Instructional
Ms. Knight hands Johnny a photocopy of her notes before her lesson begins to help him follow the lesson. Is this a modification or accommodation?
Accommodation. It does not change curriculum expectations it just provides support for understanding.
During Instructional time Ms. Han has Hannah move to a different seat on her own to encourage focus and concentration. Would this be a modification or accommodation?
Accommodation. This arrangement is set in place to accommodate the students learning needs and does not change curriculum expectations.
A choice board recognizes all students’ interests and abilities. Would this be a modification or accommodation?
Accommodation. No content is being altered, just the format of assessment. Students have a choice in how they demonstrate their learning.
Ms. Leonora has provided the class with twelve terms from the upcoming Social Studies Unit that they are expected to know. She has given Martin a list of six terms that he is expected to know. Would this be a modification or accommodation. Explain.
Modification. The teacher has adapted the number of items that the student is expected to learn and complete. Therefore the teacher is changing the learning expectations for that student.
Henry has hearing loss and Ms. Johnson has Henry sit in the first row closer to where she teaches. She also uses an assistive device to help minimize background noise. Is this a modification or accommodation?
Accommodation. The teacher is using proximity to teacher and an assistive device to support students‘ learning. She is providing support to the student to help remove barriers in the way of their learning.
Mr. Reginald hands out novels to the class for a reading assessment. He hands Arnold a novel with a similar concept but a grade level lower for his assessment. Is this a modification or accommodation?
Modification. It changes the curriculum expectations for that student from others by working at an appropriate reading level to meet their individual expectations.
Mr. Avery notices that his class responds well to visual aids, concrete materials and hands on learning and has incorporated more of this into his instruction. Is this a modification or accommodation? Explain.
Accommodation. Mr Avery is not changing the curriculum/learning expectations. He is simply accommodating students’ learning preferences and alternating the way material is presented to the class.
On Ziya’s IEP it states that she can write her test in another room/ resource room and that she is allotted more time to complete the assessment. Why is this an accommodation?
This is an accommodation because curriculum expectations have not been changed. Ziya is writing the same test as all the other students. The only thing that has changed are the circumstances under which Ziya writes the test.
During a science test, Mr. Nicholson hands out a fill in the blank test that the students are expected to be able to do without any aids. For Cory, he gets a copy with less questions and a word bank for assistance in filling out the blanks. Why is this both an accommodation and modification?
It is both an accommodation and modification because Cory is answering less questions (modification) and he is getting an aid to assist in completing the questions (accommodation). The expectations for Cory is being changed as his requirements for the test are reduced. The word bank is a support and does not change his expected learning outcome.
Nora is working on her literacy skills and uses the ‘Read to Write’ application to help her capture her ideas quickly for her persuasive writing assignment. Is this a modification or accommodation?
Accommodation. The student is completing the same activity as everyone else, and is using assistive technology to help remove barriers to get her there. It is a change to how they are learning, not what they are learning.
During a math test, Mr. Smiths students are working on their times tables up to 5. Penelope gets the same test but is working on number identification. Is this an example of modification or accommodation?
Modification. The learning outcomes/expectations are different for Penelope even though the same material is being used.