Writing accommodations and supplementary aids doesn’t have to be challenging. With these tips and tricks, you’ll have well written piece of the IEP in no time. Supplementary aids and accommodations ensure the student gets what he needs to be successful in the learning environment. They give information on what the child is legally entitled to in order to access the general education curriculum.
The first question I get a lot, is, “What is the difference between an accommodation and a supplementary aid?” Honestly, it can get a little confusing. I’m going to try to break it down in the most basic sense, but know that there is more to it than this.
Let’s start with the basics. First, according to IDEA students with disabilities are required to participate in their state’s grade-level assessments. If they can’t, then we need to explain why not and what alternate assessment will be used. And second, there is a difference between classroom accommodations and testing accommodations. In my state, to have a reader on the ELA state assessment the child must be in a reading intervention program for two years and have at least a three year discrepancy on reading levels.
Testing accommodations are just what they sound like. When you read the accommodations section of the IEP, these are the things that the student can receive for testing. There are four categories of accommodations that a student can receive:
Testing accommodations are just what they sound like. When you read the accommodations section of the IEP, these are the things that the student can receive for testing. There are four categories of accommodations that a student can receive:
Make sure you are aware of what the student is eligible to receive. Many states have explicit rules on what a child can and can not have. For instance, in my state, we can’t give a reader to a child unless they have been in reading intervention for three years, are two years below grade level in decoding, and have a decoding goal. To get a calculator, they have to have math goals. And to get Close Adult Support, they have to meet the needs as identified on two different forms. Make sure you know what accommodations and supplementary aids your student is eligible to receive. But remember, just because they are eligible doesn’t mean they need them – accommodations and supplementary aids should be selected based on the individual child.
For every accommodation and supplementary aid you select, you should add the following information:
Depending on the system your district uses, some of those questions might be answered via check boxes or other similar methods. In my district, we have to select the person (people) who will be giving a supplementary aid from a drop down box. However, in the written explanation section, we have to explicitly write why the child needs the accommodation or aid.
When you write an IEP, do you already include this information in the supplementary aids and accommodations sections? How can you get better at writing accommodations and supplementary aids? Hopefully, this blog post has given you some great ideas on how to make your IEPs even stronger and more beneficial to your students.
