2018 SPP/APR and State Determination Letters PART C – Arizona
OSEP Response to SPP/APR
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OSEP Response to SPP/APR
400 MARYLAND AVE. S.W., WASHINGTON DC 20202 -2600
www.ed.gov
The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by
fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal ac cess.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES
June 26, 2018
Honorable Michael Trailor
Director Arizona Department of Economic Security
1717 West Jefferson Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Dear Director Trailor :
I am writing to advise you of the U.S. Department of Education's (Department) 2018
determination under sections 616 and 642 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA ). The Department has determined that Arizona needs assistance in meeting th e
requirements of Part C of the IDEA . This determination is based on the totality of the State’s data
and information, including the Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2016 State Performance Plan/Annual
Performance Report (SPP/APR), other State -reported data, and o ther publicly available
information.
Your State’s 2018 determination is based on the data reflected in the State’s “2018 Part C
Results -Driven Accountability Matrix” (RDA Matrix). The RDA Matrix is individualized for
each State and consists of:
(1) a Complian ce Matrix that includes scoring on Compliance Indicators and other
compliance factors;
(2) Results Components and Appendices that include scoring on Results Elements;
(3) a Compliance Score and a Results Score;
(4) an RDA Percentage based on both the Compliance Scor e and the Results Score; and
(5) the State’s Determination.
The RDA Matrix is further explained in a document, entitled “How the Department Made
Determinations under Sections 616(d) and 642 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
in 2018: Part C” ( HTDMD).
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is continuing to use both results data and
compliance data in making determinations in 2018, as it did for Part C determinations in 2015,
2016 and 2017. (The specifics of the determination procedures and criteria are set forth in the
HTDMD and reflected in the RDA Matrix for your State.) For 2018, the Department’s IDEA Part
C determinations continue to include consideration of each State’s Child Outcomes data, which
measures how children who receive ID EA Part C services are improving functioning in three
outcome areas that are critical to school readiness:
Positive social -emotional skills;
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acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication);
and
use of appropriate beh aviors to meet their needs .
Specifically, the Department considered the data quality and the child performance levels in each
State’s Child Outcomes FFY 2016 data .
You may access the results of OSEP’s review of your State’s SPP/APR and other relevant data
by accessing the SPP/APR module using your State -specific log -on information at
osep.grads360.org. When you access your State’s SPP/APR on the site, you will find, in
Indicators 1 through 10, the OSEP Response to the indicator and any actions that the State is
required to take. The actions that the State is required to take are in two places:
(1) actions related to the correction of findings of noncompliance are in the “OSEP
Response” section of the indicator; and
(2) any other actions that the State is required to take are in the “Required Actions” section of
the indicator.
It is important for you to review the Introduction to the SPP/APR, which may also include
language i n the “OSEP Response” and/or “Required Actions” sections.
You will also find all of the following important documents saved as attachments to the Progress
Page:
(1) the State’s RDA Matrix;
(2) the HTDMD document;
(3) a spreadsheet entitled “2018 Data Rubric Part C ,” which shows how OSEP calculated the
State’s “Timely and Accurate State -Reported Data” score in the Compliance Matrix; and
(4) a document entitled “Dispute Resolution 2016 -17,” which includes the IDEA section
618 data that OSEP used to calculate the State’s “Timely State Complaint Decisions” and
“Timely Due Process Hearing Decisions” scores in the Compliance Matrix.
As noted above, the State’s 2018 determination is Needs Assistance. A State’s 2018 RDA
Determination is Needs Assistance if the RDA Percentage i s at least 60% but less than 80%. A
State would also be Needs Assistance if its RDA Determination percentage is 80% or above, but
the Department has imposed Special Conditions on the State’s last three IDEA Part C grant
awards (for FFYs 2015, 2016, and 2017), and those Special Conditions are in effect at the time
of the 2018 determination.
