Exceptional Student Services

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specialeducation

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ESS Reception Desk

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(602) 542-4013

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[email protected]

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Public Comment

INTERNAL PD INFO: Registration for Teach Camp is now open!

March 30, 2023

Professional Learning and Sustainability

Updates

Special Education Administrators, The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that registration for Teach Camp is now open! Teach Camp is a year-long support system that includes professional learning specifically designed for beginning special educators. The goal of Teach Camp is to increase retention of special educators by providing our newest special education teachers with the tools they need to survive and thrive during their first years in the classroom.

Federal Fiscal Year 2025 IDEA Part B State Application

PUBLIC NOTICE INFO: Notice of Public Comment Period for FFY 2025 IDEA Part B State Application

Federal Fiscal Year 2025 IDEA Part B State Application

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) will soon apply for federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. This application document serves as the basis for the operation and administration of activities to carry out the requirements of Part B of the IDEA. As part of the public participation process set forth in the IDEA Part B regulations at 34 CFR § 300.165 and in section 441(b)(7) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) ((20 U.S.C. 1232d(b)(7)), the State must publish its Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 IDEA Part B Application and allow public comment.

The application document sets forth policies and procedures that Arizona will undertake:

1) to ensure that all eligible children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that includes special education and related services to meet their unique needs

2) to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected

3) to assist public education agencies in providing for the education of all children with disabilities

4) to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate those children

Note: Arizona has not yet received the Allocation Tables for FFY 2025 grant funds from the US Department of Education. Thus, the FFY 2024 Interactive Spreadsheet has been included until the FFY 2025 allocation amount is received. Upon receipt of the FFY 2025 allocation information, ADE/ESS will remove and replace the FFY 2024 Interactive Spreadsheet with an updated FFY 2025 document.

Notice of Public Comment Period

Any individual or organization may submit written comments. Written comments shall be accepted through April 10, 2025. The 30-day public comment period for the FFY 2025 IDEA Part B Application will be open from March 11, 2025, through April 10, 2025. The State will review and consider all public comments and make any necessary modifications to the application as appropriate.

Special education stakeholders may submit comments in writing beginning March 11, 2025, using the following methods:

Submit electronically via the ADE/ESS Public Comment webpage

Submit electronically to Exceptional Student Services via email

Submit handwritten comments directly to Exceptional Student Services via the USPS to Arizona Department of Education, 1535 West Jefferson St. Bin #24, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

Page revised 3/11/2025

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: FY24 Statement of Assurances required by all PEAs opens on 4/3/23

March 20, 2023

Data Management

Updates

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.

INTERNAL PD INFO: Multi-Tier Behavior Supports (MTBS) Year 1

March 20, 2023

Professional Learning and Sustainability

Updates

Special Education Directors: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, then you might find the solution in Multi-Tier Behavior Supports.

INTERNAL PD OPPORTUNITY: Expanding Expression Training (EET) for SLPs, SLTs and SLPAs

March 20, 2023

Professional Learning and Sustainability

Updates

Greetings,The ADE/ESS is pleased to announce the 2023 Seminar for School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists: Expanding Expression Training: A Multi-Sensory Approach for Improved Writing, Oral Expression, and Comprehension Across the Curriculum with Sara L. Smith, MS, CCC-SLP (and founder of EET). The intended audience for this seminar is Speech-Language Pathologists, Speech-Language Technicians, and Speech-Language Pathology Assistants.

INTERNAL PD INFO: Nominate Outstanding Individuals for Arizona’s Secondary Transition Services Awards

March 13, 2023

Updates

Transition News

Special Education Stakeholders,Nominations are now being accepted for this year’s Arizona Secondary Transition Services Awards!On behalf of the Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services, and other partnering agencies, you are invited to submit your nominations for this year's Secondary Transition Services Awards, which will be presented at Arizona's 2023 IDEA Conference.

Nominate Outstanding Individuals for Arizona’s Secondary Transition Services Awards

March 10, 2023

IDEA Conference

On behalf of the Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services, and other partnering agencies, you are invited to submit your nominations for this year's Secondary Transition Services Awards, which will be presented at Arizona's 2023 IDEA Conference.

Reminder: Deadline is March 22 for 2023 IDEA Conference Call for Proposals

March 10, 2023

IDEA Conference

ADE/ESS is requesting proposals that represent your creative and research-based work. Session proposals are due Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

INTERNAL PD INFO: Reminder: Deadline is March 22 for 2023 IDEA Conference Call for Proposals

March 8, 2023

Updates

Special Education Stakeholders,Arizona’s 2023 IDEA Conference: Creating Connections and Strengthening Systems, will be held in person from August 21–23, 2023 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix.ADE/ESS is requesting proposals that represent your creative and research-based work. The conference will feature numerous professional learning opportunities, including IDEA legal issues, instructional practices, national trends and hot topics, special education compliance, preschool and secondary transition, and content for related service providers.

ASSESSMENT INFO: 2023 ADE Accommodations Survey Now Available!

March 7, 2023

Updates

Special Education Directors,It has been two years since ADE conducted the 2021 Instructional Accommodations Survey, a biennial inquiry that has informed ADE of accommodation trends since 2015. The information collected from the survey assists in planning presentations and training for the field. We invite you and other personnel, including both general and special educators, related service providers, as well as support staff, who provide instruction for students with disabilities to take a few minutes to respond to this year’s survey.

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