ACCOMMODATIONS, MODIFICATION AND INTERVENTIONS

ACCOMMODATION:

An accommodation can be made for any student, not just students with a 504 plan or
an IEP. An accommodation does not alter what the student is expected to learn. An
accommodation makes learning accessible to the student and allows the student to
demonstrate what they know.

Accommodations are alterations in the way tasks are presented that allow children
with a disability to complete the same assignments as other children. Accommodations
do not alter the content of assignments, give students an unfair advantage or in the
case of assessments, change what a test measures. They do make it possible for
students with LD to show what they know without being impeded by their disability.

Accommodations are basically physical or environmental changes, generally referred

to as good teaching strategies.

 Extended time, frequent breaks, varying of activities

 Change in classroom, preferential seating, physical arrangement of the room,
reducing/minimizing distractions, cooling off period
 Emphasizes varied teaching approaches (visual, auditory, multi-sensory),
 individual or small group, demonstrating/modeling, visual cues, use of
manipulatives, pre-teaching, graphic organizers
 Highlighting material, note taking assistance, notes provided by teacher,
calculator, computer, word processor, Braille, and/or large print
 Directions given in small, sequential steps, copying from book
 Positive reinforcement, concrete reinforcement, checking for understanding,
study guides, before/after school tutoring
 Reading test verbatim, shortening length of test, test format changed (multiple
choice vs. fill in the blank)
 Allow for verbal responses

“SHOULD ACCOMMODATIONS HAVE AN IMPACT ON HOW ASSIGNMENTS ARE GRADED?”

School assignments and tests completed with accommodations should be graded the
same way as those completed without accommodations. After all, accommodations
are meant to “level the playing field,” provide equal and ready access to the task at
hand, and not meant to provide an undue advantage to the user.

“WHAT IF AN ACCOMMODATION ISN’T HELPING?“

Selecting and monitoring the effectiveness of accommodations should be an ongoing

process, and changes (with involvement of students, parents and educators) should be
made as often as needed. The key is to be sure that chosen accommodations address
students’ specific areas of need and facilitate the demonstration of skill and
knowledge.
MODIFICATION:

Modifications are generally made for students with significant cognitive or physical
disabilities. A modification does alter content knowledge expectations as well as
assessment administration practices.

A modification is a change in the course of study, standards, test preparation, location,

timing, scheduling, expectations, student response and/or other attribute which provide
access for a student with a disability to participate in a course, standard or test. It does
fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectation of the course, standard or
test.

Modifications are used in the classroom to meet the needs of every child’s strength.

Modifications involve lowering the level of materials presented.

 Presentation of curriculum is modified using a specialized curriculum which is

written at a lower level of understanding.
 Materials are adapted; texts are simplified by modifying the content areas—
simplifying vocabulary, concepts and principles.
 Grading is subject to different standards than general education, such as being
based on IEP goals.
 Assignments are changed using lower level reading levels, worksheets and
simplified vocabulary.
 Testing Adaptations are used, such as lowering the reading level of the test.
INTERVENTIONS:

An intervention is a specific skill-building strategy implemented and monitored to

improve a targeted skill (i.e. what is actually known) and achieve adequate progress in
a specific area (academic or behavioral). This often involves a changing instruction or
providing additional instruction to a student in the area of learning or behavior difficulty.

Academic or behavior interventions are strategies or techniques applied to instruction

in order to teach a new skill, build a fluency skill, or encourage the application of
existing skills to a new situation. Interventions require a targeted assessment, planning,
and date collection. Interventions should be evidence based and monitored regularly
to determine growth and to inform instruction.

Interventions differ from accommodations and modifications in that they teach new
skills to help students overcome specific deficits or maladaptive response patterns.

Interventions require a targeted assessment, planning, and data collection (ideally

including baseline data) to be effective. Consideration is given to the nature of the
problem (i.e. skill deficit versus performance deficit).

Interventions focus on the needs of the “individual” student.

 ACCOMMODATIONS VS INTERVENTIONS VS MODIFICATIONS

Accommodations Interventions Modifications

Accommodate is defined An intervention is defined Modify is defined as “to
as “to make fit.” It is similar as “to come between.” alter; to make different in
to adaptation. form” … “to change to less
Doctors use medications extreme”
Accommodations and for intervention.
adaptations are used to Medications are used to Most often associated with
describe how students are intervene with a fever to IDEA. Students receiving
included in classroom change the body special education services.
instruction. temperature.
Teachers use modifications
Changes to the classroom Teachers use strategies to of grade level standards,
structure, both change a student’s strategies, curriculum and
organizationally and learning outcomes. assessments to create a
instructionally that allows a learning environment for a
student to participate specific student

Using grade level Additions to the curriculum Change in curriculum

curriculum standards via a designed to help a student standards.
different path – think make progress toward
differentiated. benchmarks. Change in core program;
use of a parallel curriculum
Adaptations to the regular that does not include all
curriculum to make it grade level standards
possible for the child to be Designates different
successful at benchmark benchmarks.
Levels the “Playing Field” Ensures the “Playing Field” Creates the “Playing Field”
Changes something about Teaches the student a new A change in what is being
the child's environment or skill. taught to or expected from
services provided. Teaches the student a the student.
strategy to use when
A change that helps a applying a skill.
student overcome or work
around a learning problem
Preferential seating Mini-lessons of skill deficits Student is involved in the
same theme/unit but is
provided different
tasks/expectations
Shortened assignments Targeted instruction based Individualized materials are
on progress monitoring provided for student
Peer-tutoring Additional instruction to Eliminate specific standards
students in small groups or
individually
 Accommodations Interventions Modifications
Moving obstacles in a Increase task structure Create individualized
classroom so that a student (e.g., directions, rationale, benchmarks
with a wheelchair could checks for understanding,
navigate the classroom. feedback)
Classroom level: seating Increase opportunities to
arrangements, note talking, engage in active
outline/study guides, tape academic responding
recorders, etc. (e.g., writing, reading
aloud, answering questions
in class, etc.)
Repeat/confirm directions Multi-sensory techniques
Additional time to Familiar Reading activities
complete assignment for fluency
Audio tape Speed sorts of ABCs, sight
words
Reduce the number of Build automaticity with
items per page or line known information, letters,
words, phonetic patterns
Provide a designated Follow up reading with story
reader frame activities: story
summary, important ides or
plot, setting, character
analysis and comparison
Present instructions orally Model metacognition
Allow for verbal responses Utilize pre-reading
strategies and activities:
previews, anticipatory
guides, and semantic
mapping
Allow for answers to be Use reciprocal teaching to
dictated promote comprehension
and comprehension
monitoring: predicting,
question generating,
summarizing and clarifying
Permit response provided Underline word and phrase
via computer or electronic clues that lead to making
device an inference
Allow frequent breaks Echo reading: the student
imitates the teacher’s oral
rendition, one sentence or
phrase at a time
Extend allotted time for
tests
Note: This is NOT an exhaustive list.