IEP Progress Monitoring in Arizona
How often should you receive IEP progress reports in Arizona?
Arizona law requires that parents of pupils with disabilities be notified of the progress their child is making toward meeting annual IEP goals as specified in the IEP (A.R.S. § 15-767). The IEP must describe how progress toward each annual goal will be measured and when periodic progress reports will be provided to parents (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3); A.A.C. R7-2-401). Progress reports must be provided to parents at least as frequently as report cards are issued to nondisabled pupils — typically quarterly. If a pupil is not making sufficient progress toward annual goals during the school year, the IEP team must be notified and must address this through IEP revision, which may include revising goals, adjusting service levels, or adding supports (34 CFR 300.324(b)(1)(i)). Progress data collected under the IEP also informs reevaluation decisions and determines whether the pupil continues to require special education. For pupils taking the MSAA alternate assessment, progress is measured against alternate achievement standards aligned to grade-level academic content standards. ADE-ESS provides guidance on evidence-based progress monitoring tools and data collection practices.
What Arizona Requires
The IEP must specify how progress toward each annual goal will be measured (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)(i); A.A.C. R7-2-401).
The IEP must specify when periodic progress reports will be provided to parents — at least as frequently as report cards for nondisabled peers (A.R.S. § 15-767; 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)(ii)).
If a pupil is not making adequate progress toward annual goals, the IEP team must revise the IEP to address the lack of progress; parents must be informed of this (34 CFR 300.324(b)(1)(i)).
All data collection methods and reporting timelines must be specified in the IEP itself, not determined informally after the meeting.
For MSAA pupils, progress must be measured against alternate achievement standards aligned to grade-level content (per federal baseline applied in AZ).
Key Timelines
Progress reports must be provided to parents at least as often as nondisabled pupils receive report cards, typically quarterly (A.R.S. § 15-767; 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)(ii)).
IEP goals and progress measurement methods must be reviewed at least annually (A.A.C. R7-2-401; 34 CFR 300.324(b)).
Reevaluation, which includes a comprehensive review of progress data, must occur at least every three years (A.R.S. § 15-766; 34 CFR 300.303(b)(2)).