A common topic in education is accommodations vs modifications: What’s the difference? Accommodations and modifications are both different types of support in education designed to help students be successful. Many teachers use the terms interchangeably since they are both intended to support students, however this is incorrect. There are major differences between accommodations and modifications in education, and it’s important for both educators and parents to understand the differences and when each should be implemented.
All students, whether enrolled in general education or special education classes, may require accommodations and/or modifications throughout their schooling. Accommodations and modifications can be applied individually or to an entire class. However, most of the time, accommodations and modifications are referred to when discussing an individual student rather than a group or class.
Accommodations and modifications are most often brought up in the context of special education since students who have IEPs have accommodations and/or modifications explicitly laid out in their Individualized Education Programs.
Students who are having trouble with accessing or learning the content and curriculum may require either accommodations or modifications in order to be successful in the classroom. Most of the time, students with disabilities will require accommodations and/or modifications, while students without disabilities might only require accommodations. The implementation of an accommodation or modification for a student without an IEP would be at the discretion of the teacher. The implementation of accommodations or modifications for a student with an IEP is decided by the IEP team, and the school district is legally required to implement them as stated in the student’s legally-binding IEP document.