Clear Differences Between Accommodations vs Modifications for IEPs and 504 Plans

If you are a parent or educator trying to understand the difference between accommodations and modifications, this guide will walk you through clear definitions, real examples, and what each choice can mean for a student’s future.

You might have heard advice like “Ask for accommodations, not modifications” without anyone slowing down to explain why. Many families, teachers, and even school teams use these terms loosely, which leads to confusing IEP meetings, mixed messages about expectations, and real anxiety about grades, diplomas, and college.

This article is for parents and caregivers of neurodivergent K–12 students, as well as the educators, school support staff, and helpers who support them. We will look at how accommodations and modifications work inside IEPs and 504 plans, how they show up in daily classroom life, and how they connect to executive function skills like planning, organization, and time management.

Along the way, you will see side-by-side comparisons, real-life school scenarios, and a simple checklist you can bring to your next IEP or 504 meeting. The goal is not to talk you into or out of any one option, it is to give you enough clarity that you can ask confident questions, understand the trade-offs, and work with the team to match supports to your student’s actual needs.

Why this matters: when families and schools are clear about the difference between accommodations and modifications, students are more likely to get the right level of support today without closing doors on future goals like graduating with a standard diploma or applying to college.

TL;DR

If you only remember a few key ideas, these points will help you use accommodations and modifications more confidently in IEPs and 504 plans.

• Accommodations change how a student learns or shows what they know, while keeping the learning goals and standards the same.
• Modifications change what a student is expected to learn, often by adjusting the amount or difficulty of the work or the standards used for grading.
• Accommodations focus on access and reduce barriers, including executive function load, without lowering expectations for content or skills.
• Heavy use of modifications can influence grades, diploma options, and access to some state tests or college entrance exams, which is why families deserve clear information.
• Many supports that help with planning, organization, working memory, and time management are accommodations, especially when they rely on checklists, visual schedules, structured routines, or extra time.
• A simple decision checklist can help your IEP or 504 team decide whether a support is acting as an accommodation or a modification and whether it matches the student’s current needs.
• Tools like executive function assessments, EF education hubs, and coaching can help you identify barriers, choose supports, and build skills over time.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not legal, medical, or mental health advice. Talk with your school team or qualified professionals about your specific situation.

What Is the Difference Between Accommodations and Modifications?

The key difference is that accommodations change how a student learns or shows what they know, while modifications change what the student is expected to learn in the first place.

Many families and teachers first meet these terms in meetings where there is very little time to slow down and unpack them. That can leave everyone feeling unsure about whether a support belongs in the “accommodation” column, the “modification” column, or somewhere in between. Getting clear on this difference helps IEP and 504 teams match supports to the student’s real needs, rather than guessing based on gut feeling or school culture.

What Is an Accommodation in an IEP or 504 Plan?

An accommodation is a change in how a student accesses instruction or shows their learning, without changing the learning goals or academic standards. The target stays the same as it is for peers, but the path to reach that target is adjusted.

Common examples include changes to timing, setting, presentation, or response. For instance, a student might get extra time on tests, instructions read aloud, access to audiobooks, or the option to type instead of handwrite. These supports are meant to remove barriers that come from disability related needs, including executive function differences, while keeping expectations for content and skills aligned with the general curriculum.

If you want a family focused primer that uses similar language, resources such as the Michigan Alliance for Families and the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center describe accommodations as supports that “level the playing field” rather than lowering the bar.

What Is a Modification in Special Education?

A modification changes what the student is working toward. The content, the amount of work, the level of difficulty, or the performance standards are adjusted so they are no longer the same as the general education expectations.

Examples of modifications include assigning shorter or simpler reading passages instead of the full grade level text, grading a student only on a subset of standards, or providing a different assignment that is below grade level. In some cases, a student may work on alternate standards or an alternate curriculum that is not tied to the state’s regular diploma requirements.

Because modifications change expectations, they are often used when the IEP team agrees that grade level targets are not appropriate even with strong instruction and accommodations in place. That is why many state level resources encourage teams to think carefully about when modifications are needed and how they may affect future courses, assessments, and diplomas.

A Quick Comparison Table You Can Share With Your Team

The table below summarizes the most important differences at a glance.

Many state and national resources, including briefs from the National Center on Educational Outcomes, use similar language to describe accommodations as access supports and modifications as changes to expectations. When you keep “how versus what” in mind, it becomes much easier to read an IEP or 504 plan and notice which supports belong in each column.

