We all know that high school can be very stressful. Many students struggle with academics for various reasons, and some may require additional support from the school to succeed. This support can come in the form of accommodations. Accommodations provide students with the assistance necessary to improve their performance in school, guiding them into the right path and giving them a chance to excel in the areas they struggled with before.
What are accommodations? And how do they relate to Special Education and other types of support?
Accommodations are changes that are made to the way students are taught to fit their learning styles, facilitating their learning experience. According to Ms. Evans, one of the Special Ed teachers at our school: “There is this belief in education that accommodations apply to all students… as teachers we use them in the classroom whether or not they have a specific plan, but there are some accommodations that have to be supported by a plan.” The accommodations given to almost every student can be as simple as allowing them to change their seats or giving them more time to complete an assignment due to being absent. The other types of accommodations are specific to a student’s plan and are not typically provided to all students, as mentioned before. They are crucial to the student’s academic success, and some students who receive them believe they would fail school without them. IEP and 504 plans are the plans that provide accommodations for students.
What is the difference between a 504 plan and an IEP plan?
IEP stands for Individualized Educational Plan, and it is protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IEPs are plans tailored to fit a student’s specific needs, which is why the requirements they contain are different for each student. An IEP focuses on tackling “learning disabilities” or, as educators are beginning to call them, “learning differences.” The plan is overseen by special education teachers and provides students with both accommodations and modifications. Modifications and accommodations both help facilitate a student’s learning experience, but they have different ways of doing this. Modifications focus on making changes to the curriculum, while accommodations focus on changing the strategies students use in school to work around their limitations and fit their different learning styles. Students with IEPs attend the resources class for either full-time (a whole period, every school day) or pod time (30 minutes, 2 days a week). The purpose of the class and other special education services is to empower students by giving them the help necessary for their success.
The 504 plan gets its name from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which protects disabled students from discrimination in public schools. This plan is tailored to a student’s specific needs, just like IEPs. However, a 504 plan focuses more on health impairments and other disabilities instead of learning differences. The plan is overseen by a counselor and sometimes a social worker. Even though students may get modifications with this plan, it is very rare, as it mainly centers on accommodations. Students with 504 plans meet with their counselors and do not need special education services. The only times 504 students find themselves in the resource classrooms are for tests like the PSATs and SATs, or if they find themselves unable to take a regular test in their actual classroom.
How do you know if you qualify for plans that provide accommodations and other support?
IEPs provide help to students who fit the “13 disability categories” that are found in the IDEA. These 13 categories are: Specific learning disability (Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia), speech or language impairment (which is more relevant for younger students), other health impairment (ADHD, Tourette syndrome, epilepsy, and sickle cell anemia), autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance (seen in bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder), developmental delay (also more relevant on younger students), multiple disabilities, hearing impairment, orthopedic impairment, visual impairment, traumatic brain injury, and deaf-blindness (Rawe, 2024).
Just because a student fits one or more of these categories, it does not mean they will get an IEP plan. Some of the conditions mentioned previously can present differently depending on the student. Students are tested to determine if they need an IEP, and sometimes it results in them not qualifying when they do not meet all the requirements for the plan. When this happens, it is possible that the student will get a 504 plan instead.
504 plans provide help to students who struggle in school but do not qualify for an IEP plan. Some students may have a 504 plan because of a health condition that requires them to be monitored by the nurse. Other students have 504 plans because of issues with attention (due to ADHD), anxiety, depression, or other situations that negatively affect their academic performance. If a student is heavily overwhelmed by any of these issues and starts doing poorly in school, they might be eligible for a 504 plan.
What accommodations can students get?
- Setting accommodations: Allow students to change to a setting in which they will learn best (a quieter setting, near the teacher, etc.)
- Scheduling accommodations: Provide more time to complete tests and other schoolwork, and can also change how the test is organized or the process of taking the test.
- Presentation accommodations: Present the student with information in a way that fits their learning style and makes it easier for them to understand.
- Timing accommodations: Provide extra time to complete assignments and allow the student to have multiple breaks.
- Response accommodations: Allow students to complete their assignments in a way that makes it easier for them to express their thoughts and answer questions.
- Organization skills accommodations: Provide students with guidance that helps them gain organization skills (like time management).
What is the process of getting accommodations?
From the perspective of the Special Ed teacher and a few anonymous sources at our school:
- The parent, teacher, or even the student recognizes some issues that are affecting their academic performance. The student can speak to their parent or counselor about it, and the parent can contact the school for a meeting. The teacher can also reach out to the parent and make a referral to the counselor.
- A Parent/Guardian meeting is scheduled, and they discuss whether the student needs support or not based on what has been noticed by parents and teachers.
- After the Parent/Guardian meeting, they either move on to a 504-plan meeting or a Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meeting.
- Before the next meeting, parents need to collect documents and evidence to support their case.
- On one side, if a 504-Plan meeting is held, the parents, teachers, and counselors would come up with a plan to help the student succeed in school. If this plan works in the long run, then the student will stick to it; if it does not work, then the 504-Plan meeting team could suggest changing to an IEP, and the PPT would take their case.
If an initial PPT meeting is held instead, they will start by identifying if a student would benefit from an IEP. Afterwards, they will require some testing to be done with parental consent. Then a second meeting would be held to determine if the student qualifies for an IEP based on the results. If the student qualifies, their plan will be created, and the process of aiding their education will start. If the student does not qualify for an IEP, they might get provided with a 504 plan instead, and the 504 plan team would pick up their case. The student can also change to a 504 plan if their IEP does not seem to be working for them anymore, and vice versa.
More information on this process and the different plans that provide accommodations for students can be found on the Connecticut State website (CT.gov).
How does our school help?
To get the answer to this question, the opinions of different school staff and students were gathered. As required by law, the school provides students with plans and professionals who support and guide them throughout their high school career. The guidance counselors, special education teachers, tutors, social workers, school psychologists, and regular education teachers are all here to help students succeed. Each of these professionals has their own responsibilities, for example: counselors and special ed teachers handle their respective plans, and regular ed teachers are provided with the information necessary to meet the requirements of each student’s plan. The students interviewed for this story stated that they are satisfied with the help they receive, and two of them expressed the importance of accommodations by stating that many students would just end up failing school without them.
Overall, accommodations can help improve the academic performance of a student by helping them work around their troubles and succeed. If you’re currently struggling in school, and after reading the information in this article, you realize you might be able to get a plan that provides accommodations, don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and ask for help.
