Accommodations and Modifications
(For more information, See 7.5 – Special Instructional Factors – Accommodation and Alternate
Assessment – in Procedures and Guidance for Ohio’s EducationalAgencies serving Children with
Disabilities – available at www.edresourcesohio.org/)
What are accommodations and modifications?
IEP teams attempt to “level the playing field” by using accommodations and modifications so children
with disabilities can have access to and make progress in the general education curriculum.
Accommodations and modifications are types of adaptations that are made to the environment,
curriculum, instruction, or assessment practices in order for children with disabilities to be successful
learners. Decisions about appropriate accommodations and modifications begin with an IEP team
making good instructional decisions. Good instructional decisions are based on gathering and
reviewing information about the child’s disability and the child’s present level of performance in
relation to the content standards for each child’s grade level. It is not always obvious what
accommodations or modifications would be beneficial for a particular child, or how changes to the
curriculum, its presentation, the classroom setting, or student evaluation might be made.
What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification?
Accommodations provide different ways for children with disabilities to take in information or
communicate their knowledge back to others. Accommodations are adjustments to make sure
children with disabilities have equal access to the curriculum and a way to be successful. The
changes do not alter or lower the standards or expectations for a subject or test. The child is still
expected to know the same material and answer the same questions as fully as the other children.
Modifications mean making changes in what is being taught to or expected from the child. That
modification or change means the child will not be doing the same level of work as the other children
and will not be expected to master the same academic content as others in the classroom.
Accommodations
When determining accommodations, IEP teams must keep in mind that the accommodations they
determine a child should use in the classroom are the same accommodations that a child will be able
to use when taking state- and district-wide assessments.
Considerations When Choosing and Using Accommodations*
What kinds of instructional strategies (e.g., visual, tactile, auditory, combination) work best for the
child?
What learning strategies will help the child overcome challenges?
What accommodations increase the child’s access to instruction and assessment?
What accommodations has the child tried in the past?
What accommodations have worked well and in what situations?
What accommodations does the child prefer?
Are there ways to improve the child’s use of an accommodation?
Does the child still need an accommodation?
What are the challenges of providing the child’s preferred accommodations outside of school
(e.g., at home, on the job, in the community)?
Are there opportunities for the child to use preferred accommodations on practice tests?
Are preferred accommodations allowed on state and district assessments of accountability?
How can the child learn to request preferred accommodations (e.g., self-advocacy)?
How can actual use of accommodations be documented?
* See Special Connections at www.specialconnections.ku.edu