Accommodate or Modify?

There's usually a big leap, content- and testing-wise, between middle school and high school. Not a big surprise. However, when students with disabilities have been working with a modified curriculum, homework requirements, and/or tests, it can be a bucket-of-ice-water in the face when transitioning to high school only to find out that those modifications could put a diploma out of reach. Especially if you've been getting As and Bs in your classes all this time. 

Given those fabulous report cards, some parents of high school freshmen and sophomores are dumbfounded when they discover that their students are struggling in every academic class and can't pass the required End-of-Course Assessments (ECAs) for algebra or English. Why is that a big deal? Because you can't graduate with a general diploma in the state of Indiana if you don't pass those tests. (Sort of. There's a GQE Evidence-based Waiver, a.k.a. "ECA waiver," for students who meet certain requirements. More about that here.)

So, stellar middle school report cards, but a frustrated flunking freshman. Where's the disconnect?  It's possible that the expectations for some students with disabilities have been lowered for years to such a degree that they're learning and progressing at a much lower level than the rest of their peers. They're still getting those As and Bs, but it's because they're not graded on the same work, tests or even content. Academic life has been modified for them. 

Modifications are tempting. They make life easier for everyone. Certainly students, but also teachers and especially parents who play the role of homework wrangler every night. And believe me, I get it. Modifications can make life liveable. Thirty math problems, a presentation on Renaissance artists, prepping for that botany quiz, and an essay on Lois Lowry's The Giver can be meltdown and rage-inducing for an 8th grader with autism. 

I think, at times and for some students (mine included), that modifications are essential for sanity. But they come at a price, and it's often one that isn't explained to parents and students until they're six weeks or more into their freshman year. 

Here's the thing: Accommodations are okay. Modifications, not so much IF you want to graduate with more than a certificate of completion.  What's the difference?

Accommodations give students with disabilities access to the same curriculum, tests and work expected of every other student. These are the things that "level the playing field" a bit. They include things like:

• reading a test aloud 
• letting a student read the test aloud to themselves
• letting a student take a test in quiet room
• large-print text books
• text books for at-home use 
• allowing a student to use a computer
• giving extra time to complete an assignment or take a test
• giving short breaks during a test

Those are just a few of the commonly used accommodations, which will vary depending upon the barriers or challenges a student has that prevent he/she from taking a test or soaking up the content a teacher is providing. Case conference committees (IEP teams) need to approve necessary accommodations and they must be written into the IEP. Accommodations listed on a student's IEP can also be used when that student is taking a statewide assessment like an ECA test (or an ISTEP test in elementary school). 

Modifications, on the other hand, actually change either what is being taught or what is expected of a student. They might enable students to learn at least some of the material being taught in a classroom. Common modifications include:

• allowing fewer math problems
• substituting with simpler content material
• substituting videos for written content
• providing word banks of choices on tests
• shorter tests
• pass/fail options

Modifications might decrease student stress and anxiety to the point that they can be included in a general education class. Those modifications, though, may prevent a high school student from demonstrating her/his mastery of or proficiency in a subject or skill, which may in turn prevent the student from being graded the same way peers are graded. And, of course, the more modifications are used in elementary and middle school, the less likely the student will be able to tolerate higher level content expectations and testing in high school and college. 

For a more comprehensive list of accommodations and modifications, see the Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities website here.    

I think there's room for debate as to which camp some of the accommodations and modifications should be pitching their tents in. Use of a calculator on math assessments, for example, is accepted as an accommodation for many standardized tests, but it's listed as a modification in some instances. I understand that if the test is assessing mastery of multiplication, and the student is depending on a calculator for the answer, that would be seen as a modification. I believe, however, that students with severe fine motor or dysgraphia challenges should be allowed to use a caculator for algebra and higher level math. 

This is just as much as issue in postsecondary education. Son FF, who does have nasty dysgraphia problems, is taking an intro to government/political science community college class. He can easily tell you that Jefferson borrowed from Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Thomas Paine when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. He can also explain to you how Shay's Rebellion illustrated the need for a stronger Constitution or how third-party campaigns have influenced elections and public thought. Can he write you an in-class essay on any of those topics during a midterm or final exam (currently required)? No. 

Should the instructor be required to test him verbally or give him an alternative assessment? I don't honestly know. I admit to being torn on this one. I'm a writer. I think writing is an important form of neuro-organization and communication. But I understand the Universal Design for Instruction argument about supporting learners in both instruction and assessment. (See "Universal Design for Learning: Implications for Large-Scale Assessment." Should the college encourage, support and accept the use of assistive technology (e.g., laptops, word processing software with grammar and spell checking, and speech-to-text software like Dragon)? Absolutely--and the sooner the better. Right now, though, they're sadly lagging in that department. 

Any readers have secondary or postsecondary experiences with the accommodations vs. modifications issue? Sharing and problem-solving much appreciated!