IEP Service Delivery in Georgia
How are IEP services delivered in Georgia?
Georgia IEPs must specify the projected start date, anticipated frequency, location, and duration of each special education and related service (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06; 34 CFR §300.320(a)(7)). Service delivery models in Georgia are defined in Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.07 (LRE) and include: additional supportive services (supplementary aids provided by paraprofessionals, interpreters, or others to the teacher/child in the regular classroom), and direct services delivered on a consultative, collaborative, or co-teaching basis by special education personnel within the general education classroom. More intensive placements include instruction outside the general classroom for individuals or small groups, separate day schools or programs, home-based instruction (short-term, requires quarterly IEP team review and a reintegration plan), residential placement in-state or out-of-state, and hospital/homebound instruction under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-2-.31. Placement decisions must be made annually, be based on the child's IEP, be as close as possible to the child's home, and begin with the school the child would attend if nondisabled. A child cannot be removed from an age-appropriate regular classroom solely because of needed curriculum modifications. Related service personnel providing services in Georgia must hold appropriate licensure under Georgia state standards (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.14).
What Georgia Requires
The IEP must state the projected start date, anticipated frequency, location, and duration of each special education service, related service, and program modification (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06; 34 CFR §300.320(a)(7)).
Georgia service delivery models include: additional supportive services in the general classroom (paraprofessionals, interpreters), direct services via consultative, collaborative, or co-teaching models, pull-out instruction for individuals or small groups, separate day schools/programs, home-based instruction, residential placement, and hospital/homebound (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.07).
Placement decisions must be made annually by the IEP Team, be based on the IEP, be as close as possible to the child's home, and default to the school the child would attend if nondisabled (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.07; 34 CFR §300.116).
A child may not be removed from an age-appropriate regular classroom solely because of needed modifications to the general education curriculum (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.07(2)(e)).
Home-based instruction is a short-term placement option requiring parent-LEA agreement at an IEP meeting, quarterly IEP team review, and a reintegration plan for return to school (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.07(3)(d)).
Related service personnel must hold appropriate Georgia licensure or certification as required by Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.14 (Personnel, Facilities and Caseloads).
Services must be based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable and designed to enable the child to advance toward annual goals, participate in the general curriculum, and engage in extracurricular activities (34 CFR §300.320(a)(4)).
Georgia uses the GO-IEP statewide online system to document all service delivery specifications including frequency, duration, and location.
Key Timelines
Service delivery specifications (start date, frequency, location, duration) must be documented in the IEP at the time of development and updated at least annually (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06; 34 CFR §300.320(a)(7)).
Home-based instruction must be reviewed by the IEP team no less than quarterly (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.07(3)(d)(ii)).
Services must be made available as soon as possible following IEP development (34 CFR §300.323(c)(2)).