Why This Difference Matters for Neurodivergent Learners and Families

Understanding the difference between accommodations and modifications matters because these choices shape both a student’s day-to-day experience and their long-term options.

On the surface, it can feel like “support is support,” especially when everyone in the meeting is stressed and trying to help. In practice, though, calling something an accommodation or a modification changes how teachers plan instruction, how grades are recorded, and which diploma or assessment pathways stay open. When the language is fuzzy, families and educators are more likely to make decisions that do not match the student’s strengths, needs, or future goals.

Many family-focused guides from states like Michigan and Indiana note a pattern: extensive use of modifications over several years can alter a student’s graduation pathway. For example, Indiana’s Accommodation vs. Modification guidance explains that a modified high school course does not earn standard diploma credit but instead counts toward an alternate diploma, which is why teams need clear conversations about long-term plans.

Accommodations, on the other hand, are usually designed to support access to the same standards and assessments that peers work toward, although specific rules vary by state and test.

Imagine a student who has had simplified reading assignments and reduced writing expectations since middle school. Everyone on the team is acting with care, and the student is working hard. Then, in 10th grade, the family learns that the student may not meet the requirements for a standard diploma without significant changes. From the family’s point of view, it can feel like this news came out of nowhere. From the school’s point of view, the pattern has been visible for years. Clear conversations about accommodations and modifications earlier on could have helped everyone see the trade-offs and plan together.

This distinction also affects how neurodivergent students see themselves. When supports are framed as accommodations that remove barriers, students are more likely to understand that the issue is the environment or the way information is presented, not their worth or intelligence. When the focus is mainly on changing or lowering expectations without explaining why, some students may internalize the idea that they are simply “not capable” of certain work, even when that is not the story the adults intend to tell.

For families and educators, learning this vocabulary is not about memorizing jargon. It is about having a shared, honest language to talk about what a student is working toward, what kind of help they receive along the way, and how those choices connect to future opportunities in high school, college, work, and independent life.

Examples of Accommodations vs Modifications in Real School Settings

In real classrooms, the difference between accommodations and modifications shows up in the details of lessons, tests, and grading decisions.

It is one thing to read a definition and another thing to look at a real schedule, assignment, or gradebook and decide which column a support belongs in. Walking through concrete examples can help you see how these terms play out in everyday school life so you can ask clearer questions in IEP or 504 meetings.

In Classroom Instruction

Imagine a seventh grader with ADHD and dyslexia in a general education language arts class. The class is reading the same novel, and the unit is tied to grade level standards about analyzing character, theme, and plot.

• As an accommodation: The student listens to the book through an audiobook, has directions read aloud, and uses a graphic organizer to plan written responses. The class discussions and written assignments still ask the student to meet the same standards as peers.
• As a modification: The student reads shorter passages that are below grade level, responds to fewer questions, and is graded only on basic recall rather than analysis. The standards they are working toward are no longer the same as those for the rest of the class.

Guides such as the IEP development guide from the Texas Education Agency and the concise handout on accommodations and modifications from Indiana FSSA list many similar instructional examples. They consistently show accommodations as changes to how content is delivered or practiced, while modifications change the content itself.

On Tests and Quizzes

The same student now has a unit quiz on that novel. The class will answer short response questions and one longer written prompt.

• As an accommodation: The student takes the quiz in a quieter room, has the questions read aloud, and uses speech to text for writing. They still answer all of the same questions that classmates answer, and their work is scored with the same rubric.
• As a modification: The student answers fewer questions that focus on simple recall, or receives a different quiz with easier items. The teacher grades the student based on these alternative expectations.

Many state and national resources treat accommodations on tests as a way to remove access barriers, not to change what the test measures. For example, the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center notes that accommodations may be permitted on some statewide or college entrance exams, while modifications usually are not because they alter the test too much.

In Grading, Homework, and Long-Term Projects

Grading decisions are another place where the line between accommodations and modifications gets blurry, especially for homework or projects that stretch over several weeks.

• Accommodation example: A student with executive function challenges uses a visual project timeline, chunked deadlines, frequent check ins, and a rubric review before turning in a science project. The project is graded with the same rubric as everyone else.
• Modification example: The student completes a smaller project with fewer required components, skips the written report, or is graded on effort only. The grading standards are changed to match this different task.

