examples of assignment modifications

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Examples of modified assignments for students with special needs.

6 comments:

Thanks for this post. I will be sharing with my daughter's teachers.

Yes yes yes! More more please... are there other links you suggest for MORE examples! Other websites or blogs??? this is a large need for school teams. THANKS

How Do you know when your modification/adaptation is too much vs just right for a student?

You can use the IEP goals to help you decide how to modify the work.

http://teachingtoinspire.com/2013/01/differentiating-math-assessments-made.html

Very nice article. (Middle School Math/Science) I've cut sheets in half, had some students do 5 problems in a section first then go back and do more if they can, 2 day testing as opposed to one day tests, cut homework in half, created guided notes, handouts, allowed word bank usage, open book quizzes, use of notes/guides during classwork, station time etc, had them work in pairs, use as many visuals as possible, color coded formulas and the numbers we inserted into formulas, created tiered lessons.... easier level problems leading up to harder problems, calculator usage..... the list can go on. Thank you so much for the article.

IEP Planning: Accommodations & Modifications

At a glance.

Accommodations

Accommodations allow a student to complete the same tasks as their non-LD peers but with some variation in time, format, setting, and/or presentation. The purpose of an accommodation is to provide a student with equal access to learning and an equal opportunity to show what he knows and what he can do.

Accommodations are divided into four categories:

Variations in time : adapting the time allotted for learning, task completion, or testing
Variation of input : adapting the way instruction is delivered
Variation of output : adapting how a student can respond to instruction
Variation of size : adapting the number of items the student is expected to complete

Common examples of accommodations include extended time to complete assignments, provision of notes or outlines, untimed tests, and reduced number of test questions.

Modifications

Unlike accommodations, which do not change the instructional level, content, or performance criteria, modifications alter one or more of those elements on a given assignment. Modifications are changes in what students are expected to learn, based on their individual abilities.

Examples of modifications include use of alternate books, pass/no pass grading option, reworded questions in simpler language, daily feedback to a student.

Can your child participate in the activity in the same way as her peers?
If not, can she do the same activity with adapted materials?
If not, can she do the same activity with adapted expectations and materials?
If not, can she accomplish the goals of the lesson by working with a partner or small group?
If not, can she do the same activity with intermittent assistance from an adult?
If not, can she do the same activity with direct adult assistance?
If not, can she do a different, parallel activity?

Eve Kessler, Esq., a criminal appellate attorney with The Legal Aid Society, NYC, is co-founder of SPED*NET Wilton and a Contributing Editor of Smart Kids.

IEP Accommodations vs. Modifications: What’s the Difference?

Plus, how to provide them in the classroom.

As a teacher of students with disabilities, you’ll review their IEPs at least once each year. If you’re a general education teacher, the accommodations and modifications page is for you! An IEP is a legal document and must be implemented as written, so it’s important to know what accommodations and modifications your child has and how to administer them within your classroom.

What’s the difference between accommodations and modifications?

An accommodation affects how a student accesses material. These are provided within the general education setting and allow a student to access the general education curriculum. The expectations for what students are producing and what students are learning are the same. So, strategies that students are taught, ways students present information for assignments, and the length of time they have to complete an assignment are all modifications. If a student has accommodations, grading policies are the same as they are for the rest of the class.

A modification changes what the student is taught or expected to learn. The curriculum and learning outcomes are different when a student is provided with modifications. A modification could occur in the general education classroom, but the outcomes that students are expected to produce are not the same as their general education peers. The materials, tools, and technology are applied to help the child achieve the curriculum. Grading is appropriately adjusted to the needs of the student.

infographic-comparing-accommodations-and-modifications

Source: The Bender Bunch

What are some examples of accommodations and modifications?

Accommodations don’t change what a student learns, just how they access it. Some examples of accommodations:

Providing preferential seating (near the teacher, away from distraction)
Providing visuals alongside verbal information (writing directions on the board and stating them, for example)
Use of a calculator on math assignments
Reduced homework assignments (fewer problems assigned)
Permitting responses to be recorded into a test booklet
Allowing frequent breaks (every 10 minutes, for example)
Extend allotted time (by 60 minutes or double the time permitted for the test)

Learn more: Big List of IEP Accommodations Special Ed Teachers Should Bookmark

Modifications change what a student learns and how they’re assessed. Some examples of modifications:

Having students answer in limited choices (select from three responses) rather than completing a response on their own
Grading various aspects of an assignment. So, for some assignments, spelling or grammar doesn’t “count” in the grade.
Providing an assignment that is “leveled” to the student’s current functional level

How are a student’s accommodations and modifications decided?

