Accommodations VS Modifications
Accommodations
The term Accommodation is used to refer to the special teaching and assessment strategies, human
supports, and/or individualized equipment required to enable a student to learn and to demonstrate
learning. Accommodations do not alter the provincial curriculum expectations for the grade.
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Accommodated only (AC) is the term used on the IEP form to identify subjects or courses from
the Ontario curriculum in which the student requires accommodations alone in order to work
towards achieving the regular grade expectations.
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Accommodations described in the IEP should include only those strategies and supports that
differ from what is normally provided during classroom instruction. All accommodations
documented in the IEP must be made available to the student.
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Accommodations do not change the content of the learning expectations, but they should take
into account the student’s preferred learning modality and areas of strength and need, and
should provide students with appropriate opportunities to demonstrate their learning.
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Three types of Accommodations:
1. Instructional Accommodations – Adjustments in teaching strategies required to enable
the student to learn and to progress through the curriculum.
2. Environmental Accommodations – Changes or supports in the physical environment or
the classroom and/or the school.
3. Assessment Accommodations – Adjustments in assessment activities and methods
required to enable the student to demonstrate learning.
Modifications
Modifications are changes made in the age-appropriate grade-level expectations for a subject or course
in order to meet a student’s learning needs. These changes may involve developing expectations that
reflect knowledge and skills required in the curriculum for a different grade level and/or increasing or
decreasing the number and/or complexity of the regular grade level curriculum expectations.
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Modified (MOD) is the term used on the IEP form to identify subjects or courses from the
Ontario curriculum in which the student requires modified expectations – expectations that
differ in some way from the regular grade expectation.