizona have a chronic absentee rate of 28.1 percent, and grades 9-12 have rate of 37 percent.  This is catastrophic. We cannot teach students who are not in school. The high school student who misses more than one third of his classes is facing a bleak future.”

He added, “The best solution that we have found is the Dysart School District. Their chronic absenteeism for grades 1- 8 is 9 percent compared to 28.1 percent statewide. For grades 9-12, Dysart’s rate is 8.69 percent compared to Arizona‘s rate of 37percent. They got there because in grades 1-8 a student who is absent for 18 days in one year must repeat the grade. A high school student who misses nine days in a semester cannot get credit for the courses the student has been taking. The Dysart method is successful and makes sense. It is what schools mostly did in the past before our culture got so much more permissive. Academic loss is the price we have paid for that permissiveness. The result for some students has been catastrophic.”

He concluded, “The principal factor for students going to school daily is the parents. During Covid, some parents got used to students missing school as not that big a deal, as it was before Covid. As a former member of a school board for 24 years, I can testify that it is very important to parents that their children graduate on time. Once parents know that chronic absenteeism can interfere with timely graduation, they become highly motivated to be sure their children get to school daily. The data show the Dysart method is the most effective way to reduce chronic absenteeism.”

ADE Finance staff determined the advance is proper and needed

PHOENIX – State schools superintendent Tom Horne is calling on State Treasurer Kim Yee to reconsider her denial of a justified cash advance to the Nadaburg school district, calling her current actions irresponsible.

Horne stated: “Our Finance Division did its research and determined that Nadaburg is operating within its budget, and by the end of the year they will have a projected positive cash balance of $1.3 million. Initially it was thought that they would have a negative cash balance at the end of the year, but the Department of Education, being a service institution, checked the forms and found the district made an unintentional clerical error that they can correct. In the meantime, the cash advance will ensure uninterrupted district operations through October while the error is being reconciled. If the Treasurer does not change her mind, the irresponsible failure to advance the funds will have a negative impact on the education of nearly 1,500 students. This should be our first priority.”

He added, “The Treasurer could have done the same review because she has the necessary forms, which were provided to her by our office, and her office failed to follow up with us to determine why we approved the advance. The advance request was sent to the State Treasurer on August 22, 2025, over a month ago. At first, she denied that she had a role to play. We cited to her the relevant statute (A.R.S. 15-973(C)) showing that her approval was needed. The Treasurer reviewed the request multiple times between August 22 and September 5 but did nothing. Finally, she issued a denial on September 24, claiming the possibility of ‘financial mismanagement’ for which there was no evidence. I therefore call her to change your position and approve this proper cash advance.”

District cash advances are common because a school district’s income and expenses may fluctuate. As long as the district’s cash position is positive by the end of the year, and the funds will be paid back, cash advances are allowable.

The Nadaburg district is located northwest of Phoenix near Wittman.

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 fall 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: "Leveling the Equation: Free Math Tools for Inclusive Access" Featuring ModMath and Arithmetype

Presenter: Breeta Garland, M.S., CCC-SLP - Gilbert Public Schools, Assistive Technology Coach

Date:             Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Time:             11:30 AM-12:00 PM

Description: Discover two powerful and completely free assistive technology tools that support students with math-related learning needs. Breeta Garland, M.S., CCC-SLP will provide an overview of ModMath, a digital graph paper with keypad to solve math problems for students with dysgraphia, and Arithmetype, a math-friendly typing resource for those who struggle with written output. Learn how these tools remove barriers and empower students in her district to demonstrate their true math abilities. Perfect for educators, related service providers, and support staff looking for quick wins in inclusive math instruction.

Please note: This Zoom session will not be recorded. Live attendance is encouraged to benefit fully from the presentation and resources.

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

Revised 1.23.2026 

Some schools score higher than state average

PHOENIX – Native American students statewide are seeing remarkable improvement in Reading and Math proficiency with the implementation of school improvement strategies, according to state schools chief Tom Horne. In the Chinle district, some schools are scoring higher than the state average.

Horne said, “When I took office in January 2023, I was informed that the average proficiency rate for Native American students was five percent. This was very upsetting to me, as it would affect the students’ employment prospects and quality of life.  I said that we would change everything we were doing in that respect and give total focus to increasing proficiency rates among Native American students. I met with tribal leaders who were shocked to learn about the five percent number and agreed with me that action had to be taken.”

He added, “The Offices of Indian Education and School Improvement have worked together to help improve outcomes for students – providing training, visiting schools, supporting teachers, principals, and superintendents, and working tirelessly to help schools and students succeed. With outstanding leadership from leaders of Native American districts, and our help, the proficiency rates of Native American students have soared.”

The Chinle Unified District shows the greatest gains as three of the district’s schools scored above the state average in both Math and English. Scores increased from just over 20 percent proficiency in 2023 to 34 percent districtwide. The district’s Many Farms school reached an incredible 45 percent rate. Growth in Math proficiency was similar.

Other districts have experienced double the number of students testing proficient in Math and English. The Ganado Unified School District saw a 159 percent increase. Growth at Red Mesa Unified District was 149 percent.  Baboquivari Unified went up 197 percent, and Kayenta Unified School District went up 122 percent. The Sacaton Elementary District jumped 124 percent, and Tuba City Unified School District increased 113 percent.

Chinle Superintendent Quincy Natay said, “We are extremely proud of the progress our students and teachers have made. These gains are a direct result of our governing board’s support of our vision and strategic plan, dedication of our educators, the support of our parents and communities, and the hard work of our students. We remain committed to building on this momentum and ensuring that all our students, across every grade level, have the opportunities and education to improve their quality of life.”

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Revised Preschool Outcomes Reporting Guidance

The Preschool Outcomes Reporting Guidance has been revised to provide clarity on what data needs to be submitted as well as when the data needs to be submitted, for preschool students who are receiving special education services. The following integrity errors have been updated:

• -40087
  • Updated Error Message: Preschool students in special education must be reported with three Preschool Outcome Assessments upon entry. Please refer to the ESS Preschool Outcomes Reporting Guidance document.
• -40088
  • Updated Error Message: Preschool students in special education must be reported with three Preschool Outcome Assessments upon exit. Please refer to the ESS Preschool Outcomes Reporting Guidance document.
  • Other Updates: This Integrity error will no longer begin failing on May 1st with the other end-of-year errors. Starting Fiscal Year (FY) 26, this integrity error will fail integrity 20 days after the end date of the preschool program until a preschool exit core is reported.

The revised Preschool Outcomes Reporting Guidance has been published on our ESS AzEDS SPED Reporting web page.                                                          

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