504 Plan and IEP Chart

Summarized with Understood.org permission

504 Plan	Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Section 504 1973 Rehabilitation Act: federal civil rights law to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities of any age	Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): federal special education law for children ages 3-21 and a special plan for families of 0–2 year old infant/toddlers
ANY disability related to basic life activities (including learning) affects learning in the general education classroom	Child has 1 or more of 13 disabilities listed in the law. related to learning. affects learning and benefiting from general education. Special instruction is needed to make reasonable progress in school.
Some legal safeguards for child and parent	Many legal safeguards for child and parent
District defined assessment standards. Office of Civil Rights uses state timelines (60 days in CA)	Legally defined assessment standards and 60-day timeline
Decisions made by a team of people familiar with the child, who understand the evaluation data, and service options. For example: Parent/caregiver General education teacher Special education teacher Principal	Decisions made by a specific team: Parent/caregiver General education teacher Special education teacher School staff or other specialists who can interpret evaluation results District representative with authority over special education services
Documented plan has no legally required components. Typically, lists accommodations to help a child access the general education program	Documented plan has many legally required components to ensure child benefits from school