About ESS

ESS ensures that public education agencies in Arizona have special education programs, policies, and procedures that comply with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its implementing regulations, and that eligible children and youth with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). ESS provides professional learning opportunities, provides technical assistance to schools, supports the needs of families of students with disabilities, monitors schools for compliance with the regulations that implement the IDEA, and administers the IDEA Entitlement grant.

Program Support & Monitoring

Secure Care

Professional Learning & Sustainability

Professional Learning/Staff Development
Recruitment & Retention

Operations

Data Management
Program Management - Approved Private Day, ED-P, Program Management, Vouchers

Special Projects

Accessible Education Materials (AEM)
Assistive Technology (AT)
Post School Outcomes Survey (PSO)
Secondary Transition
Special Populations
- Low Incidence Disabilities
- Family Engagement
  - AZ FIND/Child Find Families /Schools
  - Parent Involvement Survey: Families / Schools

Early Childhood Special Education

Site Index/ESS Resources

From the Exceptional Student Services Blog

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: FY24 Statement of Assurances required by all PEAs opens on 4/3/23 Mon, Mar 20 2023 Data Management, Updates

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

FY23 Statement of Assurances required by all PEAs opens on 4/3/23

Under 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 Mon, Mar 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.