Do your students doubt their abilities when faced with challenges? Do they know how to put forth effort and make progress toward their goals? Self-efficacy instruction can transform your students' beliefs about their ability to complete difficult tasks and help them become more resilient learners.   

Offered by the Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services in collaboration with the University of Kansas Research Collaboration, this FREE one-year professional learning series with accompanying FREE curriculum provides schools with 

• Free access to self-efficacy lessons at primary, intermediate, and secondary levels, including 25+ evidence-based instructional activities teaching 10 Self-Efficacy Strategies 

• Virtual training for all staff throughout the school year, tailored to your PD calendar 

• Assessments to track student growth 

• Ongoing coaching support during the implementation process 

There are 4 spots left for schools (elementary, middle, or high) to participate in the 2025–2026 school year. 

To learn more about securing a spot for your school, complete the CCCs Project Interest Form to schedule a 30-minute conference call. 

View our self-efficacy infographic, which includes the definition of self-efficacy and student impacts resulting from instruction. 

This professional learning experience will empower your students and enhance their learning journey. Act now to join this free project! 

For any questions, email Pattie Noonan. 

The application window to submit the Transportation Vehicle Inventory is available until 07/15/2025. 
The following resources have been created to assist in submitting transportation data: 

• Transportation Manual
• Transportation Data Submission Video

The FY 2026 calculation of Transportation Support Level (TSL) dollars is dependent on Vehicle Inventory data submitted for FY 2025.

Reminder: When entering vehicle mileage data, do not enter a date in the Meter End Date field. Adding an end date will cause the vehicle to be marked ‘retired.’ Vehicles accidentally retired can be corrected by editing the mileage and removing the Meter End Date. 

For questions regarding Vehicle Inventory and Mileage, submit a School Finance - Account Analyst Support Request via HelpDesk.

The FY 2024 Open Enrollment Participation Report is now available on the School Finance webpage under the Data Collection & Reporting for School and Student Membership Data section. This report provides open enrollment participation rates by school district, school, county, and specific related data. 

For questions, please email School Finance at [email protected].

Arizona school districts (districts) are boundaries of land recognized by the United States Census Bureau, where respective districts are responsible for enrolling potential students within the district’s boundaries. Any geographic areas not identified within a district’s boundaries are considered unorganized territories. Families residing in unorganized territories may enroll in districts through a certificate of educational convenience (CEC). The attached memorandum seeks to clarify certificates of educational convenience for preschool children with disabilities who reside in unorganized territories.

Please direct questions to your PEA’s assigned Program Support and Monitoring specialist.

Don’t miss this opportunity to sign up your new special education teachers for Teach Camp! Please note that the registration form must be completed by May 2 for eligible public education agencies to be considered for travel reimbursement.

Teach Camp aims to increase the retention of beginning special educators by providing them with the tools they need to survive and thrive.

Here’s what some of this year’s campers had to say about their experience at Teach Camp:

• ”I know the knowledge I'll bring back will help improve my own teaching skills and that of my coworkers as I share with them what I've learned.
• “I think this was an awesome experience, and I would recommend this to my colleagues!”
• “Great mix of learning, community, and fun!”   

Teach Camp Eligibility:

• We know there are many pathways to becoming a special education teacher in Arizona. Recent graduates from traditional teacher preparation programs, alternative certified teachers, and veteran general education teachers transitioning to special education are all welcome.
• Teach Camp is available to special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in the fall of 2025.
• Participants must be directly employed by a school district or charter as a special education teacher.

The cost for Summer 2025 Teach Camp is $250 per teacher and includes:  

• 3-day summer “camp” to be held July 8-10, 2025, at ASU SkySong, 1365 North Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257
• Follow-up support throughout the school year, including virtual sessions and newsletters 
• A copy of The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers  
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children  
• Additional valuable resources   

Registration:
Registration for Teach Camp is open until Friday, June 13, 2025, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration must be approved by the special education director and completed by the district or charter organization, not the special education teacher. Please note that there is a limit of ten registrations for each district or charter. More than ten teachers from any one district or charter will be placed on a waiting list. Please be aware we may reduce the group size per district or charter organization to accommodate the attendance of more districts/charters and budget constraints for travel reimbursement. On-site registration is not available.  

Travel Reimbursement:
Funding is available for travel costs for districts and charter organizations that are traveling 51 miles or more from the school district or charter office to ASU SkySong, 1301 North Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257.  Reimbursements will be made to the district or charter organization, not the special education teacher, via the Arizona Procurement Portal. Please note that APP registration and an additional completed State Procurement Office Form will be required.  Additional information regarding travel reimbursement will be provided to the district or charter organization once registration is completed. To be considered for travel reimbursement for the three-day summer session, registration must be completed by May 2, 2025. Reimbursement may be provided for up to five travelers per district or charter, with additional travelers added as funding permits.

Begin the registration process for Teach Camp!

Please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox with any questions about Teach Camp.   

*** IMPORTANT *** Cover Pages and Audit Files will no longer be accepted via email.

School Finance has made an update to allow users to upload their PDFs directly to the Budget System.

The following Files should be uploaded via this tab:

• Audit PDFS
• Budget/AFR Cover Pages
• Budget/AFR District Website Link (Upload as PDF under Cover Page)

Uploading the Cover Page:

STEP 1

In the Budget System, navigate to the “PDF Upload” tab on the top right. (Note: this tab has changed names from “Audit PDF Upload” to “PDF Upload”)

STEP 2

To upload a file, click on “File Upload” located on the left of the screen.

