IEP Accommodations in Georgia
What IEP accommodations are available in Georgia?
Georgia IEPs must include a statement of any individual appropriate accommodations necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the child on state and districtwide assessments (34 CFR §300.320(a)(6)(i); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06). Accommodations are changes to materials, procedures, or the testing environment that enable students with disabilities to participate meaningfully in instruction and assessment without altering the content or rigor of what is being taught or assessed. In Georgia, accommodations maintain grade-level expectations — students with accommodations are still expected to meet the same Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) as their peers without disabilities. The IEP Team determines all accommodations for both classroom instruction and the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, and must document these decisions in the student's IEP. Georgia's Accessibility and Accommodations Manual, published annually by GaDOE, categorizes assessment accommodations into accessibility features available to all students, accommodations requiring IEP Team or 504 Team documentation, and accommodations available only with specific eligibility criteria. The IEP Team must ensure that selected accommodations do not invalidate the assessment score (34 CFR §300.160(b)(2)). If the IEP Team determines that a student cannot participate in the general Georgia Milestones assessment even with accommodations, the IEP must include a statement explaining why the student cannot participate and why the Georgia Alternate Assessment 2.0 (GAA 2.0) is appropriate (34 CFR §300.320(a)(6)(ii)). The GAA 2.0 is designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and is comprised of standardized performance tasks with tiered participation levels. For classroom instruction, the IEP must describe supplementary aids and services, including accommodations, to enable participation in general education classes, extracurricular activities, and nonacademic activities with nondisabled peers (34 CFR §300.320(a)(4)). The IEP Team must also consider assistive technology devices and services as a potential accommodation for every student (34 CFR §300.324(a)(2)(v)).
What Georgia Requires
The IEP must include individual appropriate accommodations for state and districtwide assessments including the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (34 CFR §300.320(a)(6)(i); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06).
Accommodations do not change the content, standards, or expectations — students with accommodations are still expected to meet Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) (GaDOE Accessibility and Accommodations Manual).
Georgia's Accessibility and Accommodations Manual categorizes accommodations into accessibility features, documented accommodations, and eligibility-specific accommodations for state assessments.
If the student cannot participate in Georgia Milestones even with accommodations, the IEP must justify the use of GAA 2.0 (34 CFR §300.320(a)(6)(ii)).
The GAA 2.0 is for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and uses standardized performance tasks with tiered participation (GaDOE).
Classroom accommodations including supplementary aids and services must be documented in the IEP to enable participation in general education and nonacademic activities (34 CFR §300.320(a)(4)).
The IEP Team must consider assistive technology devices and services for every student with a disability (34 CFR §300.324(a)(2)(v)).
Key Timelines
Accommodations must be reviewed and updated at least annually as part of the IEP Team's annual review (34 CFR §300.324(b)(1)).
Assessment accommodations must be determined and documented in the IEP before each testing window for Georgia Milestones administrations.
Teachers are legally required to implement the accommodations listed in the IEP during instruction and assessment (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06).