1. Adaptations Accommodations and Modifications M. G. Werts

2. Adaptations are: • Appropriate for all curriculum areas and classroom routines • Consistent with the goals of school improvement • The rule rather than the exception in inclusive classrooms M. G. Werts

3. Adaptations are not: • Watering down the curriculum • Allowing a student to sit in the same classroom with peers • Substituting “pull aside” for “pull out” M. G. Werts

4. There are two kinds of adaptations: • Accommodations • Modifications M. G. Werts

5. Accommodations • Accommodations are changes in materials or procedures that enable students to participate in assessments in a way that allows abilities to be assessed rather than disabilities. They are provided to "level the playing field." M. G. Werts

6. Accommodations • Changes that do not alter expectations in any significant way. • Accommodations can be for anyone in your class that can’t access the learning in the regular way or can’t demonstrate what they know in the regular way. M. G. Werts

7. Without accommodations, the assessment may not accurately measure the student’s knowledge and skills. • Instructional accommodations allow students to access the curriculum in your classroom in a way that they can understand it even though their reading, writing, or math skills are below grade level. M. G. Werts

8. Accommodations • Examples of Input • Audio tapes of books • Providing summaries of chapters • Peer readers • Computer text reading programs • See ReadPlease for a free reader M. G. Werts

9. Accommodations • Examples of Output • Oral reports • Assignments on computer instead of hand written • Projects (e.g., dioramas) instead of written book reports • Demonstration of concepts in science to illustrate understanding M. G. Werts

10. Accommodations • Examples of Process • Use of calculator • Give directions in steps • Have student repeat the directions • Allow additional time depending on the task assigned • Grading the work assigned rather than the format, handwriting, spelling, etc. M. G. Werts

11. Accommodations • ALWAYS!!!! • ASSESS the efficacy of the accommodation • If it is helping-continue to use it • If it is not helping-find something else M. G. Werts

12. Modifications Modifications arechanges that alter expectations in a significant way. Different expectations M. G. Werts

13. Different expectations • Survival words instead of basal reader words • Spelling name, address, etc. instead of words in district spelling books M. G. Werts

14. M. G. Werts

15. Guiding Principles for Accommodations •  If the student has an IEP, then the accommodation must be on the IEP and have approval of the team. • The accommodation must be based on student need. Involve the student in the planning and decision of accommodation use. • Integrate classroom instruction accommodations into assessment. The student will perform on the assessment better when they are familiar with the accommodation and they know the accommodation assists their demonstrating what they know. M. G. Werts

16. Be respectful of the student’s cultural and ethnic background. Make sure that the student and their family are comfortable with the accommodation. • When using accommodations on assessments, make sure that you understand the meaning of the assessment and that the accommodation (on that instrument) does not become a modification and change the construct of the test. M. G. Werts