Special Education Directors,

The following message was sent via the ESS Data Management Listserv and may be useful for you to review:

A new template has been added to the ADE Helpdesk Ticket System for public education agencies (PEAs) to request an AzEDS reporting relationship with the following entity types:

• Approved Private Special Education Schools
• Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs)
• Head Start Programs
• Special Education Programs Operated by Another Public School District/Serving Entity
• Secure Cares

To support this process, the ESS Data Management team has created the ESS Helpdesk Ticket Instructions for AzEDS Relationship Requests to guide PEAs through the submission requirements and revised the reporting guidance to streamline the process.

The Approved Private Day Schools, Headstarts, and RTC guidance is now replaced by the Reporting Students Served by Other Educational Entities and Specialized Programs guidance document.

Important Highlights:

• Effective immediately, AzEDS relationship requests submitted via email to the ESS Data Management Inbox will no longer be accepted.
• All AzEDS relationship requests must be submitted using the new ESS ADE Help Desk Ticket template.
• Only one relationship may be submitted per Help Desk Ticket.
• If multiple relationships need to be established, a separate ticket must be submitted for each request.
• Relationship requests for special education programs operated by another Public School District/Serving Entity will require an annual request to ESS DM.
• Charter schools and charter districts are not eligible to serve as the serving entity.

If you have questions about special education data reporting, email the ESS Data Management team at [email protected] 

If you have questions about special education services or programs, email ADE’s Exceptional Student Services department at [email protected]. 

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce the launch of the state October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard (Federal - Child Count and Educational Environments), the first publicly available ESS dashboard for featuring federally reported IDEA Section 618 data. It provides interactive access to annual special education child count data, allowing users to explore information by disability category, age, demographics, and other characteristics.

The October 1 Special Education Count Dashboard represents an important milestone in the agency’s commitment to making special education data more accessible, meaningful, and user-friendly for educators, administrators, families, policymakers, researchers, and the public.

View the dashboard: Federal Child Count and Educational Environments Data | Department of Education

Please explore the dashboard and share this resource with colleagues and stakeholders who may benefit from access to these data. ESS looks forward to continuing to expand public access to special education data in the future.

The ADE/ESS Special Education Program Approval system for the 2026–2027 school year will open on April 13, 2026. ESS plans to have all Private Special Education Schools, Emotional Disabilities Public (ED-P) programs, and Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs) that wish to operate for fiscal year 2027 reviewed and approved by June 15, 2026.  See memo here.

If you have questions, please email the Private Day and ED-P inbox or the ESS Vouchers inbox.

ADE/ESS recently notified Transporting School Districts in fiscal year (FY) 2025 that they will be required to complete the Statement of Assurances annually.  Additionally, special education data reporting requirements for FY 2026 will be expanded as required by the Department in the assurances for the application for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) federal funds.

Please read the attached memo for details and contact ESS Data Management with any questions.

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.

Special Education Professionals,

MEMO Special Education ED-P Programs FY26 Update

Please see the attached memo that provides an update on the Emotional Disabilities Public (ED-P) programs.

For any questions, please contact the ESS Private Day/EDP inbox.