Many teacher facing explanations, including articles from classroom resources like We Are Teachers and district guidance documents, recommend that IEP teams be explicit: if grading criteria are different because the work itself is changed, that support should be labeled as a modification, not an accommodation. That way families and students can see which grades reflect the same standards and which are based on adjusted expectations.

What About State Tests and College Entrance Exams?

Statewide tests and college entrance exams add another layer, because they follow their own rules about which supports count as accommodations and which are not allowed.

In general, accommodations that change how a test is given, such as extra time, small group settings, or having directions read aloud, may be approved as long as they preserve what the test measures. Modifications that change the content, such as reducing the number of test items or simplifying the language of questions, usually are not allowed on these exams.

Guides from resources like the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center and briefs from the National Center on Educational Outcomes highlight this difference and encourage teams to think ahead. If a student relies heavily on modifications in core subjects year after year, those choices can affect which diploma pathways and assessment options are realistic later on.

This does not mean that modifications are “wrong.” It means they should be chosen thoughtfully, with clear reasons and open conversations about long term plans. When families know how a support is functioning in daily instruction, classroom tests, and larger assessments, they are in a stronger position to help the team adjust supports over time instead of being surprised in high school.

How Accommodations and Modifications Connect to Executive Function Skills

Executive function skills are the “behind the scenes” mental processes that help students start tasks, stay organized, manage time, and follow multi-step directions, which means they sit at the center of many decisions about accommodations and modifications.

When a student struggles with planning, working memory, or self-regulation, it may look like missing homework, half-finished projects, or blank test pages. Without context, this can be misread as a motivation problem. With an executive function lens, teams are more likely to ask, “What parts of this task are overloading this student, and how can we support those skills while keeping expectations realistic?”

Executive Function Skills That School Tasks Rely On

Most school tasks rely on several executive function skills at once. For example, a simple “research and present” project asks a student to keep track of materials, manage time over several weeks, remember instructions, break the work into steps, and regulate emotions when things go wrong.

If you want a deeper overview of these skills, the Executive Functioning 101 Resource Hub breaks them into specific, teachable areas like planning, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, and self-monitoring. Seeing tasks through that lens makes it easier to notice which skills are getting in the way for a particular student.

When IEP and 504 teams skip this step, it is easy to jump straight to “less work” as the answer. When they slow down and ask which executive function skills are involved, they have more options, including accommodations, direct instruction, and, when needed, carefully chosen modifications.

Accommodations That Reduce Executive Function Load Without Changing Expectations

Many of the most effective classroom accommodations are really about reducing executive function load while keeping the academic target the same. Instead of changing what the student is expected to learn, they change how the student gets there.

• Planning and organization: visual schedules, checklists, color-coded folders, and clear written steps for multi-part tasks.
• Working memory: written directions, example problems, anchor charts, and note-taking supports that students can refer back to instead of holding everything in their heads.
• Time management: chunked assignments, mini-deadlines, timers, and reminders that make the passage of time more concrete.
• Task initiation: teacher or aide check-ins at the start of work time, “first step” prompts, or starting the first problem together.
• Emotional regulation: access to quiet spaces, movement breaks, or co-regulation strategies that help a student return to the task after frustration.

These kinds of supports can be written as formal accommodations or built into classroom routines that help many students at once. For example, chunking a long-term project into smaller steps and posting a shared timeline on the board removes barriers for students with executive function differences, while also making expectations clearer for everyone.

If you are looking for more examples, the article on advocating for executive functioning accommodations in school shows how these supports can be described and requested in IEP and 504 meetings.

When Modifications Make Sense for Executive Function Differences

Sometimes, even with strong instruction, universal design, and well chosen accommodations, a student still cannot access grade level targets in a meaningful way. In those situations, modifications may be the right tool, especially when cognitive load, processing demands, or co-occurring disabilities make the work overwhelming or unsafe for the student’s health and well-being.

For example, imagine a high school student with significant executive function differences and language-based learning disabilities who is expected to complete a research paper with multiple sources, note cards, an outline, a rough draft, and a final draft. The team might try accommodations first, such as graphic organizers, sentence starters, extended time, and scheduled writing conferences. If, even with these supports, the student cannot engage with the assignment at all, the team might design a modified task that focuses on fewer sources or a shorter written product while still building toward the student’s individual goals.

