Special Education

Accessible Educational Materials

What Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) are

Public education agencies (PEAs) are required by state and federal statute to provide accessible instructional materials in a timely manner to students with print disabilities. In 2006, a National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) was finalized to provide consistency in the electronic source files used to produce these accessible materials. Later that year, the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Center (NIMAC) began operations.

AzEDS SPED Reporting

Discover valuable tools for those who submit data for students with disabilities to the Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS). Find relevant AzEDS codes, tables illustrating which needs may be reported with which service codes, and more.

New to SPED data reporting?

Try the Getting Started with SPED Integrity Troubleshooting Guide

ESS Recruitment & Retention

ADE/ESS is acutely aware of the shortage of qualified special education teachers and related service providers across Arizona. ESS has multiple activities and programs to support public education agencies that confront this shortage every school year. The resources and links below are designed to assist school leaders in maximizing professional learning for educators and creating the working conditions that nurture and support highly skilled educators.

October 1 Data Collection

Annually, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is required to report Special Education data to the federal government. The October 1 Data Collection is part of that process and occurs in three phases.

Important Information:

The Important Dates website outlines the various deadlines for ESS Data Management data collection.

Autism

An individual with autism may need specialized instruction, assistive technology, therapies, and positive behavioral supports that reflect their unique strengths in order to develop the skills to actively participate in the world. It is the Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices unit's goal to share the knowledge, practices, and supports that will help define effective services and programs in schools, districts, and homes. 

Disability Categories

In order to qualify for special education under the regulations that implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a child needs to be a child with a disability, meaning that the child has been evaluated as having a qualifying disability, and by reason thereof needs special education. [See 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(a)]

Special Education Data Dashboard

The Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD) is a one-stop-shop for public education agencies (PEAs) to securely view their unique education data and provide public statewide data with redaction. The Special Education Data Dashboard will continue to be expanded, and more information, such as training videos, will be coming soon. 

College & Career Competencies Project

Now recruiting for the 2025–2026 school year!

The College and Career Competency Framework supports educators in systematically embedding intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies into course content to help students become career-equipped, life-long learners.

Educators have seen the following impacts from competency instruction:

Assistive Technology (AT)

 

Restraint and Seclusion

Discipline of Students with Disabilities

Dear Colleague Letter, US DOE/Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), 2022.