What is the difference between an accommodation and modification? After spending ten years in education and working with special education students, I used to believe that accommodations and modifications were the same things. Nothing could be further than the truth. They are, in fact, very much different. It is described in an IEP and how it is used in the classroom.
In education, “accommodation” and “modification” refer to changes made to instruction or testing to support students with disabilities or other unique learning needs. While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings:
The Difference between Accommodation and modification
- Accommodations: These are changes made to instruction, materials, or testing that allow students with a disability or other unique learning needs to access the same curriculum as their peers. Accommodations do not change the curriculum’s content or standards but how students access and interact with the content. Examples of accommodations include providing extended time on tests, using assistive technology, providing a quiet space for testing, or allowing using a calculator or spell-checker.
- Modifications: These are changes made to instruction, materials, or testing that alter the content or standards of the curriculum to make it more accessible to a student with a disability or other unique learning needs. Modifications are changes to what is being taught, not how it is prepared. Examples of modifications include reducing the number of math problems required to complete an assignment, using simplified texts, or altering the grading criteria for an assignment.
It’s important to note that accommodations and modifications are not one-size-fits-all solutions and should be determined on a case-by-case basis based on the individual needs of each student.- These needs should be discovered through an FIE. There is a clear path to creating an IEP for each student in a Special education program.
This includes:
1. Assessing the student’s needs and strengths through an FIE (Functional Individualized Education Program).
2. Collaborating with parents, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to develop a plan meeting the student’s needs.
3. Carefully crafting the IEP to ensure all of the
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