State and national guidance encourages teams to base these decisions on data and observations rather than assumptions. That means looking at how the student performs with accommodations in place, which executive function skills are still major barriers, and how different options will affect long term plans for coursework, assessments, and diplomas.

In many cases, combining accommodations with direct instruction in executive function skills can reduce the need for long term modifications. Resources like the Universal Design for Learning article and the guide to executive function IEP goals show how schools can build EF skill growth into everyday teaching instead of only reducing expectations when students struggle.

How To Decide Which Supports To Ask For in an IEP or 504 Plan

Deciding whether to ask for an accommodation or a modification works best when you start with the barrier the student is facing, not with the label you think should go in the paperwork.

Families are often told to “push for accommodations” without a clear process for choosing specific supports. A simple, barrier first checklist helps everyone in the meeting stay focused on what makes school tasks hard for this particular student, what has already been tried, and how different options might affect long term plans.

Start With the Barrier, Not the Label

Before you debate whether something should count as an accommodation or a modification, slow down and name the barriers as clearly as you can. Is the student stuck because of reading speed, written output, working memory, time management, sensory overload, anxiety, or a mix of these?

Tools such as the free Executive Functioning Assessment and your student’s evaluation reports can help you identify patterns like “loses track of multi step directions,” “shuts down when assignments feel too big,” or “needs much more time to process written information.” Once the team understands the barriers, it is easier to decide which supports should change how the student accesses tasks and which might need to change what the student is expected to do.

A Step By Step Checklist For Your Next Meeting

You can use the questions below as a loose checklist when you review current or proposed supports:

1. Describe the task and barrier. What is the student being asked to do, and where do things reliably fall apart? Be specific about the skills involved and the situations where struggles show up.
2. List access supports that have been tried. Have you already tried classroom level changes, Universal Design for Learning strategies, or accommodations such as chunked directions, organizers, or extra time? What happened when those supports were in place?
3. Ask whether grade level expectations are still realistic with better access. Using guidance from resources like the Texas Education Agency IEP development guide and briefs from the National Center on Educational Outcomes, talk honestly about whether the student can work toward grade level standards if instruction and accommodations improve.
4. Decide what each proposed support is doing. For every support on the table, ask, “Does this change how the student learns or shows learning, or does it change what they are expected to learn?” If it changes how, it belongs in the accommodations column. If it changes what, it is acting as a modification.
5. Connect supports to executive function skills. Check that the plan includes accommodations or instruction that directly address the student’s executive function needs, not only reduced work. The articles on executive function accommodations in school and executive function IEP goals can help you name these clearly.
6. Plan to review and adjust. Agree on how you will collect data, how often you will review the plan, and what signs would tell the team it is time to add, fade, or change supports.

Questions To Ask the Team About Long Term Impact

When the team is considering using or continuing modifications, it is reasonable to ask how those choices connect to future options in high school and beyond. Family focused guides, including Michigan Alliance for Families and the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center, encourage parents to ask direct, practical questions like these:

• How will this support show up in my student’s grades and report cards?
• If this support is a modification, how might it affect diploma options or course placement over the next few years?
• Are these supports allowed on our state tests or on college entrance exams, or will they need to look different there?
• What data are we using to decide that a modification is needed, even with strong instruction and accommodations?
• If we choose a modification now, how and when will we revisit that decision as my student grows?

These questions are not about arguing with the team. They are about making the reasoning visible so that you, your student, and the school can make informed choices together. Over time, using a barrier focused process like this can help the team rely more on well matched accommodations and skill building, and reserve modifications for situations where changing expectations is truly the most supportive option.

Common Myths and Worries About Accommodations and Modifications

Many of the hardest moments in IEP and 504 meetings come from quiet worries about fairness, future options, and independence, not from the paperwork itself.

If you have ever wondered whether supports are “too much,” “not enough,” or secretly closing doors for your student, you are not alone. Families and educators raise the same concerns in parent groups, teacher forums, and state guidance documents, which means these questions are worth answering directly.

“Accommodations Are Unfair Advantages”

This worry usually shows up when a student receives extra time, different materials, or a quieter setting and someone asks, “Is that fair to everyone else?” From a neurodiversity-affirming point of view, fairness is about giving each student what they need to access learning, not about giving every student the same thing.

Family focused resources, including Michigan Alliance for Families and the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center, describe accommodations as supports that reduce barriers in an environment that was not designed with all brains in mind. In that view, extra time, visual supports, or alternative ways to respond are closer to providing glasses for a student who needs them than to giving someone the answer key.

