Educator and School Excellence Updates 2020

Educator and School Excellence Updates

Staff Changes

Steve Larson has transitioned to a new role and is no longer in the Educator and School Excellence Section. He has become the Director of Recruitment and Retention, a new program area created by the Superintendent to decrease the number of educator vacancies across the state. James Scott has replaced Steve as a Director in Educator and School Excellence. James has been in education for 19 years and has been a teacher, principal, and district administrator. He was hired as an Education Program Specialist in July of 2019 and assumed the role of Director this past November.

ESSA Conference

The ESSA Conference is quickly approaching and will take place from February 19th to February 21st at the WeKoPa Resort in Scottsdale. The planning committee has brought together a wide array of content experts to provide engaging professional learning opportunities for all. For more information, please visit the ESSA Conference Website. Registration is available through the Events Management System (EMS) on ADE Connect. We hope to see you there!

Exemplary Schools

The 2019 Arizona Exemplary Title I Schools have been selected and will receive their award at the ESSA Conference. This recognition program is based on the six principles of effective schools and honors schools that have demonstrated innovation and outstanding results. To be selected to receive the award, schools must display outstanding achievement in one of the six principles as demonstrated by information provided in an application and verified by an on-site visitation. The Committee of Practitioner’s Sub-Committee received 58 applications and recommended four schools to receive this prestigious honor. There were no awardees selected for principles 1, 3, or 6. The 2019 Arizona Exemplary Title I Schools are as follows:

Principle 2: Effective Teachers and Instruction

Roadrunner Elementary - Washington Elementary School District Laveen Elementary - Laveen Elementary School District

Principle 4: Effective Curriculum

Shumway Leadership Academy - Chandler Unified School District

Principle 5: Conditions, Climate, and Culture

Holladay Magnet Elementary School - Tucson Unified School District

Census Data

Correspondence regarding census data that will be used to calculate Arizona’s FY21 Title I-A allocations was sent to district superintendents on December 17, 2019. This information does not pertain to charter schools. The U.S. Department of Education is requesting districts to verify the accuracy of the boundary survey data and voice questions or concerns directly to the Census Bureau before March 11, 2020. Please click here to view this correspondence.

Planning Tool

ADE is pleased to announce a 'new' location for the FY 21 CNA/ School Integrated Action Plan and LEA Integrated Action Plan from ALEAT to GME: Planning Tool. The Grants Management System will house the new Planning Tool for Schools and LEAs. The GME Planning Tool has been well received during regional trainings that have been occurring since December, 2019. If you have not attended a trainer of training session, please check out EMS and sign up soon! LEAs will learn how to navigate the Planning Tool sections: School/LEA Planning Team; School Comprehensive Needs Assessment (Principles 1-6 and Final Summary) and School/LEA Integrated Action Plan: Principles, Strategies and Action Steps.

The Planning Tool Team has developed a website called the Planning Tool Navigator. This website has sections of the Planning Tool with Guidance Resources, Webinars and Functionality Micro Trainings. Please click on the hyperlink to view this new resource: Planning Tool Navigator

FY21 Grant Timeline

ADE will continue with the timeline established two years ago for the ESEA Consolidated. FY21 Preliminary allocations will be posted March 1, 2020. ESEA Consolidated Grants should be submitted no later than May 1, 2020. If your grant is submitted by this date, program specialists will have ample time to review the submission for substantial approval prior to July 1, 2020 which will allow your LEA to begin obligating funds on July 1st. Remember, substantial approval means your LEA’s GSA has been accepted by Grants Management, assurances are completed correctly for each grant, and the application contains a viable budget. LEAs cannot begin drawing down funds until the grant is Director Approved.

Cycle 4 On-site Programmatic Monitoring

Educator and School Excellence has revised Cycle 4 On-site Monitoring and will be piloting the instrument with LEAs who are currently in Cycle 4. All fiscal components have been removed, and the site visit will focus on discussion of achievement data, needs assessments, program planning, monitoring effectiveness of school programs, professional development, etc. Title I-A, Title II-A, and Title IV-A programs operating within the LEA will be reviewed. Program Specialists will be contacting LEAs within the next couple of weeks to schedule a one-day visit and send you a draft of the monitoring tool that will be used. Unless specifically requested, no documentation will need to be uploaded or sent to your assigned specialist prior to the on-site monitoring.

Title IV Symposium

Educator & School Excellence Title IV-A Program invites you to submit workshop proposals for our 2020 Title IV-A Symposium: Reimagine Education!

Audience: Enrichment Educators, support staff, and the administrators who support them When: July 15th and 16th Where: Coconino Community College, Flagstaff

Workshop Proposals are DUE by February 28th.

Arizona Arts Education Data & Advocacy

According to a new report on access to arts education in Arizona, public and charter schools during the 2017-2018 school year, access increased by 4% to 88% since the last published report. Over 130,000 students are estimated to remain without access to arts education.

Review how your county, district, and school compare with others. Please note new features including Trends Over Time, Select-A-School, and expanded student subgroup reporting. The Arizona Arts Education Data Explorer is linked to our ADE State Report Card.

Download the Full Executive Summary, One Page Highlights, or explore the Online Interactive Dashboard to learn more about who has access and who enrolls in arts education courses in Arizona Schools.

Arizona National Highlight

We are proud to share important steps ADE and our partners have taken to address equity gaps n Arts Education. The National Association of State Boards of Education featured Arizona in their latest publication. The article, "Advancing Arts Education in Arizona" showcases our Title IV-A and Title I-A teams, the Arizona Arts Education Proficiency Seal, and more!

For questions about the Arts Ed Dashboard, the Arts Seal, or how your LEA can leverage Title IV-A to support the arts education, please contact Title IV-A Arts Education.

Get Set for STEM Scholarship

Are you aware there is a scholarship available to current, certified, contracted teachers in Arizona who want to add an approved area or endorsement in science, technology, engineering or math to their certificate or earn a CTE certificate? The “Get Set for STEM” scholarship provides $2,000 for teachers who meet the following qualifications:

• Pursue coursework at an accredited Arizona Post-Secondary Institution (ASU, NAU, UA, GCU, Community College, etc.)
• Use the courses to add additional credentials and/or certifications in STEM or Career & Technical Education
• Agree to teach in an Arizona public school for 3 years after completing the coursework or program

For more information ir to apply for the scholarship, please visit our website: https://www.azed.gov/titlei/pd-pilot-program

If you have questions, please email [email protected]