Accomodations & Modifications

Explanation

Accommodations change HOW a student learns the material, modifications change WHAT a student is taught or expected to learn. Both fall under the umbrella of supplementary aids and services, which allow students with disabilities to access and participate in more activities and environments by compensating for their educational needs.

Accommodations

Support participation without modifying the curriculum. Students complete the same classwork and assessments as their peers without disabilities.

For example:

Changing PRESENTATION — a student might need to:

Work with fewer items per page or line
Have a designated reader
Have another student share class notes
Use word webs and visual organizers
Be given a written list of instructions

Changing TIMING — a student might need to:

Take more time to complete a task or a test
Have extra time to process directions
Take frequent breaks, such as after completing a task

Changing RESPONSE — a student might need to:

Give responses in another form (e.g., oral or written)
Dictate answers to a scribe
Use a standard calculator or table of math facts

Changing SCHEDULE — a student might need to:

Take more time to complete a project
Take a test over several days
Take a test at a specific time of day

Changing SETTING — a student might need to:

Work or take a test in a quiet room with few distractions
Sit in a specific location (for example, near the teacher)
Use special lighting or acoustics

Modifications

Support participation by changing or lowering expectations or standards. The goal is to gear the curriculum to the student’s capability. In some cases, a skill that would normally be taught at a certain grade level is changed, eliminated, or postponed.

For example:

Changing ASSIGNMENTS — a student might need to:

Complete fewer or different homework problems than peers
Write shorter papers
Complete alternate assignments and projects
Complete problems where aspects of the problem have already been completed

Changing HOW MATERIALS ARE PRESENTED — a student might need to:

Receive more prompting and cueing to help the student determine the right answers
Read class material written at an easier level of understanding

Changing CURRICULUM — a student might need to:

Learn different material (such as continuing to work on multiplication while classmates move on to fractions)
Get graded or assessed using a different standard than the one for classmates (e.g., pass/fail grading)
Be excused from particular projects

Changing ASSESSMENT — a student might need to:

Take a practice version of a test prior to the real assessment
Select from two rather than four answer choices on a multiple-choice test
Answer fewer or different test questions

Documentation

Statement must include:

What: the specific adaptation needed
When: the condition that trigger the adaptation
Where: the environment(s) in which the adaptation is needed
Who is responsible for implementing the adaptation

"Formula" for documenting accommodations and modifications:

In [where], [when] the student will be provided with [what] by [who].
Example: "In all school settings [where] when unexpected behavior is observed [when], reality statements [what] will be utilized by all staff working with XXX [who] to recover instructional control and prevent escalation. For example: 'Why don’t you lower your voice. That will keep the conversation between the two of us' or 'Why don’t you take a deep breath. This doesn’t have to get any bigger.'"

Remember:

Accommodations and modifications need to be phrased as “student will.”
Avoid using phrases which introduce ambiguity, such as, “as needed,” “may,” and “and/or.”

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