Special Education Directors,

ESS/Program Support &  Monitoring is pleased to announce the release of the SY 2024–2025 Programmatic Monitoring Guide Steps. Attached is the release memo that indicates some of the recent updates.

The Guide Steps is a technical assistance document created to aid public education agencies (PEAs) in understanding the requirements specific to programmatic monitoring. Legal compliance may be more extensive as it relates to a state complaint or due process. Any examples should not be taken directly and added to a student’s IEP or evaluation because each student is unique and has his/her own set of circumstances that must be addressed through his/her individual evaluation and IEP.

We hope that these Guide Steps assist PEAs to review created student documents for compliance purposes and to assist in reviewing systemic, programmatic needs within the PEA. Questions can be directed to your PEA’s Program Support & Monitoring Specialist.

School Finance has posted the BUDG-25 reports for all school districts to the School Finance website. The FY24 May BUDG-25 reports have been calculated using the FY24 May BSA-55 information.

 The FY23 Over-Expenditures have been included in the Unrestricted Capital (UNR) and Maintenance and Operations (M&O) funds. FY24 FRPL Add-On ADM is also included in the base support level calculation (BSL).

The following forms are available:

• District BUDG-25 reports are available to download from this School Finance website. For further instructions on how to navigate the website, please view this Hot Topic.

• District FY23 BUDG-75 reports are available to download from the School Finance website:
  • Select the “Start Fiscal Year” as 2023
  • Optionally, select the “Execution Date” as 11/21/2023
  • Click “Apply.”
  • If a 915 was submitted, please download the latest BUDG75 report without using the execution date drop-down.

• District BSA-55 reports are available to download from the School Finance website:
  • First, select a school district and then click “View Reports.”
  • Next, scroll down the page to the “School District Reports” section.
  • Finally, click the May “PDF” button. The May BSA-55 report will appear.

Please contact the Budget Team ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Please see the attached information on a training opportunity the National Down Syndrome Congress is offering locally.

Free registration to attend the Educators Conference if the attendee volunteers for the Youth & Adults Conference on Saturday, July 27, from 8:15 am to 5:15 pm OR volunteers for two sessions of Kids Camp throughout Saturday or Sunday. After the attendee volunteers, they will receive a $75 refund. 

Register to volunteer at https://bit.ly/48EWu4i.  After the Convention, email [email protected] to receive a refund or if you have any questions. 

Conference flyer can be found here.

For immediate release: May 22, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne points to academic gains from Achievement Tutoring Program

State effort directs $40 million for tutoring in math and reading

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says the initial results of those students tested as part of the department’s Achievement Tutoring Program show gains in academic progress.

Horne initiated the program late in 2023 using federal dollars earmarked to address learning loss due to the COVID pandemic. So far this year, student registrations total 17,324 over three six-week sessions.

Horne said, “So far, more than 20 percent of those students tested have seen academic gains representing half a school year of learning within six weeks of tutoring. This helps these students to be better prepared for success at the next grade level. Other students have seen smaller gains, and some have exceeded a half-year’s progress, but every increase in the proficiency rate is important.”

He added, “I urge parents of public-school children to take advantage of this opportunity. It is available at participating schools or through private tutoring services at no cost to the parents. A child who is struggling in reading or math deserves this chance to be more successful in the classroom and children already doing well can do even better.”

Among the responses the department has received are a parent who reported her first-grade son received tutoring at his elementary school and is “now the fastest reader in his class… This program is revolutionary…very, very powerful and successful! Keep it up!”

A tutor said her student faced “just the right amount of challenge. He is so cute, he said 'There is no stopping me' - and his mom said she can really see his confidence growing!”

A parent commented “I just want to take a moment to thank you all for this amazing program! Our oldest child was at risk of failing this year math and thanks to the tutoring program is now scoring at 82% (was at 23%)! The impact has been tremendously positive!”

For more information about the Achievement Tutoring Program: azed.gov/achievement-tutoring

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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 16–17, 2024, December 2–3, 2024, and February 3–4, 2025. 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 2024-2025 MTBS cohort. If you would like to learn more or start the application process, please contact Celeste Nameth.

The ADE/ESS/Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices team is working with the Academic Standards Mathematics team to offer meaningful professional learning to high school math teachers across the state, focusing on supporting students with disabilities. Use your remaining ESSER funds to support your high school math educators with this training!

Title: Unlocking Potential: Innovative Approaches to Teaching Math to Diverse High School Learners

Date: June 13−14, 2024
Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Fee: $60
Presenters: Laurel Cherry, Academic Standards, and Rob Hilliker, ESS

Workshop Description
Are you looking for more ways to unlock all of your students’ potential? Join us to uncover strategies that will help your students crack the code to feel empowered and succeed in math! You will engage in rich tasks that give students the keys that will unlock deep connections across concepts. We will explore how to incorporate concrete manipulatives and visual representations to master high school math standards. We will also offer ideas for targeted practice when preparing for state assessments. By making math relevant and exciting, we unlock potential and build strong foundations for success in high school math standards, on the ACT, and beyond!

Register for Unlocking Potential: Innovative Approaches to Teaching Math to Diverse High School Learners. Search for “Unlocking Potential” to find the session in APLD.

If you have any questions about the training, please email Rob Hilliker or email Laurel Cherry.

The Auditor General has published preliminary budget form packets for FY25. These packets can be accessed for school districts via this link and for charter districts via this link.