The State’s determination for 2017 was also Needs Assistance. In accordance with section
616(e)(1) of the IDEA and 34 C. F.R. §303.704(a), if a State is determined to need assistance for
two consecutive years, the Secretary must take one or more of the following actions:
(1) advise the State of available sources of technical assistance that may help the State
address the areas in which the State needs assistance and require the State to work with
appropriate entities;
(2) direct the use of State -level funds on the area or areas in which the State needs assistance;
or
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(3) identify the State as a high -risk grantee and impose Special Con ditions on the State’s
IDEA Part C grant award.
Pursuant to these requirements, the Secretary is advising the State of available sources of
technical assistance, including OSEP -funded technical assistance centers and resources at the
following website: https://osep.grads360.org/#program/highlighted -resources , and requiring the
State to work with appropriate entities. In addition, the State s hould consider accessing technical
assistance from other Department -funded centers such as the Comprehensive Centers with
resources at the following link: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/newccp/index.html . The Secretary
directs the State to determine the results elements and/or compliance indicators, and
improvement strategies, on which it will focus its use of available technical assistance, in order
to impro ve its performance. We strongly encourage the State to access technical assistance
related to those results elements and compliance indicators for which the State received a score
of zero. Your State must report with its FFY 2017 SPP/APR submission, due Fe bruary 1, 2019,
on:
(1) the technical assistance sources from which the State received assistance; and
(2) the actions the State took as a result of that technical assistance.
As required by IDEA section 616(e)(7) and 34 CFR §303.706, your State must notify the public
that the Secretary of Education has taken the above enforcement action, including, at a
minimum, by posting a public notice on its website and distributing the notice to the media and
to EIS programs.
States were required to submit Phase III Year Tw o of the State Systemic Improvement Plan
(SSIP) by April 2, 2018. OSEP appreciates the State’s ongoing work on its SSIP and its efforts to
improve results for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. We have carefully
reviewed your submis sion and will provide feedback in the upcoming weeks. Additionally,
OSEP will continue to work with your State as it implements the third year of Phase III of the
SSIP, which is due on April 1, 2019.
As a reminder, your State must report annually to the pu blic, by posting on the State lead
agency’s website, on the performance of each early intervention service (EIS) program located in
the State on the targets in the SPP/APR as soon as practicable, but no later than 120 days after
the State’s submission of i ts FFY 2016 SPP/APR. In addition, your State must:
(1) review EIS program performance against targets in the State’s SPP/APR;
(2) determine if each EIS program “meets the requirements” of Part C, or “needs assistance,”
“needs intervention,” or “needs substantial intervention” in implementing Part C of the
IDEA ;
(3) take appropriate enforcement action; and
(4) inform each EIS program of its determination.
Further, your State must make its SPP/APR available to the public by posting it on the State lead
agency’s website. Within the next several days, OSEP will be finalizing a State Profile that:
(1) will be accessible to the public;
(2) includes the State’s determination letter and SPP/APR, and all related State and OSEP
attachments; and
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(3)
can be accessed via a URL unique to your State, which you can use to make your
SPP/APR available to the public. We will provide you with the unique URL when it is
live.
OSEP appreciates the State’s efforts to improve results for infants and toddlers with disabilities
and their families and looks forward to working with your State over the next year as we
continue our important work of improving the lives of children with disabilities and their
families. Please contact your OSEP State Lead if you have any questions, would like to discuss
this further, or want to request technical assistance.
Sincerely,
Ruth E. Ryder Acting Director
Office of Special Education Programs
cc: State Part C Coordinator
(Grant Year 2016–2017—Issued June 26, 2018)
Some historical APRs can be found on the GRADS360 website Public Domain Clearinghouse for APRs. To find available APRs, filter by the state you want to find and then filter by the year. If you cannot find the APR you are looking for, contact the Partner Support Center at EDEN-Submission-System@ed.gov.
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Last modified on July 17, 2018