What Indicator 17 is

Indicator 17 is the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP).

The SSIP is a three-year process that helps to support Arizona districts and charters with:

• Activities that improve evidence-based practices
• Systemic improvement within the learning community
• Early literacy development
• Positive outcomes for students with disabilities

Through stakeholder feedback and data analysis, the SSIP undergoes continuous improvement to ensure that SSIP activities help support student outcomes.

Arizona’s State-Identified Measurable Result (SiMR)

Stakeholders in each state collaborate to choose a focus area that has the potential to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. This focus area is called the State-Identified Measurable Result (SiMR).

To align with Move On When Reading (MOWR) legislation and the focus on early literacy proficiency, Arizona stakeholders have chosen literacy proficiency on Arizona’s Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) in grade 3 as the SSIP SiMR.

Data for Indicator 17

After school closures at the end of the 2019–2020 school year, the proficiency changes for the SSIP SiMR:

While each SiMR shows data for only grade 3 students, those students were in grade levels of more formative literacy development, from when the 2020 school closures occurred:

What Arizona’s Data Means for Students and Families

The data shows not only how important it is to support students with evidence-based classroom practices and learning community systems but also how important it is for students to have a consistent structure of support during early literacy development.

Because every student’s academic development was negatively affected by COVID-19 to a degree, it is important for families to be involved in knowing to what degree this impact is the case for their student. It is important for learning communities and families to work together to monitor indicators of early literacy development and to support each other with goals and plans that provide the necessary developmental support.

Additional Resources

Arizona’s SSIP web page

Arizona's Program Support and Monitoring web page

Arizona's Exceptional Student Services web page

The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy): Stakeholder Knowledge and the SSIP

The National Center for Systemic Improvement

Questions or comments can be emailed to the SSIP Coordinator, Shaun Stevenson.

What Indicator 16 Is

Indicator 16 measures the percentage of problems that are solved through mediation. If a parent has an issue regarding special education, for example, the parent and school may have a mediator (an unbiased third party) assist in coming up with an agreement.

Why Indicator 16 Is Important

Mediation is an informal, collaborative problem-solving process that encourages mutual respect, promotes communication, and often provides the basis for positive working relationships between parents and school staff.

How Indicator 16 Is Measured

Indicator 16 is the percentage of mediations that resulted in mediation agreements.

Data for Indicator 16

More Information

Arizona's Mediation web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.    

What Indicator 15 Is

Indicator 15 measures the percent of problems that are solved through resolution sessions. If a parent has an issue regarding special education services, for example, the parent and school may have a resolution session wherein they meet and try to come to an agreement..

Why Indicator 15 Is Important

The goal of the resolution session is to attempt to resolve the dispute that triggered the hearing request without the need for litigation.

How Indicator 15 Is Measured

Indicator 15 measures the percentage of hearing requests that are resolved through resolution session settlement agreements.

Data for Indicator 15

More Information

Arizona's Dispute Resolution web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.    

What Indicator 14 Is

Indicator 14 reports whether our students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are in school, have a job, or in some type of training one year after they leave high school by graduating, aging out at age 22, or dropping out.

Why Indicator 14 Is Important

Indicator 14 tells us about the lives of our students with IEPs one year after they have left high school. It is one way to help us understand whether students' education prepared them for adult life.

How Indicator 14 Is Measured

Students who exited high school are contacted one year after exiting high school. They are given a 14-question survey designed to capture student engagement in postsecondary education/training or employment.

Data for Indicator 14

More Information

Arizona's Post School Outcomes web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

What Indicator 13 Is

Indicator 13 checks whether Arizona students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), at the end of 9th grade or age 16, whichever is first or earlier, as determined necessary by the student’s IEP team. (A.A.C. R7-2-401(G)(4)(A))  receive secondary transition planning and services that comply with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Why Indicator 13 Is Important

Indicator 13 has components that can be a bridge from school programs to the opportunities of adult life, including higher education/training, employment, and independent living. This indicator checks to make sure certain critical pieces are part of the transition plan. 

