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October 5, 2018

Accommodations, Modifications, and Interventions [VIDEO]

Keeping Up With Educational Jargon

There is so much educational jargon to keep up with these days, and oftentimes it’s hard to remember it all. In this video blog, Keely does an excellent job of explaining, and giving examples, on how to use the words ‘accommodation,’ ‘modification,’ and ‘intervention.’ Review these words and the appropriate uses for them here!

Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Keely from Learners Edge.

As a former special education teacher and special education coordinator, I witnessed quite a bit of confusion surrounding the terms accommodation, adaptation, modification, and intervention. So let’s talk about the definitions, and how they’re different.

An accommodation allows a student to complete the same test or assignment as other students, but with a change in timing, formatting, setting, scheduling, response, or presentation. An accommodation does not alter the rigor or expectations being measured in the assignment or assessment. Accommodations provide access. The term adaptation is sometimes, used synonymously.

  • Examples of accommodations or adaptations, might be splitting a test into two testing frames, or oral presentation of learned information versus written. Remember, while accommodations are typically in an individualized education plan or 504 plan teachers can still provide these informal supports without such a document.

modification is an adjustment to a test or an assignment that changes the standard or what the assignment or test is meant to measure. A modification typically, lowers or reduces learning expectations.

  • Examples of modifications might include, changing a project’s must-haves to allow a student to focus on one content standard, or shortening an assessment to test on only key concepts taught versus all of the concepts that are taught.

An intervention is a specific skill building strategy, implemented above and beyond core instruction. And it’s monitored to improve a targeted skill to achieve adequate progress in a specific area, which could be academic or behavioral.

  • Examples include small group instruction in social skills or maybe, 20 minutes of additional instruction in a reading comprehension strategy, depending, of course, on the student’s individual needs. I hope this helps clarify these terms for you.

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