accommodations

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Accommodations for
Students with Disabilities

Are you aware that in Florida, students with disabilities have the right to classroom accommodations and that school districts are required by law to provide needed accommodations?

Accommodations are one of the keys to planning effective educational programs for students with disabilities. Many students with disabilities need only small changes in the way they are instructed and tested in order to be able to participate and be successful in regular classes. Briefly, accommodations:

Involve varied instructional techniques and support systems
Help students to work around any limitations that result from a disability
Assure the opportunity to access general curriculum and the potential to earn a standard (regular) diploma.

There are five areas in which accommodations can be made, depending on the needs of the student. They are as follows:

Presentation:

Changes can be made in the way the lesson is presented or in the instructional materials that are used. A few of these include:

Providing same course content via other text sources
Providing assistance with word problems and directions in math
Providing a peer tutor to assist with reading content materials in social studies and science
Reading/signing content area tests orally to students
Providing an outline of key points
Providing books on tape
Providing tools to enhance visual attention

Responding:

Accommodations can be made in the classroom assignments and in assessments by:

Having students complete only even numbered math problems
Accepting typed, signed, or dictated assignments
Providing access to word processor (classroom computer)
Providing a hard copy of assignments
Not requiring copying from the board
Assigning a peer to assist in ensuring classroom notes are accurate
Allowing students to write in test/text books
Allowing students to provide verbal answers to tests/assignments

Setting:

Changes can be made to both the physical environment and in classroom management system by:

Seating the student away from distractions
Providing verbal and nonverbal prompting to remain on task
Identifying a quiet area where a student may go when necessary
Using a regular routine for transitioning from one task to another.

Scheduling:

Changes can be made to time demands and schedules to accommodate a student who works more slowly than others or has difficulty focusing by:

Allowing additional time to complete an assignment
Giving assignments ahead of time so the student can begin early
Providing a clear schedule with checkpoints along the way
Giving students shorter tasks of equal content.

Assistive Devices:

The following special communication systems can be provided for students:

Sign language
Communication board
Augmentative communication board
Computer with voice capacities for students with visual impairments
Visual magnification and auditory amplification devices.

When accommodations are being considered for students, it is very important that input is obtained from everyone involved, including parents, ESE staff, teachers, and the student. This is done at an Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting.

Decisions about accommodations for instruction and assessment should be based on the following principles. Accommodations:

Must be necessary for the student to be able to learn and ultimately demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills
Should help facilitate an accurate demonstration of what the student knows or can do
Must not provide the student with an unfair advantage in class or interfere with the validity of tests
For state and districtwide tests, must be the same, or nearly the same, as adaptations used by the student in completing classroom instruction and assessment activities.

In Florida, the statewide assessment system is the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), administered to students in grades 3 through 10. Students with disabilities are eligible to have needed accommodations when they take the FCAT. Some accommodations that children receive in the classroom are not allowed on the FCAT. These accommodations are not allowed on the FCAT because they affect the test�s validity and reliability.

For more information regarding instructional and assessment accommodations, please contact one of the following:

Your child�s exceptional student education teacher at the school
Florida Diagnostic Learning Resources System (727-793-2723)
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (850-488-1106) www.fldoe.org/ese.

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