On rare occasions, a student may require an accommodation that is not listed in the Student Assessment Handbook. If a unique situation arises and an individual student requires an accommodation that is not in this manual, approval must be sought from the GaDOE Assessment Division prior to the use of the accommodations on any state-mandated test. Students receiving approval for special testing accommodations should have a copy of the approval letter received from the GaDOE Assessment Division uploaded to the student's Documents Tab in GO-IEP prior to selecting accommodations on the State Testing Tab or listing them in the classroom accommodations on the Student Supports page.


Key consideration for approving the use of the accommodation includes protecting the integrity of the assessment and what the assessment measures. Addressing the issue of validity involves an examination of the purpose of the test and the specific skills to be measured. 


Accommodations that impact the validity and reliability of the assessment cannot be approved. The Student Assessment Handbook outlines the procedures for requesting consideration of accommodations not listed as approved.