Legal Guidelines

ADA Requirements: Testing Accommodations
This guidance document discusses the obligation of testing entities, both private and public, to ensure that the test scores of individuals with disabilities accurately reflect the individual's aptitude, achievement, or the skill that the exam purports to measure, rather than his or her disability.
Publication Date: 2015
Publisher: U.S. Department of Justice

A History of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
This landmark law’s name changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, in a 1990 reauthorization. The law was last reauthorized in 2004, and the department has periodically issued new or revised regulations to address the implementation and interpretation of the IDEA.
Publication Date: March 2022
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education

A Place to Start: Understanding the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Statement
As a foundation for higher achievement and IEP goals, the IEP team will identify the child’s current levels of learning or performance and the effect or impact of the child’s disability on learning.
Publication Date: 2018
Publisher: PACER Center

Evaluation Process
This AZ-TAS document provides a step-by-step guide to decision making and procedures for use throughout the evaluation process, including reviewing existing data, determining the need for additional data, obtaining parent consent, conducting any needed assessments, and determining eligibility.
Publication Date: July 2019
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education

Frequently Asked Questions about Graduation of Students with Disabilities in Arizona’s Schools
This document serves as technical assistance for special education stakeholders and is written in question and answer format. It will outline what it means to graduate from high school in Arizona.
Publication Date: January 2020
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education

Frequently Asked Questions about Prior Written Notice
This AZ-TAS document provides school personnel and parents with information, clarification, and guidance relating to using the Prior Written Notice (PWN). It outlines when and how the PWN must be provided and how the PWN fits into the overall special education process and suggests general tips to aid in writing effective, compliant PWNs.
Publication Date: May 2020
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education

Guide Steps
These guide steps contain the major elements that constitute the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities. The instructions include all the compliance items within the Arizona monitoring system.
Publication Date: May 2021
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education

How Can We Ensure IEP Teams Provide the Most Intensive Supports?
This resource provides information about how data-based individualization can support IEP implementation and provides a table with key considerations for teams working across the MTSS system.
Authors: Steve Goodman and Teri Marx
Publication Date: July 2018
Publisher: American Institutes for Research

IDEA Statute Part A
Part A outlines IDEA’s general provisions, including the purpose of IDEA and the definitions used throughout the statute.
Last Modified: November 2019
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education

IDEA Statute Part B
Part B includes provisions related to formula grants that assist states in providing a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for children with disabilities ages three through 21.
Last Modified: November 2019
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education

IDEA Statute Part C
Part C includes provisions related to formula grants that assist states in providing early intervention services for infants and toddlers birth through age two and their families.
Last Modified: November 2019
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education

IDEA Statute Part D
Part D includes provisions related to discretionary grants to support state personnel development, technical assistance and dissemination, technology, and parent-training and information centers.
Last Modified: November 2019
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education

Laws, Regulations, and Guidance
This webpage offers information regarding IDEA Statutes, Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 504 Regulations, Office of Special Education Programs, Office for Civil Rights and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Publication Date: March 2022
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education

Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
To facilitate efforts to eliminate discrimination against students with disabilities, OCR offers this resource guide to provide answers to questions that OCR has received and increase understanding among parents and members of the school community of the Federal civil rights laws that protect students with disabilities in public schools, and in particular, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Publication Date: December 2016
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

Process for Developing Individualized Education Programs
This AZ-TAS document provides administrators, teachers, students, parents, and other IEP team members with practical information about the development and implementation of an IEP that meets the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Arizona Revised Statutes, and the Arizona State Board of Education rules.
Publication Date: August 2017
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education

Protecting Students with Disabilities
Section 504 regulations require a school district to provide a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district's jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. This resource document clarifies pertinent requirements of Section 504.
Publication Date: January 2020
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document
To support schools in fulfilling that responsibility, the U.S. Department of Education developed this document that describes 15 principles for States, school districts, schools, parents, and other stakeholders to consider when developing or revising policies and procedures on the use of restraint and seclusion.
Publication Date: May 2012
Publisher: U.S. Department of Education

The Special Education Handbook: A Brief Overview of the History and Requirements of Part B of the IDEA
This handbook provides an explanation of federal and state special education requirements in a readable and accessible format that includes relevant citations.
Authors: Kacey Gregson and Shannon Chavez
Publication Date: January 2018
Publisher: Arizona Department of Education