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Program Area: Special Education
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 requires that each public education agency (PEA) maintain its records and provide to the State information related to parentally placed private elementary and secondary school students covered under §§ 300.130 through 300.144.
Program Area: Special Education
The ADE/ESS Recruitment and Retention team is staffing a recruitment booth at the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) annual convention from March 11–15, 2025, as part of our recruiting efforts on behalf of all Arizona PEAs. Each year, CEC draws thousands of preservice special education students, teachers, and related service providers.
Program Area: Special Education
As part of our ongoing recruitment efforts on behalf of Arizona’s public schools, ADE/ESS compiles and updates a list of education career fairs happening at educator preparation programs across the country.If your school is planning to recruit for special education teachers from out of the state, we hope this list will make that task a bit easier for you. Review the Education Careers Fair Calendar to support your recruitment efforts this spring. The list is also available on the Arizona Education Employment Board website on the “Employer” page under the “Find a University Job Fair” icon.
Program Area: Special Education
Recently, ADE/ESS has received many inquiries regarding special education Early Childhood Transition for children referred from IDEA Part C, Arizona’s Early Intervention Program (AzEIP). The attached Hot Topic is intended to provide guidance to address these responsibilities.
Program Area: Special Education
AzEDS is considered the system of record for the 2020-2021 school year and will close for current year data submissions at 5:00 PM on July 15, 2021. Data for all public education agencies (PEAs) must be complete and accurate in AzEDS for FY 2021. Data found to be inaccurate after the statewide data recalculation is subject to a data correction process (this may also meet the criteria of A.R.S. § 15-915) and must be corrected with the assistance of ADE School Finance personnel. ESS Data Management encourages our customers to strive for complete and accurate AzEDS data entry. Please see below for some helpful tips when submitting your data.
Program Area: Special Education
The ADE/ESS Secondary Transition (ST) Team is excited to launch a variety of webinar sessions for the upcoming 2021-22 fall semester.Transition TuesdaysTransition 101 SeriesGetting Centered on Out-of-the-Box Thinking: Person-Centered Planning for Transition-Aged Students
Program Area: Special Education
Special Education Directors,The ADE/ESS Dispute Resolution (DR) unit recognizes the value of that ensuring collaborative, student-focused IEP teams are equipped to make sound decisions in the development of IEPs. We are pleased to offer professional learning opportunities, free of charge, to PEAs seeking to establish or strengthen a Facilitated IEP culture. Our current presentations emphasize three key components of effective facilitated IEP meetings: knowledge of the IEP process under the IDEA, standardized meeting practices, and the use of meeting management skills that aid in minimizing conflict and maximizing collaboration. As you prepare your professional development calendar for the summer and upcoming school year, our Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist would be happy to make arrangements to work with your team. Submit your Facilitated IEP Training Request soon to secure your preferred date(s)!
Program Area: Special Education
IDEA Conference Logo small
Special Education Directors,The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce the opening of registration for Arizona's 2021 IDEA Virtual Conference, Renewal: Resilience to Results, scheduled for September 13–15, 2021.
Program Area: Special Education
DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT FY23 Statement of Assurances required by all PEAs opens on 4/3/23Under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), the representative body for Special Education for Arizona, Exceptional Student Services, is required to obtain assurances from Public Education Agencies (PEAs) to attest that they are meeting the requirements under state and federal statute for special education in the state of Arizona.It is a requirement for all entities defined as PEAs regardless if they get federal funds or not.All PEAs must submit the IDEA Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the ESS Portal of ADEConnect.The application will open on 4/3/23 and close for submissions on 6/15/23.
Program Area: Special Education
Special Education Stakeholders,Arizona’s 2022 IDEA Conference, Rise Up: Reimagining and Transforming Educational Practices, is only a few months away. We hope to see you September 7–9, 2022 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix.ADE/ESS is excited to announce the conference’s Premier and National Speakers, including Carol Kosnitsky, Dr. Erik Carter, Dr. Phil Strain, and Sarah Ward. Please see the conference flyer to learn more about these speakers, additional national presenters, and other exciting conference events.Registration for the 2022 IDEA Conference is still open.
Program Area: Special Education
The SPED74 – SPED Exit Report is a new report now available in the AzEDS Portal. This post-integrity report will populate students for your PEA who are ages 13 – 22 based on the Calculated Age for Exit. The SPED74 report is to aid in the determination of validating exit data for the ESS Annual Data Collection (ADC). This report will be available for FY21 data and forward only.
Program Area: Special Education
The ADE/ESS Secondary Transition team would like to thank those who participated in the 2020 PSO data collection season. The PSO Survey helps PEAs collect and report information to meet Indicator 14 requirements. Between June 1 and September 30 of this year, PEAs statewide worked hard to reconnect with former students who had IEPs when they exited high school during the 2018–2019 school year. Through their efforts, 6,659 former students responded to the survey for a 78.5% participation rate with 72.5% of respondents engaged in postsecondary education/training or employment. A more detailed view of this year's PSO Survey results will be posted on the PSO Website by October 31, 2020.
Program Area: Special Education
The ADE/ESS Secondary Transition team would like to thank those who participated in the 2021 PSO data collection season. The PSO Survey helps PEAs collect and report information to meet Indicator 14 requirements. Between June 1 and September 30 of this year, PEAs statewide worked hard to reconnect with former students who had IEPs when they exited high school during the 2019–2020 school year. Through their efforts, 6,245 former students responded to the survey, for a 78.7% participation rate with 71.8% of respondents engaged in postsecondary education/training or employment. A more detailed view of this year's PSO Survey results will be posted on the PSO Website by October 31, 2021.
Program Area: Special Education
Special Education Directors,The ADE/ESS Assistive Technology (AT) team is excited to announce the start of the 2022–23 National Presenter Series with Penny Reed, PhD. This workshop is designed for special educators and related service providers.Assistive Technology Consideration and Assessment Made EasyDate: September 20, 2022Time: 8:00 a.m.−3:30 p.m.Fee: $19 (working lunch, lunch will be provided)Where: Pendergast Community CenterAddress: 10550 W Mariposa St, Phoenix, AZ 85037
Program Area: Special Education
The Extraordinary Special Education Needs fund was established through A.R.S.
Program Area: Special Education
Please see the updates from the ESS Program Management Team and share with your Business Manager.
Program Area: Special Education
Special Education Directors,
Program Area: Special Education
Are you interested in learning more about the recent Arizona State Board of Education (SBE) rule change that affects secondary transition services?
Program Area: Special Education
DATA MANAGEMENT ALERTAzEDS Report and Integrity Rules Update
