IEP Accommodations in Florida
What IEP accommodations are available in Florida?
Florida IEPs must include a statement of any individual appropriate accommodations in the administration of statewide standardized assessments (FAST — Florida Assessment of Student Thinking) or district assessments of student achievement that are necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the student (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(h); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)). Under Florida law, accommodations are defined as changes made in how the student accesses information and demonstrates performance (FAC 6A-6.03411(1)(a)). This is a critical distinction from modifications, which alter the content or lower the performance standards. The IEP must also include a statement of classroom accommodations and supports for school personnel that will be provided for the student to advance appropriately toward attaining annual goals, be involved in and progress in the general curriculum, participate in extracurricular and nonacademic activities, and be educated and participate with nondisabled students (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(h); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)). For statewide assessments, Florida publishes an annual Statewide Assessments Accommodations Guide through the FAST program (flfast.org) that specifies allowable accommodations for students with IEPs or Section 504 plans. Major categories of assessment accommodations include: presentation accommodations such as large print, braille, one-item-per-page, and text-to-speech (TTS) via computer or human reader; response accommodations allowing alternative methods of responding; setting accommodations such as separate or small-group testing, reduced distractions, or special lighting/acoustics; and timing/scheduling accommodations including extended time, which must align with the accommodation used regularly in the student's classroom instruction and is not unlimited time. Paper-based versions (regular print, large print, braille, one-item-per-page) are available for students whose IEP specifies they cannot access the computer-based test. All accommodations must be documented in the student's IEP or Section 504 plan and must reflect accommodations the student uses regularly during classroom instruction and assessments — they may not be provided solely for testing purposes. Documentation of accommodations provided to and used by students must be maintained at each school. If the IEP team determines that the student must take the Florida Alternate Assessment (FAA) instead of the regular statewide assessment, the IEP must include a statement explaining why the regular assessment is not appropriate and which alternate assessment has been selected (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(h); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)(ii)). Florida requires separate parental consent (via FDOE-prescribed forms) for administering the alternate assessment and providing instruction in the access points curriculum (F.S. 1003.5715(1)(a)). Under Florida's one-party consent law (F.S. §934.03), parents may record IEP meetings without the consent of school personnel, which can be relevant for documenting agreed-upon accommodations.
What Florida Requires
IEP must include a statement of individual appropriate accommodations for statewide (FAST) and district assessments (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(h); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6))
Accommodations are defined as changes in how the student accesses information and demonstrates performance (FAC 6A-6.03411(1)(a))
IEP must include classroom accommodations and supports for school personnel to enable progress in the general curriculum (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(h); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4))
Assessment accommodations must be consistent with accommodations the student regularly uses during classroom instruction (FDOE Statewide Assessments Accommodations Guide)
Presentation accommodations include large print, braille, one-item-per-page, and text-to-speech via computer or human reader (FDOE Statewide Assessments Accommodations Guide)
Extended time must align with the accommodation used regularly in classroom instruction and is not unlimited time (FDOE Statewide Assessments Accommodations Guide)
Paper-based test versions available for students whose IEP specifies they cannot access computer-based testing (FDOE Statewide Assessments Accommodations Guide)
If the student takes the Florida Alternate Assessment, the IEP must explain why the regular assessment is not appropriate and identify which alternate assessment is selected (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(h); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)(ii))
Separate parental consent required on FDOE-prescribed forms for alternate assessment and access points instruction (F.S. 1003.5715(1)(a))
Documentation of accommodations provided to and used by students must be maintained at each school (FDOE Statewide Assessments Accommodations Guide)
Florida's one-party recording consent law (F.S. §934.03) permits parents to record IEP meetings without notifying or obtaining consent from school personnel, which may be relevant when documenting agreed-upon accommodations
Key Timelines
Accommodations must be documented in the IEP prior to administration of any statewide or district assessment (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(h))
IEP including accommodations must be reviewed at least annually (FAC 6A-6.03028(3)(f); 34 CFR 300.324(b))
At least 10 calendar days prior written notice required for IEP meetings involving alternate assessment decisions (F.S. 1003.5715(4))