IEP Accommodations in Montana
What IEP accommodations are available in Montana?
Montana IEPs must include a statement of the individual appropriate accommodations necessary to measure the student's academic and functional performance on state and districtwide assessments, as required by ARM 10.16.3340 incorporating 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6). Accommodations are supports or changes in instruction, materials, or assessment that do not alter what is being taught or the rigor of the content standards. Montana's IEP template uses the term 'Necessary Accommodations/Modifications' to describe supports the student will need to be successful in the general education classroom. Accommodations must be documented in the IEP and must be familiar to the student, matching those provided during classroom instruction throughout the year. For statewide assessments, the Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines govern which accommodations are permitted on state tests; IEP team decisions about accommodations must align with these guidelines (ARM 10.56.104). Assessment participation decisions—including whether a student takes an alternate assessment—are made by the IEP team based on individual student needs. Montana requires all regular education and special education teachers implementing the IEP to be informed of the student's specific accommodations and their responsibility to provide them (34 CFR 300.323(d)). Accommodations must be provided at no cost as part of FAPE (MCA § 20-7-401; ARM 10.16.3121).
What Montana Requires
The IEP must include a statement of individual appropriate accommodations necessary for state and districtwide assessments; if the student takes an alternate assessment, the IEP must explain why and which one (ARM 10.16.3340; 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)).
Accommodations are changes in instruction or assessment that do not alter content rigor or validity; they provide access without modifying learning standards.
IEP teams make all decisions about accommodations and alternate assessment participation based on individual student need (ARM 10.56.104).
Classroom accommodations must match those used on state assessments—students must be familiar with accommodations through routine use (MontCAS Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations Guidelines; ARM 10.56.104).
All teachers and service providers must be informed of the specific accommodations documented in the IEP and their responsibility for implementing them (ARM 10.16.3340; 34 CFR 300.323(d)).
Accommodations must be provided at no cost to parents as part of FAPE (ARM 10.16.3121; MCA § 20-7-401; 34 CFR 300.101).
Accommodations are documented in the IEP's 'Necessary Accommodations/Modifications' section alongside supplementary aids and services (ARM 10.16.3340; 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)).
Key Timelines
Accommodations must be in effect at the beginning of each school year and as soon as possible after IEP development (34 CFR 300.323(a)).
Accommodations must be reviewed at the annual IEP review and revised as needed (ARM 10.16.3340; 34 CFR 300.324(b)).