Misunderstandings often occur if IEP team members do not understand the intent of individual accommodations and how to incorporate them into a student’s program. This roadblock can be overcome when we all use the same language and hold a similar vision of how accommodations are intended to support a student in their learning progress.
An accommodation can be thought of as an extension ladder that a student needs to make progress in the general curriculum. By definition, an accommodation is a set of supports and/or services that do not change the curriculum. Many times the question arises that challenges the “fairness” of using an accommodation. The answer to this is simple. An accommodation can be compared to a pair of eyeglasses or a hearing aid that both give access to sight or sound without changing the sight or sound. Accommodations may include changes in the way teachers “input” information or the manner in which students “output” information. Accommodations also include assistive technology or “content enhancement” techniques.
When accommodations are being considered by an IEP team thought should be given as to how the accommodation will help the student meet the learning objective. The accommodation should also take into consideration the student’s social ability, it should meet the student’s learning preferences and goals and it must be “doable”. The accommodation must be something within reason that a teacher will have time to do and that resources are available for implementation.
Keeping these thoughts in mind, a rich discussion during an IEP meeting can develop the most appropriate accommodations needed for a student. During subsequent blog articles I will share many examples of accommodations and how they may fit into a plan.
A resource for additional information on this topic can be found at www.ade.az.gov. Type in keyword “accommodations”.
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