One helpful question for teams is, “If this support helps this student access the same learning target, why would we not provide it?” In many cases, making a support part of whole class routines, such as posting checklists or breaking projects into steps for everyone, reduces stigma and improves access without taking anything away from other students.

“Modifications Mean My Child Can Never Get a Diploma”

There is a grain of truth and a lot of anxiety in this myth. In some states and districts, long term use of modified coursework in core subjects can affect diploma options or graduation pathways. Guidance from places like the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center and Michigan Alliance for Families encourages families to ask explicit questions about how modifications connect to graduation requirements and state tests.

At the same time, a single modified assignment or carefully chosen modifications in a few courses do not automatically remove every future option. The key issues are how often modifications are used, in which subjects, and for how long, as well as how the state defines diploma pathways.

When you feel that familiar knot in your stomach about the future, it can help to pause and ask the team:

• Is this support changing how my student learns, or what they are expected to learn?
• If it is a modification, how will we monitor its impact on course choices, tests, and diploma options over the next few years?

These questions keep the focus on planning rather than on fear. They also signal to the team that you want to understand trade offs, not simply block any support that might help your student stay engaged right now.

“Using Supports Will Make My Child Dependent”

Another common worry is that accommodations will “spoil” a student or prevent them from building resilience. Families sometimes hear mixed messages, such as one teacher encouraging accommodations while another suggests that the student needs to “toughen up” without them.

The research on academic accommodations paints a different picture. Studies of accommodations such as extended time show mixed results. Overall, they tend to have neutral or positive effects on performance for students with disabilities, especially when the supports are closely matched to documented needs.

For example, a research review by the National Center on Educational Outcomes reports that providing extended time does not give students without disabilities an unfair advantage. It can help some students with ADHD and other disabilities more accurately show their skills, and accessibility guidance from West Virginia University describes accommodations as a way to level the playing field rather than lower expectations. Summaries from the National Center on Educational Outcomes extended time research also describe a mixed but thoughtful evidence base rather than clear harm.

In higher education, a Texas statewide study of community college students published in Exceptional Children found that students with learning disabilities or ADHD who used accommodations had higher odds of completing a degree or transferring to a four-year school than similar students who did not use accommodations. An ERIC summary notes that using supports is linked to better long-term outcomes, not dependence.

The data are not perfect, but they do not support the fear that appropriate accommodations automatically reduce long term independence.

For many neurodivergent students, the most realistic approach is “supports plus skill building.” That means using accommodations to reduce unnecessary barriers today, teaching executive function strategies over time, and gradually adjusting supports as the student grows, rather than pulling accommodations away in the hope that struggle alone will create new skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Simplest Way To Explain the Difference Between Accommodations and Modifications?

A short way to say it is: accommodations change how a student learns or shows what they know, while modifications change what the student is expected to learn. With accommodations, the learning goals stay the same as classmates, but the path looks different. With modifications, the goals or standards themselves are adjusted.

Do Accommodations or Modifications Affect Grades or Diplomas?

Accommodations usually do not change grading standards. A student is still graded on the same skills and content, just with supports that give them better access. Modifications, on the other hand, often change grading because the amount or level of work is different.

Whether this affects a diploma depends on how often modifications are used, in which courses, and how the state defines graduation requirements. State level resources, including guides from the Texas Education Agency and the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center, encourage families to ask directly how modifications in core classes might affect diploma options over time.

Can a Student Have Both Accommodations and Modifications at the Same Time?

Yes. Many students have a mix of accommodations and modifications on their IEPs. For example, a student might receive accommodations like audiobooks, graphic organizers, and extra time in most classes, while also having modified content or grading in one subject that is especially challenging.

The important part is that the team can explain, in plain language, which supports are changing how the student accesses learning and which ones are changing what the student is expected to learn. If you are not sure, it is completely reasonable to ask, “Is this written as an accommodation or a modification, and why?”

Are Accommodations and Modifications the Same in an IEP and a 504 Plan?

The basic ideas are similar, but how they show up on paper is a little different. IEPs, which are based on special education law, can include goals, accommodations, and modifications all in one document. Section 504 plans, which are based on civil rights law, usually focus on accommodations and do not often include changes to what is taught or which standards apply.