STEP 3

Select the appropriate fiscal year and "Cover Page" as the document type.

***In the document description, make sure to reference which file type and version cover page is being uploaded (i.e., proposed, adopted, revision, original, corrected).

Uploading an Audit file:

Follow Steps 1-3 above, but select the “Audit File” document type.

***In the document description, make sure to note which type of audit file is being uploaded.

Uploading the Website Link:

STEP 1

Open a blank document in Microsoft Word (or another similar application).

STEP 2

Copy and paste the link to your posted Budget/AFR in the blank document.

STEP 3

Save the file as a PDF.

Step 4

Follow the steps in the Cover Page section and upload the website link with “Cover Page” as the selected document type.

***In the document description, make sure to note what the website link is for by including the form and version.

Externally view and download the Audit PDFs and Cover Pages uploaded tothe  Budget System

LEAs can access the uploaded PDF files from the School Finance Reports Website:

• Click on “File Submission Status Report” on the top right of the screen

• On the top right corner of this page, click “PDF Uploaded Files” and you should see the uploaded files in the dashboard.

• On the dashboard, you can filter and view the data by fiscal year, entity, and document type. A file can be downloaded by clicking on “Download” and a link to the file can be copied by right clicking on “Download" and clicking "Copy link."

If you have questions after reviewing the information above, please email the School Finance Budget Team at [email protected].

Action on non-compliance awaits court decisions

PHOENIX – A page on the Arizona Department of Education (AZED) website has been established to list the districts and charter operators that have or have not certified compliance with new federal guidance regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.

The site is informational pending the outcome of several court challenges to the guidance. The U.S. Department of Education has informed state education agencies including AZED that “the Department will take no further action concerning the Title VI Certification Letter (DEI) unless and until further notice is provided.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said, “I am committed to following the law and will abide by the latest guidance from the U.S. Department of Education to take no action against schools until further notice. I also made a commitment to transparency by listing the districts and charters that have responded to the earlier DEI guidance. Federal law and the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution are clear that no person shall be discriminated because of race, skin color or ethnicity, and this guidance aligns completely with my philosophy. By contrast, the use of DEI programs does just the opposite and promotes racial discrimination. I believe the DEI guidance will eventually be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and districts and charter schools need to treat this issue seriously.”

The webpage is here: azed.gov/grants-management/federal-dei-certification

Under Section 616 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), State Education Agencies are required to make a determination for all Public Education Agencies (PEAs) on the PEA’s performance in the implementation of special education. Each PEA’s federal fiscal year (FFY) 2023 determination is now available for review through ADE Connect and posted on the website.

Please visit Arizona's PEA Determinations Website for information on the notification letter, scoring criteria, and public results.

For questions regarding PEA Determinations, please email the ESS Operations Inbox.

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 in developing a school-wide approach to positive behavior management practices. This training is based on School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SW-PBIS) evidence-based elements. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) notes that “the IEP team shall, in the case of a child whose behavior impedes the child’s learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address that behavior” (20 U.S.C. §1414(d)(3)(B)(i)). 

Year 1 training sessions will be held on September 8–9, 2025, December 1–2, 2025, and February 9–10, 2026. The cost is $100 per team member for the Year 1 training. Costs for participation in Years 2 and 3 of the training may be reimbursed with funding by ADE/ESS if certain requirements are met.

Several open spots remain for teams to register for the 2025–2026 MTBS cohort. If you would like to learn more or start the application process, please contact Celeste Nameth.

Board voted against wishes of principals and PXU administrators

PHOENIX – A recent vote by the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) governing board rejecting requests of two high schools’ administrators and employees for armed officers was an error and puts those campuses at risk, according to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.

Flanked by three current or former PXU educators, Horne requested that board members who voted against requests to have armed officers at Betty Fairfax and Carl Hayden high schools reconsider their votes.

Horne stated, “The governing board made a mistake by rejecting the wishes of its district administrators and the two principals of these schools.  Board members do not have to show up on campus every school day and deal with safety problems, but teachers, students and staff do. They know how bad the situation has become. Principals at these two schools requested armed officers through the state’s School Safety program that the Department of Education agreed to pay for them. The board should have respected the wishes of its own educators.”

He added, “Should the unthinkable happen and an armed maniac kills students at a school as we have seen in other states, the parents of those students would never forgive those responsible for failing to provide protection for the school.”

Retired PXU teacher Mark Williams said, “Superintendent Tom Horne is attempting to protect students and staff by an ever-increasing threat of violence because some parents are failing to parent, and the school board is bending to a very few but vocal community about not having their children around police officers. One should ask ‘why’?”

Susan Groff, National Board Certified Teacher added, “As a retired teacher and longtime resident of this community, I have seen firsthand the positive impact School Resource Officers have in our high schools. Their presence not only enhances safety but fosters trust and support among student and staff.”

Pamela Kelley, M. Ed.  continued, "All Phoenix Union High School District Schools need metal detectors and School Resource Officers (SRO's) for the safety and security of the students, staff, and visitors."

The School Safety Program is administered by the Arizona Department of Education and funding remains available for campus officers.