Arizona Special Education Requirements
What special education requirements does Arizona have beyond federal law?
Arizona's special education system is governed by A.R.S. §§ 15-761 through 15-774 and Arizona Administrative Code A.A.C. R7-2-400 et seq., administered by the Arizona Department of Education Exceptional Student Services (ADE-ESS) division. Key Arizona-specific requirements beyond the federal IDEA baseline include: (1) 'Emotional Disability' terminology instead of 'Emotional Disturbance' (A.R.S. § 15-761); (2) Developmental Delay restricted to ages 3–9 with specific standard deviation criteria (A.R.S. § 15-761); (3) three Intellectual Disability subcategories — Mild, Moderate, and Severe (A.R.S. § 15-761); (4) a distinct 'Preschool Severe Delay' category (A.R.S. § 15-761); (5) IEPs must note dyslexia diagnosis for pupils with specific learning disabilities (A.R.S. § 15-763(B)); (6) all parental rights transfer to the student at age 18 via A.R.S. § 15-773 with a voluntary delegation option via notarized document; (7) charter schools and accommodation schools are 'public educational agencies' fully obligated under IDEA (A.R.S. § 15-761; A.R.S. § 15-183(E)(7)) — Arizona has the highest per-capita charter school enrollment of any U.S. state, making this particularly significant; and (8) the 60-day evaluation timeline is confirmed by Arizona statute (A.R.S. § 15-766(B)) rather than relying solely on the federal default. ADE-ESS publishes the Arizona Accommodation Resource Manual (ARM) and provides IEP guidance. Due process hearings are conducted by the independent Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) under contract.
What Arizona Requires
Arizona IEPs must note whether a pupil with a specific learning disability has been diagnosed with dyslexia — this exceeds the federal IDEA baseline (A.R.S. § 15-763(B)).
Arizona uses 'Emotional Disability' — not the federal 'Emotional Disturbance' — in all eligibility determinations and IEP documentation (A.R.S. § 15-761).
Arizona's Developmental Delay category is restricted to ages 3–9 (under 10); Preschool Severe Delay is a separate AZ-specific category for ages 3 through kindergarten entry (A.R.S. § 15-761).
Charter schools and accommodation schools are 'public educational agencies' in Arizona and bear full IDEA compliance obligations, including FAPE, IEP development, and the full continuum of placements (A.R.S. § 15-761; A.R.S. § 15-183(E)(7)).
All parental educational rights transfer to the student at age 18; students 18–21 may voluntarily delegate rights back to a parent via notarized document (A.R.S. § 15-773).
FAPE is available for eligible students through the end of the school year in which the student turns 22, unless the student graduates with a regular diploma earlier (A.R.S. § 15-764(B)).
Key Timelines
Initial evaluation: completed within 60 calendar days of parental consent (A.R.S. § 15-766(B); A.A.C. R7-2-401(C)(1)).
Parental rights transfer: at age 18 (A.R.S. § 15-773(A)).
FAPE age range: 3 through end of school year in which student turns 22 (A.R.S. § 15-764(B)).