Accommodations and Modifications

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Accommodations vs. Modifications- What is the difference?

During an IEP meeting, you will hear the team discuss accommodations and/or modifications a student may need to make progress. But what is the difference between the two?

Accommodation

An accommodation in education refers to an item that helps the child access the information but doesn’t change what information is being taught or mastered.

Example:
Larger font would be an accommodation for a student with vision impairments. It helps the child access the information but doesn’t change what is begin taught.

Modification

A modification is changing “what” is learned and therefore changes the content of the grade-specific curriculum.

Example:
The student is asked to learn to spell a different list of words from what other students of the same grade level are asked to learn.

The key difference between the two is that while accommodation focuses on how the child learns, modification focuses on what he learns. To truly determine if a support is an accommodation or modification, the IEP team should take into consideration what is expected by the Common Core Standards.

Suggestions for Using Accommodations

If your child receives any accommodations or modifications per their IEP, consider the following strategies for implementation:

  • Write down a list of supports and display it on a bulletin board or wall where both you and your child can see it while working on schoolwork. Use the list to remind your student to use their accommodation while working on assignments.
  • Explain and model to the student how to use the accommodation while working on their schoolwork. Sometimes students need help with how to use the support before they become proficient in using it.
  • Practice using the accommodations frequently so the child gets used to using the supports.
  • Check-in with your child to see if the support is helping them. Consider revising the support or discontinuing it if it is not helping the child.
  • Communicate the child’s progress using the accommodation with your child’s Special Education Teacher and other IEP team members.

If you have any questions about accommodations or modifications for your child, please contact your child’s Case Manager.

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