Please note that School Finance will not open the School Finance Budget System window to submit these files until June 15th. When the Budget System is available to submit FY25 budget forms, School Finance will post an additional Hot Topic.

Thank you!

For immediate release: May 16, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne cites antisemitism in call for two districts to remove Amnesty International from campus

Pro-Hamas materials at issue

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has sent letters to the Superintendents of both the Cave Creek and Chandler Unified Districts alerting them to the potential distribution of antisemitic materials on campuses where Amnesty International has a presence.

Horne said, “Amnesty International was once a well-regarded organization but is now in the thrall of antisemitic interests. Its presence on high school campuses poses a serious concern to Jewish students because of the organization’s blatantly antisemitic reaction to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. This is why I am alerting these district superintendents to get Amnesty International off their campuses. No one would hesitate to remove an anti-black Ku Klux Klan club from a high school campus and the same standard should be applied here.”

In his letter, Horne details that pro-Hamas materials that were distributed to a student club at Scottsdale’s Desert Mountain High School last Fall stated that “Palestinians have been subject to killings, torture, rape, abuse, and more for over 75 years.’ This is a ‘blood libel’ similar to the blood libels used in the Middle Ages to get people to go out and kill random Jewish people.”

He adds, “In none of this propaganda is there any reference to what happened on October 7. The fact that 1,400 civilians were murdered does not begin to describe to horror of what Hamas did. They went house to house in the neighborhoods, machine gunning entire families, and sometimes killing fathers in front of their children and children in front of their fathers. They copied the Nazi technique of setting fire to houses so that people would burn to death, or if they came out of the fire house, killed them upon their exit. The actions of Hamas are a repetition of what happened during World War II. Yet the materials make no mention of October 7.”

The schools in question are Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek and Hamilton High School in Chandler.

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ADE/ESS is excited to announce the opening of registration for Arizona’s 2024 IDEA Conference: Expect, Engage, Achieve. This year’s conference will be held from September 4–6, 2024, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix. Please visit the IDEA Conference website to learn about our keynote speakers: Valerie Williams, Perry Zirkel, Pamela Schuller, and Dr. Erik Carter. Additional national speakers and exciting conference events will be shared soon. 

The conference registration fee for professionals is $575 per person and can be paid by credit card, check, or purchase order. ADE/ESS is aware that PEAs may have approaching procurement deadlines related to issuing purchase orders, so please do not delay in registering for the conference. Registration is anticipated to fill quickly.

Register for the 2024 IDEA Conference in the Arizona Professional Learning and Development System (APLD). Interested participants must have an ADE Connect account to complete the registration. See the APLD Learner Guide for detailed steps to complete registration.

Please visit the IDEA Conference Registration web page to learn more about registering, including making a Save My Seat request, Lodging, and Frequently Asked Questions.

ESS appreciates this opportunity to learn with each of you and looks forward to this year’s conference. Stay informed by visiting the IDEA Conference website for updates, including announcements about keynote speakers. Questions can be emailed to the IDEA Conference inbox

Teach Camp registration is filling up fast! It is hard to believe that we will launch Teach Camp for the fifth year this summer! Teach Camp provides professional learning and supports that are specifically designed for beginning special education teachers. Teach Camp aims to increase the retention of special educators by providing our newest special education teachers with the tools that they need to survive and thrive during their first years in the classroom. Of this year’s participants, 97.5 % reported that their work-related knowledge had increased because they attended camp, and 100% reported an increase in their work-related motivation!

Teach Camp is available to special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in Fall 2024. Recent graduates from traditional teacher preparation programs, alternative certified teachers, and veteran general education teachers transitioning to special education are all welcome. Please note that participants must be currently employed in a school district or charter as a special education teacher for the 2024-2025 school year, and participants must have no more than two years of special education teaching experience in total (including previous positions) to be eligible to attend Teach Camp.   

The cost is only $250 per teacher and includes:  

• 3-day summer “camp” to be held July 9–11, 2024, at the Rio Salado Conference Center in Tempe* (breakfast and lunch provided)  
• One-day follow-up session in February 2025 in Phoenix* (lunch provided)   
• A copy of The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers  
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children
• Additional valuable resources   

Here are some of the things this year’s campers had to say about their experience at camp:

“This is one of the BEST conferences I have attended. Not just because of all the valuable resources provided, knowledgeable and accessible presenters, materials given... Mainly because of all the Teach Camp representatives who were so kind, inspiring, happy, motivating, encouraging, and attentive!! To me, this was the best part of the training. I felt cared for!”

“The information provided was invaluable. Learned many new things and especially loved the resource toolbox. The whole training was worth it just to have that info to tap later.”

“Not many to mention just one. All the individual sessions! Carol Kosnitsky's knowledge, experience, passion and energy just lights a fire under you and gets you excited. Great to meet so many of you that work at Dept of Ed in ESS, gave me a great understanding of where the support system starts.  LOVE the Survival Guide book, I'm on the last chapter and there are so many great resources in there. It reinforces and supports Teach Camp!”

“The best thing was the staff who planned and executed the camp. They thought of everything. BEST seminar I ever attended, and the follow-up day was very anticipated. It did not disappoint. Practicality of information presented; I absolutely enjoyed Carol Kosnitsky!”

Registration for Teach Camp is open until June 25, 2024*, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration must be approved by the special education director and completed by the PEA, not the special education teacher. On-site registration is not available

*To be considered for travel reimbursement, participants must register at the link below by May 17, 2024.

Begin the registration process for Teach Camp!