Selecting Accommodations

Sources of information about whether a student needs accommodations include:

• the IEP, if the student has been properly evaluated and staffed into a program for students with a disability
• the 504 plan, if the student has physical or mental disabilities but does not meet exceptional student education (ESE) eligibility criteria
• previous teachers, parents, or the student.

Once the decision has been made that accommodations are needed, five guiding principles should be followed when determining whether a particular accommodation is appropriate.

• The accommodation must be necessary for the student to be able to learn and demonstrate mastery of knowledge or skills.
• The accommodation should facilitate demonstration of what the student knows or can do as independently as possible.
• The accommodation must not provide the student with an unfair advantage or interfere with the validity of the test.
• An accommodation to a state or district test must be the same, or nearly the same, as one used by the student in completing classroom instruction and assessment activities.
• Accommodations that are not permitted on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) may be used in the classroom if the student’s parents or guardians have provided their consent in writing.

Resources

• For more information on selecting accommodations, go to the Accommodations database of this website or download the book Accommodations: Assisting Students with Disabilities, A Guide for Educators. (PDF, 82 pages, 607 KB)
• For information on Florida test accommodations policies, go to the Florida Statutes and Rules Addressing Accommodations page on this website.
• To learn about devices and services that can help a person with a disability increase, maintain, or improve his or her capabilities, go to the Assistive Technology page of this website.

Methods & Materials | Assignments & Assessments | Learning Environment
Time & Schedule | Communications Systems
Assistive Technology
Accommodations in Lesson Design