Page 185 - Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide

Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12
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• permitting oral responses to test questions
• providing for the use of scribes
• simplifying the language of instructions and questions used in tests
Recording Instructional, Environmental, and Assessment Accommodations in the IEP
Accommodations described in the IEP should include only those strategies and supports that differ from the ones that are regularly provided during classroom instruction. All accommodations documented in the IEP must be made readily available to the student. These accommodations must also be available to the student during provincial assessments (see section 7), and must be consistent with the accommodations permitted by the Education Quality and Accountability Office [EQAO]).
A student who requires accommodations may need the same accommodations in all subjects or courses, or only in some. The student may need only accommodations in some courses and both accommodations and modified or alternative expectations in others.
The accommodations that the student requires in connection with instruction, assessment, and functioning in the physical environment should be categorized as follows:
• Instructional accommodations: Adjustments in teaching strategies required to enable the student to learn and to progress through the curriculum
• Environmental accommodations: Changes or supports in the physical environment of the classroom and/or the school
• Assessment accommodations: Adjustments in assessment activities and methods required to enable the student to demonstrate learning
It is important to make the above distinctions, and to record all necessary accommodations accurately in the IEP, for clarity for all staff involved in the student’s education and also to ensure that students will be eligible to receive the permitted accommodations during provincial assessments.
A summary of examples of accommodations are listed in the chart below. In addition to established accommodations, new strategies and assistive devices are constantly emerging as teaching practice is enhanced through new research findings and technological innovations.