IEP Accommodations in New Jersey
What IEP accommodations are available in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, 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 N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.7(e)(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. For statewide assessments, including the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA), the IEP team must specify any individual appropriate accommodations, or if the student will take the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment, explain why the student cannot participate in the regular assessment and why the alternate assessment is appropriate (N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.7(e)(7)). The NJ DOE publishes an Accommodations Manual that defines permissible accommodations 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 as part of FAPE. Teachers and service providers must be informed of the student's specific accommodations and their implementation responsibilities (34 CFR 300.323(d)).
What New Jersey Requires
The IEP must specify all accommodations for instruction and assessment, including supplementary aids and services and program modifications (N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.7(e)(4); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)).
For state and districtwide assessments (NJSLA), the IEP must list individual appropriate accommodations or, if the child will take an alternate assessment (DLM), explain why and identify which one (N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.7(e)(7)).
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 (N.J.A.C. 6A:14-1.1; 34 CFR 300.17).
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 (N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.7(i); 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 (N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.7(e)(16)).