Let’s Talk About: Accommodations vs. Modifications

During an IEP or 504 meeting, the team will discuss accommodations and modifications. Although these two terms are frequently used interchangeably, they are very different.  Accommodations are changes made in teaching or testing procedures to provide the student with access to information and to create an equal opportunity to demonstrate knowledge or skills. This change does not alter the skill being taught, level of performance, or skill mastery. A modification is a change in what the student is expected to learn or demonstrate. The course content is modified, but the curriculum remains the same. 

Let me break it down for you. 

• An accommodation changes HOW the student learns the material. 

• A modification changes WHAT the student is expected to learn. 

Understood has a helpful chart here. 

There are accommodations and modifications for classroom instruction, classroom testing, formal standardized testing, and Specials/Connections/Electives (Art, PE, Chorus, etc). These should be separate. I frequently see IEPs where the teacher/case manager adds accommodations because “we give all students these.” If it is provided to all students, it is not an accommodation/modification. When you are in a meeting where accommodations and modifications are being discussed, focus on the individual student (the whole “I” in IEP). “Allow time and a half for testing” may be an accommodation for the whole class, but maybe your student is a strong tester and is consistently finished at or before time. Why make him sit for an extra 30 minutes with his test? The appropriate accommodation may be to provide him with a quiet activity to do at his desk when he is finished, such as a book or coloring page. 

If you do an internet search for a list of accommodations and modifications, hundreds come up.  Some parents and advocates believe that “the more, the better” regarding accommodations and modifications. I strongly disagree. Although it is a violation of the student’s civil rights for staff not to implement A/Ms, I find when the list is long, many are not implemented. Choose the important ones that make a difference in the student’s education. Remember, the team can meet anytime to add or remove A/Ms. 

Here is an IEP cheat sheet. You can find others with a simple internet search.  These are extremely helpful. Parents/Guardians, I encourage you to fill one out after an IEP meeting and at the beginning of the school year for your child’s case manager/teacher(s).  The IEP is a long document. In my experience, case managers/teachers do not thoroughly read every IEP for the students they serve. These staff members have rosters anywhere from just a few to triple digits. Can you imagine keeping up with the A/Ms of 25 students? Even if each of those students only has 5 A/Ms, that’s 125 A/Ms to remember and implement! The IEP At-A-Glance sheet provides a simple, 1-page cheat sheet with the students' important IEP information. The services, hours, and accommodations are in one place. These sheets also allow middle and high school students to advocate for themselves. Having a few of these documents in their desk or book bag makes it easy to pull one out and hand it to the staff member if needed. For example, if there is a substitute on the day of a classroom test. Your student knows they can take their test in a study carrel at the back of the room to help focus, but the substitute will not allow anyone to move. The student can provide the substitute with a copy of their IEP cheat sheet. Problem solved. 

Generally, an accommodation is provided within the general education setting or settings where the general education curriculum is taught. The accommodations allow the student to access the general education curriculum. The expectations for what students are producing and learning are the same. Strategies the student is taught, ways the student presents information for assignments, and the time they have to complete assignments are all modifications.  These are the changes in HOW the student learns the material. Grading policies for students with accommodations are the same as the rest of the class.  Some examples of accommodations are: 

• Listening to audio recordings instead of reading the text

• Working or taking a test in a different setting (but the test is the same as everyone else’s)

• Using sensory tools such as a fidget or wiggle cushion

• Taking frequent breaks 

• Taking a test in multiple timed sessions or over several days (but the test is the same as everyone else's)

• Marking essential parts of the text with a highlighter. 

• Giving responses verbally rather than written

When a student is provided with modifications, the curriculum and learning outcomes differ from those in general education. Modifications can occur in the general education classroom, but the outcomes students are expected to produce differ from those of their general education peers. The modification changes WHAT the student is expected to learn. Grading is adjusted to the needs of the student. An assignment modification could be an alternate project or assignment, different test questions, or different homework problems.  A curriculum modification could include being excused from participating in a project or learning different material from classmates (numeric math problems rather than word problems.) 

If you are unsure if it is an accommodation or modification, ask the team:

• is it a change in HOW they are teaching/HOW the student is producing work,

• or WHAT they are teaching/WHAT the student is producing.