Accommodations & Modifications

Changes how the students are learning.

An accommodation is a support or service that is provided to help a student fully access the general education curriculum. Without changing the curriculum content and without reducing learning/assessment expectations, accommodations are changes made to the student’s learning environment so that s/he is able to access the curriculum based on his/her individual needs. Accommodations provided during classroom instruction/assessments must also be provided during district and state assessments, where permitted.

Accommodations...

• • Change how a student learns or accesses the curriculum

  • “Levels the playing field”

  • Ensures equity

  • Change the way materials are presented

  • Change the way a student can respond

  • Allow students with disabilities the opportunity to complete the same curricular activities as peers

  • Keep intact the objectives of the content or activity

  • Enable the student to bypass the effects of the disability

  • Help remove barriers

Examples of accommodations:

• • Breaks

  • Preferential seating/seating arrangement

  • Large print

  • Additional time for tests or assignments

  • Small group setting/testing

  • Use of an alternative writing utensil

  • Read aloud or audio

  • Reading or simplifying of directions

  • Use of assistive technology

  • Highlighted text

  • Notes provided or cloze notes

  • Number line or calculator

  • Alternate presentation of the same material

  • Writing assignments on Chromebook

  • Text to speech or speech to text

Changes what the students are learning.

Modifications are changes to course content, required work, or instructional level of material presented. Modifications usually involve changing an assignment or objective. Modifications involve changing instruction and/or assessment, which alters, lowers, or reduces learning/assessment expectations. Overall, they may change the learning goal for an individual student.

Modifications...

• • Change what a child is taught or expected to do in school

  • “Changes the playing field”

  • Provides alternatives

  • Individualizes changes made to the content and performance expectations for students

  • Change the complexity level of information

  • Modify the course or activities/ objectives to meet the needs of the learner

  • Allow a student with a more significant learning need to experience the same curriculum as his/her peers, but with different learning outcomes

  • May utilize different grading criteria and/or credits received

Examples of modifications:

• • Fewer or different questions presented

  • Lower level text

  • Alternative projects/products or means of communicating knowledge

  • Adjusted curriculum

  • Modified/adjusted grading scales

  • Shortened assignments or amount of work expected (in class or homework)