Accommodations and Modifications for Elementary School

Accommodations and modifications for elementary school are somewhat different from middle and high school. Remember to add the accommodations and modifications that you feel your child needs to their IEP.


Here is an example of my son’s in elementary school to give you an idea.


Behavior:

1. Staff to provide Student with a calm down/discuss card following an inappropriate emotional response.

2. Social Skills group

3. Stress ball

4. Strategies with be shared and implemented by school staff.

5. Time-out area

6. Provide visually and go over thoroughly clear rules for classroom and post them.

7. Provide a daily visual schedule to transition from one activity to the next and for any change in the normal routine.

8. Provide bus driver information on the specific behavioral and emotional concerns of Student before the first day of school. Driver will also know that Student will need to sit behind driver and that Student will be excused early to and from the bus, as needed.

9. Student should be excused early to go to next class, lunch, afternoon, and morning and afternoon bus if necessary.

10. Provide staff support for bus arrival, AM preparation, changing of classes, lunch, afternoon packing before getting on the bus, and assistance to the bus.

11. Student will be able to use his Travel Pass and leave his general education classroom when he gets upset and go to his Home Base.

12. Student will be able to leave the cafeteria once he has finished eating to engage in a calming activity at his Home Base.

13. Teachers will recognize early signs of stress and will follow the Behavior Intervention Plan. If behavior escalates the teacher will tell Student to use his Travel Pass to go to his home base. Incidents that occur need to be formally written up to determine the contributing antecedents/settings events and copy sent home to parents.

14. Student will be able to eat lunch in a designated place (not in lunchroom) where it is quiet.

15. Travel Pass and the procedure of its use explained, written up and given to Student before school starts.

16. Transition Checklist will be followed through and implemented before school starts.




Instructional:

1. Chunk/modify assignment as appropriate with frequent teacher checks for accuracy.

2. Use organizational strategies such as graphic organizers, homework folder, agenda book, and binder.

3. Provide Student with a visual schedule for the day as well as one for the morning and afternoon procedures.

4. Reduced homework assignments.

5. Specific instructions given one at a time and written down.

6. Limit timed assignments, tests, etc. and modify or omit if necessary.

7. Provide help in answering open ended questions.

8. Provide parents a copy of any notes given to students in class.

9. All classroom teachers need to provide a review of behavior, assignments, missing work, materials needed, deadlines, tests, etc. and to see that they are written in Student's agenda book. The teacher will sign to show that s/he has reviewed the previously mentioned.

10. Place for answers on worksheets should be large and prominent. Worksheets may have to be modified.

11. Provide Student with detailed study guide with answers 3 days before tests.

12. Provide a seat in front of the classroom, near teacher.

13. Provide Student with extra response time when needed.

14. Send a full set of books home for Student use at home. Obtain books for home use before school starts.

15. Permit Student to complete written work in pencil, manuscript, on an Alpha Smart, tape recorder, or on the computer.

16. Provide staff support for fine motor tasks such as cutting, folding, coloring, graphing, and arranging materials.

17. Keep papers and assignments in a binder with dividers for organization.

18. Teachers will provide samples/models/pictures of completed assignments and/or list specific criteria for successful completion.

19. Student will be able to take his book bag to all of his classes.

20. Information will be presented visually to Student.

21. Adjusted workloads.

22. Reduce writing assignments by having Student dictate into a tape recorder when necessary.

23. Give lots of specific, labeled praise.

24. Help the student problem-solve difficulties.

25. Provide parents a Progress Report on his grades every 2 weeks.

26. Provide an alternative place to take tests that is quiet.


Adapted Materials:

Tape recorder
Alpha Smart
Computer