Accommodations and modifications
An accommodation changes how a student learns or shows learning; a modification changes what the student is expected to learn. Mixing the two up on an IEP causes problems with grades, testing and diplomas.
These guides cover choosing accommodations that match a documented need, writing them so every teacher knows when and how to give them, checking that they are used, and deciding whether they help. They include lists by need and by subject, testing accommodations, and when a modification is the right call.
Start here
- IEP accommodations: how to choose, write and track them
How to choose IEP accommodations from the student's needs, write each one with when, how much and who, keep it from becoming a modification, and track use.
How-to guides
- Extended time: how much and how to run it
How to set the amount of extended time from data, write it so every teacher runs it the same way, and check whether the student uses it, with a worked example.
- How general education teachers implement IEP accommodations
A general education teacher's routine for IEP accommodations: read the IEP, turn each item into a classroom move, plan tests, record use and flag problems.
Examples
- Accommodation tracking sheet
An accommodation tracking sheet: the columns to use, 12 accommodations written so they can be tracked, a completed sample week and how to read the results.
- Accommodations for English learners with IEPs
20 accommodations for English learners with IEPs, written as they should read, with an accommodation or modification check and notes on state EL test rules.
- Accommodations for students with diabetes, seizures or allergies
24 school accommodations for diabetes, seizures and severe allergies, written for the IEP or 504 plan, with how they connect to the health plan and the nurse.
- Anxiety accommodations at school: 24 examples for the IEP or 504 plan
24 anxiety accommodations for school, written as they should read in an IEP or 504 plan, checked as accommodation or modification, with goals to pair them with.
- Assistive technology accommodations list
12 assistive technology accommodations written as they should read in the IEP, with an accommodation or modification check and what the AT service must cover.
- Behavioral accommodations list
16 behavior accommodations for the IEP, written with what, when, how much and who, matched to need and category, with an accommodation or modification check.
- Executive function accommodations: 24 examples for the IEP
24 executive function accommodations for starting work, planning, time, working memory, organization and self-monitoring, each written as the IEP should read.
- High school accommodations and college readiness
20 high school IEP accommodations written as they should read, each checked as accommodation or modification, plus how they carry over to college under the ADA.
- Homework accommodations in the IEP: 16 examples
16 homework accommodations written as they should read in an IEP, each checked as accommodation or modification, with grading effects and a time cap example.
- IEP accommodations list by need area
A list of 20 IEP accommodations by need area, each written the way it should read in the IEP, with a check on grading and state testing for every item.
- IEP modifications examples: assignments, grading and curriculum
Twenty IEP modifications examples for assignments, grading, curriculum and tests, each with its effect on grades and the accommodation to try first.
- Math accommodations for the IEP: 16 examples, including dyscalculia
16 math accommodations worded for the IEP, from fact charts to graph paper, each checked as accommodation or modification, plus dyscalculia notes.
- Note-taking accommodations (guided notes, copies of notes)
24 note-taking accommodations for the IEP, from guided notes to copies of teacher notes, each with what, when, how much, who, and an accommodation check.
- Reading accommodations by need: decoding, fluency and comprehension
20 reading accommodations sorted by decoding, fluency and comprehension needs, worded for the IEP and checked as accommodation or modification.
- Spelling accommodations: spell-check, word banks and 14 more for the IEP
16 spelling accommodations written for the IEP, including spell-check, word banks and spelling test changes, each checked as accommodation or modification.
- Writing accommodations for the IEP: 20 examples, including dysgraphia
20 writing accommodations worded as they should read in the IEP, each checked as accommodation or modification, with dysgraphia supports and grading effects.
Comparisons
- Accommodations vs modifications: 30 side-by-side examples
Accommodations change how a student learns or shows learning; modifications change what is learned. A deciding test, 30 examples and the grading rules.
- UDL vs accommodations
UDL is planned for the whole class; an accommodation is written for one student. A side-by-side table, one deciding question and three classroom scenarios.
Templates
- Before and after: an accommodated assignment
A fill-in template for adapting one assignment for an IEP, plus a completed before and after example for a 5th grade science task with notes on each change.
- IEP at a glance: one-page summary template for teachers
A fill-in IEP at a glance template for case managers, with a completed example and notes on what each section needs so teachers can act on it the first day.
Explainers
- Calculator as an IEP accommodation: when it fits and when it does not
When a calculator is a fair IEP accommodation and when it removes the skill being graded, shown through one student's year, with a rules table by state.
- Grading students with IEPs
How grading works with IEPs: accommodated vs modified work, report card and transcript notes, IEP progress vs grades, and where district rules differ.
- Read-aloud on reading tests: when it changes what is measured
When reading a reading test aloud is an accommodation and when it changes what the test measures, with one student's year and a state rules table.
- Reduced work as an IEP accommodation: when it becomes a modification
When fewer problems or shorter assignments stay an accommodation and when they become a modification, with one student's year, a rules table and IEP wording.
- Testing accommodations for students with IEPs
How testing accommodations work for students with IEPs: what the IEP must list, how state rules differ, and one student's plan from IEP meeting to test day.
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