What is the difference between accommodation and modification?

Added: 27 October 2026

An accommodation changes access or response while preserving the learning target; a modification changes the level or content of the target.

Core approach and implementation process

Extra time, a screen reader, quiet space or oral response may reduce barriers without changing the target. A less complex outcome, different grade-level text or altered criterion modifies the target. The same support can be an accommodation in one context and change the construct in another. Decisions depend on need and purpose.

Classroom practice, monitoring and cautions

Support should not confine learners to unnecessarily easy work and should preserve independence. Effectiveness is monitored. A test accommodation should not be an unfamiliar tool absent from daily instruction. Families, learners and specialists need a clear understanding, making the document an implementation guide rather than a list.

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Revision history

27 October 2026 — Article added.