Source: Centre for Teaching Excellence Blog/The University of Waterloo

Students who have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan will likely have accommodations. Some students who have IEPs will also have modifications. When a child is determined eligible for an IEP, the team will use the evaluation results and teacher and parent input to decide which accommodations and modifications to put in place. For example, a child whose psychological testing indicated that they have a slow processing speed may have the accommodations of extra time to work on assignments and tests, and additional wait time when asked a question. A child who is eligible for an IEP under an intellectual disability may have modifications to their work and take the state’s modified assessments.

What about 504 plans? Who decides those accommodations?

504 plans are for students who have a disability or diagnosis that impacts them in the school setting, but who do not require specially designed instruction. The accommodations provided are directly connected to the diagnosis. So, a child who has a peanut allergy will have accommodations like sitting at a peanut-free table. Or a child with a diagnosis of anxiety may be provided with a separate testing setting and the ability to ask for a break during work time. The specific accommodations are decided by the 504 team, including teachers and parents.

How do teachers implement accommodations and modifications?

At the start of each year (or when you get a new student), review the student’s IEP to make sure you know their accommodations. For example, if you have three students with preferential seating, you’ll want to make sure your seating chart reflects this. At the classroom level, it may be helpful to have a checklist that helps you ensure you are administering the accommodations that happen during instruction—things like wait time, frequent check-ins, and restating directions.

If a student has modifications, you’ll collaborate with the special education teacher to make sure the student’s work is appropriate and that their grading and testing plan is being followed.

One caveat: Accommodations and modifications are not differentiated instruction. They are individualized to each student as part of their IEP.

Read more: What Is Differentiated Instruction?

How do I grade assignments for students who have accommodations?

For a child who has accommodations, you’ll grade their assignments the same way you would any other student. The student may submit a graphic organizer or record their essay into a talk-to-text software instead of completing it on paper, but the rubric and grading criteria are the same.

What if a child does not use their accommodations?

As students develop, they may not use or need an accommodation. For example, a child with extended time allotted on tests may simply not use it. In the same way, a child may need an accommodation that’s not in their IEP—taking a test in shortened chunks, for example. A child’s accommodations can be updated at any IEP meeting. It is helpful to have data on how a child is (or is not) using an accommodation.

It’s OK if a student doesn’t use an accommodation, but as a teacher you have to offer it. So, if a child has the accommodation of a graphic organizer for writing assignments, you have to give the option of using a graphic organizer. If the student pushes it aside and writes instead, that’s OK. However, this is something to bring up in the next IEP meeting.

Have more questions about accommodations and modifications? Come talk it over with other educators in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, read more about specially designed instruction —it’s what special education is built on..

Accommodations and modifications are standard IEP fare. Here's how to distinguish between them and how to implement them in your classroom.

Examples of IEP accommodations including proving pencil grips and extended allotted test time.

80+ IEP Accommodations Every Special Ed Teacher Should Bookmark

Your go-to list. Continue Reading

4 Types of Accommodations and Modifications to Support Student Success

When differentiating instruction isn’t enough, how can teachers deliver the additional supports some students will need? Today’s blog post is a handy guide to four types of accommodations and modifications that can be worked into a student’s IEP. Excerpted and adapted from the book Teaching Math in Middle School by Leanne R. Ketterlin‑Geller, et al., these strategies will support academic success for students who need additional help. (In the book, these suggestions are framed as helpmates for teaching math effectively, though the guidance here applies across content areas.)

First, a quick review: What’s the difference between instructional accommodations and modifications?

Accommodations are changes that support access but don’t change the underlying instructional objective. For example, an instructional accommodation may change the time a student is provided to learn the content.

Modifications , on the other hand, may change the extent to which the student is required to learn the material. Often used with students who have significant intellectual disabilities, modifications help align the learning environment with more intensive needs.

