IEP Accommodations in California
What IEP accommodations are available in California?
In California, accommodations are supports and adjustments that enable a student with a disability to access the general education curriculum and participate in assessments without fundamentally altering the content or expectations. Under EC 56345(a)(4), the IEP must include a statement of the special education, related services, supplementary aids and services, and program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided. For statewide assessments—including the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), and the California Alternate Assessment (CAA)—the IEP team must specify any individual appropriate accommodations, or if the student will take an alternate assessment, explain why the student cannot participate in the regular assessment and why the alternate assessment is appropriate (EC 56345(a)(6)). California uses the CAASPP Accessibility Guide and the Matrix of Test Variations, Accommodations, and Modifications to define which accommodations are available for state tests. Accommodations differ from modifications: accommodations do not change what is being learned or tested, while modifications alter the content or performance expectations. All accommodations must be provided at no cost to the family. The IEP team determines appropriate accommodations based on the student's individualized needs, and accommodations must be documented in the IEP to be enforceable. Schools must ensure that teachers and service providers are informed of the student's specific accommodations and their responsibilities for implementation (34 CFR 300.323(d)).
What California Requires
The IEP must specify all accommodations for instruction and assessment, including supplementary aids and services and program modifications (EC 56345(a)(4); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)).
For state and districtwide assessments, the IEP must list individual appropriate accommodations or, if the child will take an alternate assessment, explain why and which one (EC 56345(a)(6); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)).
Accommodations must not fundamentally alter what is being learned or tested—they provide access without changing content standards or performance expectations.
All regular and special education teachers and related service providers must be informed of the specific accommodations in the IEP and their responsibility for implementing them (34 CFR 300.323(d)).
Accommodations must be provided at no cost to the family as part of FAPE (EC 56040).
Key Timelines
Accommodations must be in effect at the beginning of each school year (34 CFR 300.323(a)).
IEP accommodations must be reviewed at least annually and revised as needed (EC 56343(d); 34 CFR 300.324(b)).
Progress on the effectiveness of accommodations should be monitored through periodic progress reports, issued at least as frequently as report cards (EC 56345(a)(3)).