Layered EducationWhat it looks like
- Accommodations are delivered some days and missed on others
- Supports are handed out in a way everyone notices
- Only one teacher knows who gets what
Accommodations
Delivering Accommodations Without Singling Students Out
Making supports routine, consistent, and low-key.
Why it happens
Accommodations work when they are routine. Middle and high school students are far more likely to use a support that is offered to everyone or built into how class runs.
Try this tomorrow
- Offer common supports to the whole class: guided notes, read-aloud, sentence starters
- Plan the accommodation into the lesson, not on the spot
- Keep a simple log of what was provided
- Ask the student privately how it is working
If two of you are in the room
Co-teaching pairs can split this between them, and swap who takes which part so both teachers work with every student.
One teacher
Builds the supports into the lesson for everyone.
The other teacher
Checks that each required accommodation was delivered, and logs it.
What the research can and cannot tell us
No published resource addresses discreet delivery for middle and high school students directly. These sources cover the pieces: universal design, implementation checklists, and tracking tools.
Resources
7 resources for this topic, drawn from 7 organizations. Everything opens free, and the ones from other organizations open on their own sites.
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Implementing an Accommodation
A checklist of teacher responsibilities, including asking whether the student finds the support useful or embarrassing.
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Universal Design for Learning Guidelines
Choose whole-class options, such as text-to-speech or a choice of response format, so individual supports do not stand out.
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Teacher Tools for Instructional Accommodations
Accommodation reminder formats, student self-evaluation forms, and tracking journals.
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Accommodations Manual: Select, Administer, and Evaluate
Six ready tools, including a student questionnaire, an accommodations agreement, and an accommodations journal. Older but usable.
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Accommodations: Assisting Students with Disabilities
A chapter on building accommodations into instruction, plus a sample form for evaluating whether one is working.
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Adapt Curriculum Materials and Tasks
Watch materials being adapted with guided notes and graphic organizers, then discuss as a pair.
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Teacher Perspectives on Selecting and Implementing Accommodations
Four recommendations for sharing accommodation decisions and checking whether they work.
Previous topicReading the IEP: Accommodations vs. Modifications
Next topicWhen Students Refuse Accommodations
These resources are shared for professional learning and planning. They are meant to inform your professional judgment, not replace it. Each student's IEP and your district, state and federal requirements always come first. Listing a resource here is not an endorsement by Layered Education. This is educational information only, not legal advice.
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