Oral Accommodations

Accommodations

The IEP and 504 Accommodations Plan team is responsible for determining the allowable accommodations a student needs to access general education curriculum and statewide assessments. The intent of accommodations is to allow a student to show what they know and can do. Accommodations are not intended to and should not be used to provide a student with an advantage in the classroom or when taking an assessment (i.e. selecting an accommodation for the intent of boosting a student’s test score); just because an accommodation is allowable it does not mean the student needs it to access the general education curriculum or assessments.

The IEP or 504 team should collect and review relevant data from the student’s records and consider this information and data during the decision making process to determine if a student requires oral accommodations. In reviewing data, it is important to examine the trend over time; the decision to allow oral administration must not be made based on a single test score, or data point. Whenever possible, IEP and 504 teams should review data from several administrations of multiple assessments to look at a student’s growth over time. In addition to reading performance data, IEP and 504 teams should consider other information on a student, such as the student’s processing speed, working memory, and listening comprehension or receptive language skills. It is important for IEP and 504 teams to consider all relevant sources of information on student performance.

Should a student require oral accommodations, these accommodations can be provided in a variety of ways, using a variety of technology options available.

Should you have questions about a specific accommodation, please consult your IEP or 504 Team, or contact the school's Special Needs Administrator.