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The Difference Between IEP Accommodations and Modifications
When a student has an (IEP) or a , you’ll likely hear the word accommodation. You may also hear school staff members say modification. While the two words sound similar, they mean different things. An accommodation changes how a student learns the material. A modification changes what a student is taught or expected to learn. Here is a chart that explains the differences.
Here are some common accommodations and modifications for students with IEPs and 504 Plans:Presentation Accommodations:-
Listen to audio recordings instead of reading text
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Learn content from audiobooks, movies, videos, and digital media instead of reading print versions
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Work with fewer items per page or line
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Work with text in a larger print size
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Have a “designated reader”—someone who reads test questions aloud to students
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Hear instructions spoken aloud
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Record a lesson, instead of taking notes
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Get class notes from another student
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See an outline of a lesson
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Use visual presentations of verbal material, such as word webs
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Get a written list of instructions
Response Accommodations:
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Give responses in a form (spoken or written) that’s easier for them
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Dictate answers to a scribe who writes or types
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Capture responses on an audio recorder
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Use a spelling dictionary or digital spell-checker
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Use a word processor to type notes or give answers in class
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Use a calculator or table of “math facts”
Setting Accommodations:
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Work or take a test in a different setting, such as a quiet room with few distractions
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Sit where they learn best (for example, near the teacher)
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Use special lighting or acoustics
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Take a test in a small group setting
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Use sensory tools such as an exercise band that can be looped around a chair’s legs (so fidgety kids can kick it and quietly get their energy out)
Timing Accomodations:
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Take more time to complete a task or a test
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Have extra time to process spoken information and directions
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Take frequent breaks, such as after completing a worksheet
Scheduling Accommodations:-
Take more time to complete a project
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Take a test in several timed sessions or over several days
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Take sections of a test in a different order
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Take a test at a specific time of day
Organization Skills Accommodations:
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Use an alarm to help with time management
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Mark texts with a highlighter
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Use a planner or organizer to help coordinate assignments
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Receive study skills instruction
Assignment Modifications
- Complete different homework problems than peers
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Answer different test questions
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Create alternate projects or assignments
Curriculum modifications- Learn different material (such as continuing to work on multiplication while classmates move on to fractions)
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Get graded or assessed using a different standard than other students
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Be excused from particular projects
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