Updates

The ADE/ESS Recruitment and Retention team is staffing a recruitment booth at the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) annual convention this week 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. 

The Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services, is thrilled to share exciting opportunities for conference attendees during Arizona's 2024 IDEA Conference: Expect, Engage, Achieve. Nominate someone today for their tremendous contributions to secondary transition services or share the artistic talents of students in person September 4–6, 2024, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona. 

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, you might find the solution in Multi-Tier Behavior Supports.

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.

All school districts, charter schools, secure care facilities, and the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) are required to annually administer the State Performance Plan Indicator 8 Parent Involvement Survey to parents of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The survey will open on March 1 via ADEConnect Data Surveys.

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team is happy to announce an upcoming October 1 Data Collection—Phase III: Non-Reconciliation training. Phase III is only for the PEAs that could not match the number of SPED students submitted in Phase I with the number of SPED students in AzEDS during Phase II. PEAs will receive an email if they qualify for Phase III on March 4, 2024.

Pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 618, Public Education Agencies (PEAs) must report discipline information. The Arizona Department of Education requires that PEAs submit student discipline information to Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS). Specifically, PEAs must submit discipline data that resulted in the removal of the student with a disability from their regular educational environment into AzEDS through their Student Information System (SIS).

Please review the attached memo for more information and let us know if you have any questions.

The Center for Technical Assistance in Excellence for Special Education (TAESE), in partnership with ADE/ESS, is pleased to offer Saturday Mornings with the NRCP for free to all paraeducators, teachers, and administrators working in Arizona public education agencies.

Please see the following information regarding free professional learning for special education staff, K-12 leadership and educators, and adult education.

For the Arizona Department of Education to comply with state and federal reporting guidelines, school districts and charters must accurately report student enrollment and attendance at the physical school site where the student is being educated.