Accommodation vs Modification
Assistive technology is "necessary for some, and good for all" - do you consider this a modification or an accommodation?
Accommodation
Accommodations alter what a student is expected to learn.
FALSE
What would be a recommended assessment accommodation strategy for a student with a learning disability that impacts their Fine Motor Skills?
One of the following:
• Provide extra time.
• Give oral tests/scribe answers for the student.
• Give tests with a variety of formats to reduce the amount of writing required (true/false, multiple choice).
• Use assistive devices (computer, assistive programs, specific paper/writing tools).
• Provide choice in assignments, including some with less writing demands (Power Point presentations, for example)
https://www.teachspeced.ca/learning-disabilities-specific-learning-disorders?q=node/704
Which of the following best describes a modification?
A. Allowing a student to use noise-cancelling headphones
B. Chunking tasks into smaller steps
C. Revising learning expectations to meet the student’s individual learning needs
D. Offering additional time for an assessment
C. Revising learning expectations to meet the student’s individual learning needs
Samuel is a grade 4 student working towards Grade 2 reading expectations outlined in his IEP. This is an example of:
Modifications are adjustments to the grade-appropriate curriculum expectations to better fit a student’s specific educational needs. Modifications are documented on the IEP and in elementary schools for language and math often utilize curriculum of a different grade level.
What would be a recommended instructional accommodation strategy for a student with a learning disability that impacts their Sequencing Skills?
One of the following:
• Pair visual/concrete objects with ordering activities.
• Develop and use “how to” steps for curriculum expectations.
• Use mnemonics for the student to remember steps.
• Use graphic organizers for the student to record ordered information.
• Use prediction questions involving sequencing.
• Use computers and/or assistive technology (Inspirations for graphic organizers to assist text development).
• Use numbers and letters to represent order.
• Use colour coding for ordering story parts (beginning=green, middle=yellow, end=red).
• Use cloze activities, where one part is missing for the student to complete, and gradually increase the number of missing parts.
https://www.teachspeced.ca/learning-disabilities-specific-learning-disorders?q=node/724
Which of the following best describes an accommodation?
A. Teaching a student a completely different lesson with a separate task
B. Using assistive technology to support the student in accessing the same task as his/her classmates
C. Adjusting the curriculum expectations for the student
D.Allowing the student to be exempt from the task
B. Using assistive technology to access the same curriculum
https://www.ldatschool.ca/assistive-technology/
Mr.Beck reads all the test questions aloud to Jocelyn. She then writes her answers independently. This is considered:
When developing accommodations, you should consult with the student, parents/guardians and all of the teachers who teach the student!
What would be a recommended instructional accommodation strategy for a student with a learning disability that impacts their Non-Verbal Reasoning?
One of the following:
• Use language-based instructions frequently (oral and written).
• Directly teach problem-solving methods.
• Encourage the student to use oral and written methods to solve non-verbal problems (talking to self, writing steps).
• Frequently check for level of understanding.
• Chunk non-verbal tasks and give feedback frequently.
• Allow for additional time.
• Use reference materials (formula sheets).
• Use step-by-step instruction and develop “how to” references for the student.
• Encourage use of calculators.
• Use highlighters to promote pattern skills.
• Use a home communication book/agenda.
• Use manipulatives, combined with oral instructions.
• Provide direct instruction for attaining information from diagrams, maps and charts.
https://www.teachspeced.ca/learning-disabilities-specific-learning-disorders?q=node/714
Which is not a characteristic of a Mild Intellectual Disability:
A. An ability to profit educationally within a regular class with the aid of considerable curriculum modification and support services;
B. an inability to profit educationally within a regular class because of slow intellectual development;
C. a potential for academic learning, independent social adjustment, and economic self-support.
D. A condition of partial or total impairment of sight or vision that, even with correction affects educational performance adversely.
Students are asked to research and write a one-page report explaining how human activities impact a specific ecosystem, citing three sources and using scientific vocabulary.
Lily is working on at a Grade 2 science expectations focused on recognizing living and non-living things in the environment. She is tasked with identifying three living and three non-living things in a local ecosystem (e.g., forest or pond), with one sentence describing how humans might affect one of them. Is this an accommodation or a modification?
Accommodations are only permitted during assessments, not during regular classroom instruction, and they are only provided for students with physical disabilities.
FALSE
What would be a recommended assessment accommodation strategy for a student with a learning disability that impacts their Verbal Ability?
One of the following:
• Provide extra time.
• Use computers/assistive technology.
• Ensure the student understands test questions.
• Provide options for assignments for the student to choose areas to demonstrate his/her strengths.
• Reduce oral presentations.
• Use cloze and/or multiple choice rather than essay questions.
https://www.teachspeced.ca/learning-disabilities-specific-learning-disorders?q=node/729
Which statement is incorrect?
a. Modifications may include reducing the number or complexity of curriculum expectations
b. Modifications can impact what a student is being evaluated on for their report card.
c. Modifications are optional and do not need to be documented in the IEP
d. Modifications are minor changes made in how a student demonstrates learning, not what they learn
C & D are incorrect.
Modifications must be documented in the student's IEP and ARE NOT optional.
Modifications will change the grade level and/or complexity of the regular curriculum
Carson is assigned fewer questions to complete during a math activity, but the questions are at the same grade level and meet the same expectations. This is an example of:
A student can only have either a modified program or an accommodated program on their IEP—they cannot have both.
FALSE - a student’s IEP can include both accommodations and modifications. For example, a student might have accommodations in Science (e.g., extra time, assistive tech) and modifications in Math (e.g., curriculum expectations from a lower grade level) based on their individual needs.
What would be a recommended environmental accommodation strategy for a student with a learning disability that impacts their Phonological Processing?
One of the following:
• Use preferential seating to avoid distractions, so that the student is close enough to access assistive technology and manipulatives.
• Post reference information relating to phonology (word walls, word families, suffix and prefix rules, etc.).
https://www.teachspeced.ca/learning-disabilities-specific-learning-disorders?q=node/718
Which is considered an environmental accommodation?
A. Use of manipulative or concrete materials to complete a math activity
B. Using a graphic organizer to support paragraph writing
C. Allowing the student to work in a quiet, low-stimulation setting to reduce distractions
D. Providing extra time to complete tests and assignments
C. Allowing the student to work in a quiet, low-stimulation setting to reduce distractions