In practice, this means a student with an IEP might have modified curriculum in some areas, while a student with a 504 plan is more likely to receive accommodations such as extra time, alternative formats, or changes to the learning environment. If a 504 team is talking about changing standards or curriculum in a big way, that is often a sign that a full special education evaluation and IEP discussion may be needed.

How Do I Know If My Child Needs a Modification Instead of Just More Accommodations?

There is no single test that answers this question, but a few signs can guide the discussion. If a student continues to be completely overwhelmed by grade level work even with strong instruction, well matched accommodations, and support for executive function skills, it may be time to consider modifications in that area.

Often it helps to gather data first: try specific accommodations, observe what changes, and look at work samples over time. Tools such as the free Executive Functioning Assessment and resources on executive function accommodations in school can help you and the team understand whether the main issue is access, skill gaps, or both.

What Happens to Accommodations and Modifications After High School and in College?

After high school, the rules shift. Colleges and training programs are not required to modify course standards in the same way K-12 schools sometimes do, but they are required to provide reasonable accommodations for eligible students under disability and civil rights laws.

In practice, that means a college disability services office may approve supports such as extended time, reduced distraction testing rooms, note taking tools, or alternative formats for materials. It is less common for colleges to change core course expectations. For many students, success after high school involves a mix of accommodations, better self-advocacy, and stronger executive function strategies. If you want to see what this can look like in everyday life, the article on executive function help for college students walks through common challenges and supports in more detail.

Next Steps and Realistic Ways To Put This Into Practice

The most helpful next step is usually a small, concrete action that makes your student’s supports easier to understand, not a complete rewrite of every plan.

Start by pulling out your student’s IEP or 504 plan and using the comparison ideas from this article. With a highlighter or sticky notes, mark which items are clearly accommodations, which are clearly modifications, and which ones are unclear. For the unclear items, make a short list of questions to bring to your next meeting, such as, “Is this changing how my student learns, or what they are expected to learn?”

If school tasks often fall apart because of planning, organization, time management, or follow through, take a few minutes to complete the free Executive Functioning Assessment. You can pair those results with the Executive Functioning 101 Resource Hub to better understand which executive function skills are most connected to your student’s struggles.

When you are ready to discuss changes with the team, resources like the guides on executive function accommodations in school and executive function IEP goals can help you turn those EF insights into specific requests. You might, for example, propose adding chunked deadlines and visual timelines before talking about reducing workload.

If you would like more ongoing support in building executive function skills at home or in daily life, Life Skills Advocate also provides executive function coaching for teens and adults age 14 and older. Coaching is an educational service that focuses on practical strategies and habits, not medical treatment, and can complement the school based supports described in this article.

Further Reading

If you would like to dig deeper into accommodations, modifications, and executive function supports, these resources are a helpful next step.

• Executive Functioning 101 Resource Hub – Overview of the executive function skills (like planning, organization, and time management) that show up throughout this article.
• Free Executive Functioning Assessment – A quick way to identify which executive function challenges are most affecting schoolwork for your student.
• Executive function accommodations in school – More examples and advocacy language for requesting accommodations in IEP and 504 meetings.
• Executive function IEP goals – Guidance on writing IEP goals that focus on building executive function skills, not only managing behavior or missing work.
• Executive function help for college students – How accommodations, campus supports, and strategies can work together after high school.
• Executive function coaching with Life Skills Advocate – Information about coaching as an educational service for teens and adults who want support applying these ideas in everyday life.
• Michigan Alliance for Families: Accommodations and Modifications – Parent-friendly overview with questions to ask about supports and diploma options.
• Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center: Accommodations vs. Modifications – Focus on how these choices connect to transition planning and assessments.
• Texas Education Agency IEP Development Guide: Goals, Accommodations, and Modifications – State guide on selecting supports and writing IEPs that match student needs.
• Indiana FSSA Pre-ETS Accommodations and Modifications handout – Concise side-by-side comparison of instructional and testing supports.
• NCEO Brief: The Basics of Accommodations and Modifications – Research-based explanation of definitions and common misunderstandings.
• Ohio Families Engage: The Difference Between Accommodations and Modifications – Short explainer you can share with caregivers and team members.
• Academic Testing Accommodations for Students With ADHD – Research article examining how testing accommodations affect performance for students with ADHD.
• NCEO Accommodations Toolkit: Extended Time Research – Summary of what studies say about extended time as a testing accommodation.