English Language Development

(Elliott) #1

  • Reducing the expectations of an assignment or assessment (completing fewer problems,
    amount of materials, or level of problems to complete)

  • Making assignments or assessment items easier

  • Providing clues to correct responses


Accommodations and modifications play important
roles in helping students with disabilities access the core
curriculum and demonstrate what they know and can
do. The student’s IEP or 504 Plan team determines the
appropriate accommodations and modifications for both
instruction and state and district assessments. Decisions
about accommodations and modifications are made on an
individual student basis, not on the basis of category of
disability. For example, rather than selecting accommodations
and modifications from a generic checklist, IEP and 504 Plan
team members (including families and the student) carefully
consider and evaluate the effectiveness of accommodations
for each student.
Accommodations and modifications support equitable
instruction and assessment for students with disabilities.
Accommodations and modifications should be the same
across classroom instruction, classroom tests, and state and
district assessments. However, some accommodations and modifications may be appropriate only for
instructional use and may not be appropriate for use on a standardized assessment. It is crucial that
educators be familiar with state policies regarding accommodations used during assessment.


Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders


Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) represent
the fastest growing population of students with disabilities.
Students with ASD experience many challenges, especially
in the area of social awareness—understanding how their
behavior and actions affect others and interpreting the
nonverbal cues (body language) of others (Constable, Grossi,
Moniz, and Ryan 2013). Having difficulty in recognizing and
understanding the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and intentions
of others can be problematic in terms of achieving the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy that require
communication and collaboration as well as those that require interpreting the feelings, thoughts, and
intentions of characters or real persons. Teachers of students with ASD need to understand how these
difficulties manifest themselves in the classroom and how to provide instruction to help these students
comprehend and write narratives as well as successfully participate in collaborative groups. Although
some students with ASD are able to answer questions such as who, what, and where, they often
struggle to answer questions asking how and why. These issues become more challenging as the
demands to integrate information for various purposes increases at the secondary level. Teachers can
find supports to enhance comprehension and ameliorate potentially anxious and stressful experiences
by incorporating cognitive behavioral strategies identified by the National Professional Development
Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders (http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/evidence-based-practices).
Among important considerations are the following:


Accommodations and
modifications play important
roles in helping students with
disabilities access the core
curriculum and demonstrate
what they know and can
do. The student’s IEP or 504
Plan team determines the
appropriate accommodations
and modifications for both
instruction and state and
district assessments.

Students with Autism
Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
represent the fastest growing
population of students with
disabilities.

Access and Equity Chapter 9 | 907

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