Modifications are the changing, lowering or reducing of learning or assessment expectations. This includes allowing a student to learn less material than is expected of other students (reducing the number of items on an assignment or the common “shortened assignments”) or revising assignments or tests to make them easier (reminding students of their reading strategies right before testing reading). Modifications may be appropriate during instruction; however if they are necessary during large-scale assessments, such as the HSGQE, pre-approval must be obtained from the state.
Accommodations are practices and procedures in the areas of presentation, response, setting, or timing/scheduling that provide equitable instructional and assessment access for students with disabilities.
| Modifications | Accommodations |
Purpose: Changes the expectation of what a student is expected to do or know |
Purpose: Removes barriers to learning |
What changed |
How did it change |
Intended for improvement to specific area |
Intended for general improvement |
Typically instructional : lowered academic expectations: CONTENT |
Typically environmental: PROCESS OR PRODUCT |
Examples: reducing the number of choices on a multiple choice test, lowering the passing score of a test, use of grammar check on computer, allowing proctor to provide synonyms for words during test. |
Examples: auditory cues/ prompts, chunking information, extended time, frequent breaks, preferential seating, use of a calculator. |
| Program Modifications/ Accommodations for Student to: | Supports for School Personnel |
Advance toward annual goalsIntended to provide student with ability to meet their IEP goals and objectives within the year. For instance, if goal and objectives are for math calculation, what does the student need as an accommodation or modification to meet that goal? |
What supports/ training do school personnel need?Supports to school personnel could be any of the following and more dependent on the student’s needs:Consultations: Providing and explaining instructional materials, suggesting instructional strategies to ensure that the teacher provides opportunities for the student to develop and master skills in the IEP and other instructional needs, explaining the responsibilities for implementing the IEP, being available to answer questions and to provide assistance and support to the teacherTraining activities: Behavior management, how to provide accommodations and modifications, characteristics associated with a disability, effective use of a paraprofessional, use and availability of assistive technology.Other: Co-teaching support, peer tutoring, buddy system, paraprofessional assistance |
Be involved in and progress in the general curriculumIntended to provide student with equal access to the general education setting. For instance, if the student attends general education classes for most of the day, what accommodations or modifications would allow the student to be successful in the general education classroom/ curriculum? |
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Participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activitiesIntended to provide student with equal access to nonacademic activities. Because this section will include extracurricular, which could be activities outside of the school day, this section should be clear as to whether the accommodations and modifications are for nonacademic or extracurricular. For instance, the student requires assistance from an adult during PE class (refuses to participate in some activities), but could participate on their own in an afterschool basketball class (loves basketball); these accommodations should be clearly delineated here. |
Best practice is to be specific when outlining these supports and modifications. Simply stating “collaboration” as a support for school personnel does not describe what the communication looks like or between whom. A more specific description would be “collaboration between special and general education teachers regarding grading and homework requirements.”