How Indicator 13 is measured

Data is collected from Arizona’s monitoring system and is based upon a file review of a sample of files from PEAs in year 4 of their monitoring cycle.

Data for Indicator 13

More Information

Arizona's Secondary Transition web page

Arizona's rule change on secondary transition (began October 21, 2024)

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

What Indicator 12 Is

Indicator 12 measures the percentage of children referred from Early Intervention who are found eligible for special education services and who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) implemented on their third birthday.

Why Indicator 12 Is Important

This indicator ensures that children are evaluated in a timely way so that those determined to be eligible begin receiving needed services and supports at age three. 

How Indicator 12 Is Measured

Schools annually report the percentage of children who were receiving Arizona Early Intervention Services (AzEIP) and were determined to be eligible for preschool special education services. 

Data for Indicator 12

More Information

Arizona's Early Childhood Special Education web page

Arizona's Transition from Early Intervention Services web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

What Indicator 11 is

Indicator 11 collects data to determine whether students receive initial evaluations and whether eligibility for special education is determined within the Arizona timeline of 60 days.

Why Indicator 11 is important

It is the Public Education Agency's (PEA) responsibility to have a student evaluated within 60 days of receiving informed written consent from the parent. This indicator ensures that PEAs are working in a timely manner. 

How Indicator 11 is measured

Data is collected from Arizona’s monitoring system and is based upon a review of a sample of files from PEAs in year 4 of their monitoring cycle.

Data for Indicator 11

More Information

Arizona's Program Support and Monitoring web page

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

What Indicator 10 is

Indicator 10 looks at different racial/ethnic categories in a Public Education Agency (PEA). Within each category, Indicator 9 will then compare the disability category of students.

Why Indicator 10 is important

Indicator 10 ensures that PEAs have appropriate policies, procedures, and practices regarding the identification of students with disabilities.

How Indicator 10 is measured

Indicator 10 measures the percentage of students from specific racial/ethnic groups in a Public Education Agency (PEA) and who have a specific disability. That percentage is then compared to the State rate for children with IEPs from the same racial/ethnic group and disability category. If the PEA has a rate of identification three times or higher than the state rate for three consecutive years, the PEA is flagged for a review. The State then conducts a review of the PEA's policies, procedures, and practices to see if the disproportionate representation is due to result of inappropriate identification.

Data for Indicator 10

For Indicator 10, there were no PEAs in SY 22–23 that were also identified in SY 21–22 and SY 20–21; therefore, the data for indicator 10 is 0%.

More Information

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

What Indicator 9 is

Indicator 9 compares the races/ethnicities of students with disabilities to the races/ethnicities of students without disabilities in a Public Education Agency (PEA).

Why Indicator 9 is important

Indicator 9 ensures that PEAs have appropriate policies, procedures, and practices regarding the identification of students with disabilities.

How Indicator 9 is measured

Indicator 9 measures the percentage of students in a Public Education Agency (PEA), from a specific racial/ethnic groups, who have an IEP. That percentage is then compared to State rate for children with IEPs from the same racial/ethnic group. If the PEA has a rate of identification three times or higher than the state rate for three consecutive years, the PEA is flagged for a review. The State then conducts a review of the PEA's policies, procedures, and practices to see if the disproportionate representation is due to result of inappropriate identification.

Data for Indicator 9

For indicator 9, there were no PEAs in SY22-23 that were also identified in SY 21-22 and SY 20-21, therefore the data for indicator 9 is 0%.

More Information

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.

What Indicator 8 Is

Indicator 8 reports the percentage of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities.

Why Indicator 8 Is Important

Indicator 8 is a survey that provides Public Education Agencies (PEA) an opportunity to hear from parents. By means of the survey, PEAs can see if parents of children who receive special education services think that schools involve parents in a way that improves services and results for children with disabilities.

How Indicator 8 Is Measured

The survey is given to parents to complete each year. The survey answers are used to find the agreement rate for Indicator 8.

Data for Indicator 8

More Information

Arizona's Parent Involvement Survey information for families

Arizona's Parent Involvement Survey information for schools

Questions or comments can be emailed to the ESS Operations inbox.