ILP and curriculum adjustments

  • Overview
  • Assessing current skill levels
  • Reasonable adjustments

    Schools are required to make reasonable adjustments to enable students with a disability to participate in education on the same basis as students without a disability, unless it would impose an unjustifiable hardship on the school to do so.  The type of adjustments required are dependent on the student’s unique circumstances.  One student may require one or two minor adjustments in some subjects only; another student may require numerous adjustments across all the student’s learning areas.

    An adjustment is a support you can provide a student with a disability, or a change to teaching style, that assists the student in accessing the curriculum on the same basis as others.  It may be a piece of equipment, an extra person, specialised training for staff, or anything that results in breaking down the barriers the student may have in learning due to their disability.

    Some people may distinguish between accommodations and modifications as different types of adjustments. Essentially, the difference is that accommodations are used to help a student access the curriculum so he/she can learn the same content as his or her peers, whereas modifications are used to help a student experience the same curriculum but may not learn the same content as his or her peers.

    Here are some examples of different kinds of adjustments, to illustrate how varied they can be:

      • a different way of presenting information to a student, e.g. written rather than verbal
      • additional provision of instructions, e.g. repeating to the student individually,  or breaking a broad task down into smaller parts
      • alterations to assessments e.g. longer time to complete , no requirement for oral presentation, allowance to use powerpoint instead of essay form
      • regular update emails from teacher to parent
      • use of a timer or sensory equipment
      • use of a visual schedule
      • training for school staff in using a student’s communication device

    Curriculum adjustments for a particular student are determined on the basis of the goals and strategies in a student’s ILP, taking into account a student’s current profile – including communication and sensory support needs.  When implemented, the strategies/adjustments should enable the student to achieve progress towards their individualised goals whilst being included in the class and whole class activities.

    Accommodations and Modifications

    AccommodationModification
    A strategy used to help a student with learning needs experience the same curriculum as his or her peers.A strategy used to help a student with signifi-cant learning needs experience the same cur-riculum as his or her peers.
    Has the same learning outcomes as his or her peers.Has different learning outcomes than his or her peers.
    Happens in the general education classroom.Happens in the general education classroom.
    Tools, materials, technology, visual aides, and tim-ing are used to help the student access the curricu-lum so he/she can learn the same content as his or her peers.Tools, materials, technology, visual aides, and timing are used to help the student experience the same curriculum but may not learn the same content as his or her peers.
    Grading is the same. Grading is different.
    Source: The Inclusive Class

    For more information on ILPS and suggestions relating to strategies and adjustments, see: