504 plan accommodations list
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
504 plan accommodations change how a student learns or shows learning, not what the student is expected to learn. Good ones fall into four categories: presentation, response, setting and timing. Each should state what is provided, when, how much and who provides it. The list below gives 16 written out in full, each checked for its effect on grading and testing.
This list is for the teacher or 504 coordinator writing or reviewing the accommodation section of a plan. Every item is written as it should appear on the form. The numbers are illustrations to adapt from the student's data, not defaults. For condition-by-condition samples, see 504 plan examples; for what a 504 plan is, see the 504 plan guide.
Accommodation or modification: the test
Ask one question of every item: does it change what the student must learn or how the work is scored against the standard? If no, it is an accommodation. If yes, it is a modification.
Section 504 is about equal access. The regulations require regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student's needs as adequately as the needs of students without disabilities are met.[1] Most 504 plans therefore list accommodations only. A plan can contain services, but once a student needs changes to the content itself, the team should ask whether an evaluation for an IEP is due. The IEP vs 504 comparison covers that decision.
Accommodations should not lower expectations or change the construct a test measures.[3] That is why the same support can be an accommodation on one task and a modification on another. Reading a science test aloud is an accommodation. Reading a decoding test aloud changes what it measures.
Need to category: the matching table
Start from the barrier you saw, not from a menu. Match it to a category, then pick the item.
| What the data show | Category | Items on this page |
|---|---|---|
| Understands content heard but not read | Presentation | 1, 2 |
| Misses spoken directions or loses track of multi-step tasks | Presentation | 3, 4 |
| Knows the answer but handwriting or spelling hides it | Response | 5, 6 |
| Loses work, forgets steps, or makes careless errors | Response | 7, 8 |
| Off task near noise, movement or peers | Setting | 9, 10 |
| Anxious or overwhelmed in large groups | Setting | 11, 12 |
| Accurate but slow; runs out of time | Timing | 13, 14 |
| Fatigue, medication timing or health needs | Timing | 15, 16 |
The glossary has entries for each category: presentation, response, setting and timing.
Presentation accommodations
1. Audio access to text. "The student has access to text-to-speech or audio versions of textbooks and assigned readings in science and social studies. Materials are posted on the class page 2 school days before they are assigned. Provided by the classroom teacher; set up by the technology staff."
- Check: accommodation for content classes. On a reading comprehension test that measures decoding, it would be a modification.
- Grading and testing: no effect on grades. On state tests, only where the state manual allows it.
2. Read-aloud on tests. "On classroom tests and quizzes that do not measure reading, directions and questions are read aloud on request, by an adult or by text-to-speech. All core classes. Provided by the classroom teacher or resource staff."
- Check: accommodation, because reading is not the skill being tested.
- Grading and testing: none in class. See the read-aloud entry for state test limits.
3. Written directions. "Directions for any task with more than 2 steps are given in writing as well as aloud, as a numbered list on the board or on the page. All classes. Provided by the classroom teacher."
- Check: accommodation. The task is unchanged.
- Grading and testing: none.
4. Copy of notes. "The student receives a copy of the teacher's notes or slides for each lesson, by the end of the school day, and takes notes on the provided copy. All core classes."
- Check: accommodation, unless note-taking itself is the graded skill.
- Grading and testing: none. The note-taking accommodation guide covers versions of this.
Response accommodations
5. Typing or speech-to-text. "The student may type or use speech-to-text for any written response longer than 3 sentences, including tests. Spelling is not graded except on spelling assessments. All classes."
- Check: accommodation on content tests. Not scoring spelling is fine when spelling is not the standard being graded.
- Grading and testing: none, if the rubric already focuses on content.
6. Answers in the test booklet. "The student writes answers directly in the test booklet instead of on a separate answer sheet. An adult transfers answers when a bubble sheet is required."
- Check: accommodation.
- Grading and testing: none in class; state rules decide whether an adult may transfer answers.
7. Graphic organizer. "The student may use a blank graphic organizer for written responses longer than one paragraph. The organizer is provided by the teacher and does not contain content."
- Check: accommodation, as long as the organizer is blank. A partly filled organizer that supplies ideas is a modification.
- Grading and testing: none. See graphic organizer.
8. Calculator for multi-step problems. "The student may use a four-function calculator on multi-step word problems in math and science, but not on fact fluency or computation checks."
- Check: accommodation for problem solving; a modification if the standard is computation.
- Grading and testing: allowed on state tests only on sections the state permits.
Setting accommodations
9. Seating with a distance. "The student sits within 6 feet of the teacher's usual teaching spot and away from the door and pencil sharpener. All classes. Assigned by the classroom teacher."
- Check: accommodation.
- Grading and testing: none. A distance replaces the vague "preferential seating." See preferential seating.
10. Separate location for tests. "Tests and quizzes longer than 20 minutes are taken in a small-group room with 6 or fewer students, proctored by resource staff."
- Check: accommodation.
- Grading and testing: none in class. Usually allowed on state tests.
11. Breaks with a pass. "The student may take up to 2 breaks of no more than 5 minutes per class period, using a break pass, to a set location. The student signs back in."
- Check: accommodation. The limits keep it from becoming a way out of the work.
- Grading and testing: on timed tests, break time does not count against the clock.
12. Quiet workspace option. "During independent work, the student may move to a study carrel or use noise-reducing headphones. All classes."
- Check: accommodation.
- Grading and testing: none.
Timing accommodations
13. Extended time. "Time and a half on tests, quizzes and in-class writing tasks over 15 minutes. All core classes. Tests that cannot be finished in the period are finished the same day in the resource room."
- Check: accommodation when speed is not the skill being measured.
- Grading and testing: none. The extended time guide covers how to tell if it is working.
14. Chunked long-term assignments. "Projects longer than one week are broken into 3 or more checkpoints with separate due dates. The teacher gives the checkpoint calendar with the assignment."
- Check: accommodation. The final product is unchanged.
- Grading and testing: checkpoints may be graded for completion only, if the teacher grades them that way for all students.
15. Testing at a set time of day. "Tests in core classes are scheduled in the morning when possible, within 3 hours of medication. If a test falls in the afternoon, the student may take it the next morning."
- Check: accommodation.
- Grading and testing: no grade effect.
16. Make-up schedule after absences. "After an absence caused by the student's condition, the student has 1 school day per day absent to make up work, with no more than 2 make-up tests in one day."
- Check: accommodation.
- Grading and testing: no late penalty during the make-up window.
What a modification would look like instead
Teams sometimes write these into a 504 plan without noticing:
| Item | Why it is a modification | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Half the spelling list | Fewer standards assessed | Consider an evaluation if the student needs this |
| Word bank on a vocabulary test | Changes recall to recognition | Keep it off the 504 plan or document the change |
| Grade-level reading replaced with an easier book | Changes the content | Belongs in an IEP with goals |
| Alternate rubric with fewer criteria | Changes how mastery is judged | Discuss grading with the team |
Report cards may show that a student received special education or related services, but transcripts generally should not reveal disability information to colleges or employers.[4] Grading questions belong in the plan meeting, not in a teacher's private decision. The grading students with IEPs guide works through common cases.
Writing tips that save arguments later
- Quantify: "time and a half," "within 6 feet," "up to 2 breaks of 5 minutes."
- Name the classes: "all core classes" or "math and science only."
- Name the person: classroom teacher, counselor, nurse, resource staff.
- Separate class tests from state tests. State testing manuals decide what is allowed on state tests.[5]
- Remove what does not help. If a student never uses an accommodation, discuss it at the review and take it out. An accommodation tracking sheet shows who used what.
The Office for Civil Rights guide to Section 504 explains the federal rules on evaluation and placement for families and staff.[2]
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common 504 plan accommodations?
Extended time, testing in a separate location, breaks, written directions, copies of notes, seating near instruction and access to audio text are among the most common. The right ones depend on the barrier shown in the student's data.
Can a 504 plan include modifications?
Section 504 does not ban them, but most 504 plans list accommodations only. If a student needs the content or standard changed, the team should ask whether the student needs special education and an evaluation for an IEP.
Do 504 accommodations apply to state tests?
Only those the state testing manual allows. List state test accommodations separately from classroom accommodations so teachers know which apply where.
Who is responsible for providing 504 accommodations?
Whoever the plan names, usually classroom teachers, plus the counselor, nurse or resource staff for specific items. The 504 coordinator oversees the plan. Each accommodation should name its provider.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Accommodation in the IEP glossary
- Modification in the IEP glossary
- Section 504 in the IEP glossary
- Timing accommodation in the IEP glossary
- Setting accommodation in the IEP glossary
Related guides
- What is an IEP? A plain guide to the plan and what is in it
- 504 plan examples by condition
- What is a 504 plan? Eligibility, contents and an example
- IEP vs 504 plan: differences, examples and how to choose
- 504 plan for ADHD
- 504 plan for anxiety
Sources
- 34 CFR §104.33: Free appropriate public education, eCFR (National Archives)
- Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools (2016), U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
- Accommodations: Instructional and Testing Supports for Students with Disabilities, IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University
- Dear Colleague Letter: Report Cards and Transcripts for Students with Disabilities (October 17, 2008), U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
- National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.