IEP Service Delivery in Arizona
How are IEP services delivered in Arizona?
Arizona requires that each IEP specify the specific special education and related services to be provided, with the projected start date, frequency, duration, and location of each service individually documented (A.A.C. R7-2-401; 34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)). Service delivery follows the IDEA full continuum of placement options — from full inclusion in the general education setting with supplementary aids and services to special classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals or institutions (A.R.S. § 15-764; 34 CFR 300.115). Arizona's significant charter school sector is particularly relevant: charter schools are classified as public educational agencies under A.R.S. § 15-761 and must comply with all IDEA service delivery requirements in the same manner as school districts (A.R.S. § 15-183(E)(7)). Arizona also has accommodation schools — another type of public educational agency with full IDEA obligations. Service frequency and intensity must be individualized based on the pupil's needs; district-wide policies that cap services by disability category, budget, or administrative preference are impermissible. Extended school year (ESY) services must be provided when the IEP team determines the pupil would experience substantial regression without them; the determination must be based on individual data (34 CFR 300.106; per federal baseline applied in AZ).
What Arizona Requires
Each IEP service must include a projected start date, frequency, duration, and location, documented individually for each service (A.A.C. R7-2-401; 34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)).
Arizona's full continuum of placement options must be available to all public educational agencies, including charter and accommodation schools (A.R.S. § 15-764; 34 CFR 300.115).
Charter schools and accommodation schools are public educational agencies under Arizona law and must deliver special education services in the same manner as school districts — including developing IEPs, providing FAPE, and maintaining the full continuum (A.R.S. § 15-761; A.R.S. § 15-183(E)(7)).
Service decisions must be individualized based on the pupil's needs — budget or scheduling constraints may not override individualized determinations.
ESY services must be provided when the IEP team determines the pupil would experience substantial regression without them; the IEP must document this determination with supporting data (34 CFR 300.106; per federal baseline applied in AZ).
Key Timelines
Services must begin on the projected start date documented in the IEP (34 CFR 300.323(a)).
ESY eligibility determinations should be made before the close of the regular school year to ensure services can begin timely, and are reviewed at least annually.
Service hours and frequency must be reviewed at the annual IEP meeting and adjusted as needed based on progress data (A.A.C. R7-2-401; 34 CFR 300.324(b)).