Accommodations and Modifications: Making Classroom Instruction Accessible to ALL Students

By Ms. Ivie Sherman

IEP accommodations are supports or services provided to help students progress in the general education curriculum and demonstrate their learning. These do not mean big changes in the instructional level, content, or standards. Rather, support is provided so that students have an equal opportunity to learn and to demonstrate what they have learned.

What are IEP Accommodations?

They do not substantially change instructional level or content

Provides student an equal access to learning Provides student equal opportunity to

demonstrate what is known Based on individual strengths and needs May vary in intensity and degree

Accommodations- provisions made in how the student

accesses and demonstrates learning

Some examples of IEP accommodations include:

extended time calculators dictation of answers short breaks between assignments preferential seating note-taking support

Accommodations level the Playing Field

Oral tests, assignments read orally or taped assignment shortened yet reflects all of the required components; access to a word processor for written assignments/tests, etc.

These provisions are made in “how” a student accesses information or demonstrates the standard but allow the student to meet all of the components of the regular standard if necessary accommodations are provided.

IEP Accommodation Example

Usually at the beginning of the year you will receive a passport (or summary of the IEP) for each student that you have in your class that has an IEP.

This passport will have a list of their accommodations or the accommodations IEP page attached. (Please see page 2 of handouts).

How do you know what accommodations each student has?

The job of the Resource Specialist is to consult and support the general education teachers in how to deliver the accommodations in the most appropriate manner.

For example, if the student has the accommodation “reduced assignments- if needed” then there are different ways to do this. If it was in math, the student could do a reduced set of problems, but would do enough problems to demonstrate competency on a particular concept.

What should I do if I need help understanding or implementing the IEP accommodations?

They should not change the information being learned.

They should not change the amount of information being learned…. Modifications do this! Modifications will be in bold print on the IEP

What accommodations should not do

Change the expectation of what the student is to learn.

Examples: change in the number of key concepts learned within a standard or benchmark, change in the instructional level, limit in the number of concepts expected to master within a unit of study, etc.

Modifications

IEP accommodations and modifications help a student with a disability access the general education curriculum

IEP passports (online or paper copies) should be referred to in the beginning and throughout the year.

The RSP teacher is here to support you in implementing the IEP accommodations and answer questions as they arise.

Summary