Accommodations and modifications can be classified into four categories: presentation, setting, timing and scheduling, and response mode. Here’s an overview of the categories and some helpful examples of each one:

Changes to Presentation

Presentation accommodations change the way in which instructional material or assessments are disseminated to students. For example, some students may have visual impairments that make it difficult to perceive written materials. Accommodations to support access for these students may include:

Allowing them to audio- or video-record a lesson instead of taking notes
Reading the directions or problems out loud to the student
Increasing the font size—enlarging text or using a magnification device
Increasing the contrast or differentiation of information included in visual representations (e.g., using color to help students identify corresponding sides on similar figures)
Increasing white space on assignments
Reducing the number of items on a page
Allowing the student to use a screen reader
Offering tactile prompts such as physical guidance or raised-line paper
Providing the student with a copy of notes or class presentations before the lesson begins

Because these changes do not alter the content expectations, these are classified as accommodations. Some students with more significant physical, sensory, or cognitive difficulties may need modifications to presentation to gain access to the content. Examples of modifications that involve changes to presentation include:

Allowing the student to read shorter versions of a textbook that may not contain grade-level vocabulary
Shorten story problems in math by reducing the number of relevant steps needed to respond
Reduce the reading expectation for word problems (e.g., removing irrelevant information)

Because they change the depth, breadth, and/or level of proficiency of the learning objectives, these changes are modifications and should only be provided with guidance from the IEP team.

Changes to Setting

Setting accommodations are changes to the conditions or locations of instruction or assessment. Some setting accommodations that can be implemented to support these students include:

Changing the seating and/or grouping for the child, such as sitting near the teacher or away from doors or windows
Providing instruction in small groups to minimize distractions
Offering a separate location for the student to complete a test or assignment (this option should be used only when necessary)
Allowing the student to use a physical device to reduce distractions (headphones or study carrel)

Even though some students might benefit from these setting accommodations at different times during instruction, students with disabilities who have been assigned one or more of these accommodations must be provided with the accommodation on a regular basis.

Setting modifications can be considered for students with more significant characteristics that affect their ability to attend during instruction or when taking assessments. These students may need to receive individualized instruction or work with a partner on a task that was originally intended for individual students to demonstrate independence or mastery.

Changes to Timing or Scheduling

Changes to the timing or scheduling of instruction or assessments are often used to support students who process information slowly (e.g., student reads at a slow rate), have a physical disability that affects their ability to complete a task (e.g., student has difficulty with fine motor control and takes longer to write), or use another form of instructional change that requires additional time (e.g., student uses a screen reader to decode text).

Accommodations to support students’ access to the learning environment include:

Providing extended time to complete a task
Building in multiple breaks to avoid too much fatigue
Breaking a task into smaller parts
Allowing the student to take a test at a certain time of the day, such as first thing in the morning

Because accommodations don’t change the content expectations, these changes should be applied only when timing is not part of the learning objective. When timing is important, these changes may not be appropriate.

If a student needs these types of timing and scheduling changes for all tasks, including tasks that would be timed for all other students, these changes would be classified as modifications. Modifications that involve making changes to timing or scheduling include:

Providing more time for the student to respond to an assignment or test that is intended to be timed (e.g., allowing twice as much time as intended)
Extending the number of sessions a student has to complete an assignment or test that is intended to be timed (e.g., allowing the student to take a test over 2 days)

Changes to Response Mode

Examples of response mode accommodations include:

Allowing students to use a visual/graphic organizer to organize their thinking
Letting students use concrete objects/manipulatives to generate their answer
Giving students the option to write their responses directly on the assignment (as opposed to filling out an answer sheet)
Making an audio recording of your lessons
Letting students use a calculator or multiplication chart on an assignment that does not assess computation

Some students have more significant needs that require modifications to the response mode. Examples of these modifications include:

Reducing the number of items the student needs to complete
Reducing the depth of the explanation required to justify the response
Offering fewer answer options in multiple-choice tests
Letting students use a calculator or multiplication chart on an assignment that does assess computation

When you’re considering any of the instructional changes covered in today’s post, always align them with the specific needs of the student. Carefully considering both the student’s needs and your instructional expectations will help you determine how best to support access to the curriculum.

If you liked today’s post, check out the book for a complete guide to using multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS) to teach middle schoolers effectively!

Teaching Math in Middle School

Using MTSS to Meet All Students’ Needs

By Leanne R. Ketterlin Geller, Ph.D., Sarah R. Powell, Ph.D., David J. Chard, Ph.D., & Lindsey Perry, Ph.D.

Make all your middle schoolers confident and competent mathematicians with this book, your accessible guide to teaching math to every learner in Grades 6-8. Focused on knocking down roadblocks to learning, this reader-friendly resource shows you how to use MTSS—a powerful, widely adopted framework for meeting each student’s individual needs. Learn how to deliver high quality, evidence based math instruction; combine your instruction with meaningful assessment; and provide just-right supports that help students conquer their specific math struggles.