Common
Definitions: Adaptations, Accommodations, Modifications
Diagnostic Centers,
California Southern, Northern, Central
As is described in I.D.E.A.
Reauthorization, individuals with disabilities are to receive a free
and appropriate public education (F.A.P.E.). This education must
occur in the least restrictive environment (L.R.E.), with
supplementary aids and supports when necessary. Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides some clarification as to how
these aids and supports are provided in the L.R.E. for individuals
with disabilities:
Aids, benefits, and
services must afford an eligible student equal opportunity to obtain
the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level
of achievement in the most integrated setting appropriate to the
student’s needs. These aids, benefits, services are not required to
produce the identical result, or level of achievement for both
students with disabilities and students without disabilities.
For the purposes of
clarification, the following definitions are suggested to
differentiate how individuals with disabilities receive “equal
opportunity to obtain results and benefits” but may not necessarily
“produce identical results or levels of achievement” as compared
to students without disabilities. Students participate in “least
restrictive” learning environments and are held accountable for
performance in those environments through curricular adaptations.
- Curricular Adaptations are changes permissible in educational environments which allow the student equal opportunity to obtain access, results, benefits, and levels of achievement. These adaptations consist of both accommodations and modifications.
Some curricular adaptations
do not fundamentally alter or lower standards or expectations in
either the instructional or assessment phases of a course of study
and can be designated as “accommodations.” These accommodations
provide access to participate in the L.R.E. and an opportunity to
demonstrate mastery of performance standards.
Some adaptations do alter or
lower standards or expectations and can be termed “modifications.”
These modifications, although providing access, will necessitate
careful selection of assessment components to achieve accountability
for performance.
A student may be learning
the same curriculum as others, but require substantially altered
materials or instruction much lower in the developmental sequence of
general curriculum in order to progress towards academic mastery. The
IEP team will consider which, if any, assessment components, with
modifications, validly measure progress. Additional, multiple
measures of progress may also be selected by the IEP team.
A student may be
participating in activities in the classroom through the use of
highly modified curriculum. The goal of this participation may be to
access the environment in order to work on alternate functional
curriculum, with goals to achieve maximum independence and quality of
life. Highly modified curriculum may be the means of achieving
inclusion in the activities to achieve other outcomes. The IEP team
may therefore determine that participation in general assessment does
not meaningfully measure educational achievement. Assessment for this
student will be an alternate assessment that validly measures the
intended outcomes of the instruction. Additional, multiple measures
of progress may be also selected by the IEP team.
- Accommodations are changes in course content, teaching strategies, standards, test presentation, location, timing, scheduling, expectations, student responses, environmental structuring, and/or other attributes which provide access for a student with a disability to participate in a course/standard/test, which DO NOT fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectations of the course/standard/test.
- Modifications are changes in course content, teaching strategies, standards, test presentation, location, timing, scheduling, expectations, student responses, environmental structuring, and/or other attributes which provide access for a student with a disability to participate in a course/standard/test, which DO fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectations of the course/standard/test.
Source:
http://www.pent.ca.gov/acc/commondefinitions_accom-mod.pdf
Alumna Caterina Bergaló
Alumna Caterina Bergaló
very interesting description of how adaptation should be made in order to be really effective. Good work!
ResponderBorrarcan you add your name?
ResponderBorrar