Instructional Practices and Curriculum
What to know
Instruction questions reward precision about what is being changed. An accommodation changes how a student accesses content (extended time, read-aloud, preferential seating, large print) without changing expectations; a modification changes what is taught or expected (fewer items, alternate standards, simplified text). Explicit, systematic instruction - modeling, guided practice, independent practice, corrective feedback - has the strongest evidence base for students with disabilities. Task analysis breaks a skill into teachable steps; chaining sequences them (forward begins with the first step; backward teaches the final step first while the adult completes the earlier ones). In reading, know the five components: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension. In math, know the concrete–representational–abstract sequence.
Traps: UDL (proactive, designed-in options for all learners) is confused with differentiated instruction (responsive adjustments) and with accommodations (individual). Co-teaching models - one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, parallel, station, alternative, team - are frequently tested; team teaching is the only model in which both teachers jointly deliver instruction. Prompt hierarchies (natural, verbal, gestural, model, physical) should be faded, not escalated permanently. Assistive technology ranges from low-tech (pencil grip, slant board) to high-tech (speech-generating devices, AAC) and must be considered for every IEP.
Rule of thumb: decide whether the stem describes access (accommodation) or expectation (modification). Worked example: a student with dyslexia in grade-level science receives audio text and extra time on the same test - accommodation. The same student answers five of ten items - modification.