How to modify curriculum for special education students

A third grade teacher leads a class behind text that reads "the best way to modify curriculum to increase inclusivity" — There are numerous reasons to include all students in the general education classroom. This inclusion will look different depending on the student

“How to modify curriculum for special education students?” is a question commonly asked by classroom teachers as they work to create a welcoming environment for all.

I’ll never forget as a new teacher walking into my classroom and seeing a large stack of packets on my desk. I was immediately overwhelmed as I realized that each packet was an individual education plan – a plan of success for an individual student. How could I use this information to better my instruction and classroom, for each student? How could I do all the things listed along with the thousands of other tasks required? I had to figure out a way to truly include theses modifications and accommodations to ensure each student had an access point into the curriculum throughout the day.

What is Inclusion?

Simply put, inclusion is the explicit and intentional inclusion of all students in the classroom environment. Students are not simply put into a room with a teacher. Inclusive education requires thoughtful planning, preparation and collaboration to ensure all students have access to equitable education. Do a deep dive into what inclusive education is and why it matters.

Why Inclusion?

There are numerous reasons to include all students in the general education classroom. This inclusion will look different depending on the student (heck, let’s be honest it looks different for adults too!). Benefits of inclusive classrooms include equal access to education, think FERPA and IDEA plus moral obligation, ability-focused education, increased social connections, and an increase of empathy and understanding. You can read more about the benefits of inclusive classrooms here.

A group of fourth grade students work with a teacher at a table. Text above reads: accommodating vs. modifying curriculum. — Its important to learn the difference between accommodating and modifying curriculum – they’re not the same thing!

Accommodating vs. Modifying curriculum for special education students

In my experience, accommodating and modifying are some of the most misused terms by general education teachers and families. While they seem synonymous, they are very different in a child’s educational experience.

Accommodating is creating access to the curriculum. Good teachers accommodate throughout the day – so much so they may not even realize they are doing it! Some accommodations are legally mandated through Individualized Education Plans (IEP), or a 504. Accommodations can be high tech, such as speech-to-text, or low tech such as a highlighter to signify important information. Essentially, if you are not changing the content you are accommodating.

Modifying is changing the curriculum to meet the student’s developmental level. Unlike when teachers accommodate, modifications require adapting the given curriculum typically in a fairly significant way. These are your students who are doing different tasks than the rest of the class, or similar tasks through a drastically different lens. For example, a third-grade classroom may be researching animal habitats. A student with a modified curriculum could be matching animals to pictures of their habitats, rather than doing a deep dive into research. Many students who benefit from modifications also benefit from accommodations in the classroom as well.

A teacher stands in front of a board in a second grade class. Text above reads: understanding IEPs as a classroom teacher — IEPs can be overwhelming. They are dense, often written in mechanical terms devoid of personality.

IEPs: They Aren’t So Scary!

Individualized Education Plan, also referred to as an IEP, is a legal document created to ensure all students have access to an equitable and quality education. They are generally large, 12+ pages, documents outlining students’ current ability, goals for the next year, and any appropriate accommodations or modifications the student needs to succeed in the coming grade.

IEPs can be overwhelming. They are dense, often written in mechanical terms devoid of personality. It can be hard to envision how you are supposed to do all of the things outlined in addition to your other students but the good news – it’s possible, you’re not alone, and its probably helpful for your other students as well! Plus, you have a legal obligation to follow the document so if there’s something in there you think there’s no way will work, talk to the special education case manager supporting the IEP.

When you are handed the IEP, take the time to read through it. Pay special attention to the accommodations, as this will help you set up your room and plan your lessons to help all students in your classroom. Collaborate with the IEP team. Set up a meeting with the special educator, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, the family, and others who might know the students’ classroom functioning and specific strategies that help the students succeed.

A teacher stands in front of her classroom. Text above reads: thinks to think about when modifying curriculum for special education — Modified curriculums can be beneficial for the student if the teachers and specialists work together to create a cohesive educational experience.

how to modify curriculum for special education students

In my experience, a majority of special education students do not require a modified curriculum. Remember: modifying a curriculum includes changing the target goals and standards a student is striving towards. Often, when utilizing a modified curriculum, teachers will deviate from the class entirely and run a sub separate curriculum for that student.

Many (if not all) students benefit from accommodations to the curriculum. This helps create access points for children to understand and interact with the material, rather than changing the material.

If you are working with a special education modified curriculum, it is important to collaborate with the team to ensure the student is receiving general education access and has consistency across settings. Modified curriculums can be beneficial for the student if the teachers and specialists work together to create a cohesive educational experience.

A first grade teacher works with students at a table. Text above reads: how to modify curriculum — Think about your student as a learner. Do they need tactile access? High-contrast pictures? Audio? How can you use these materials as access points to help the student reach the goal?

How to Modify Curriculum for special education students

Modifying a curriculum can be overwhelming and it takes lots of brain power! To stay aligned to standards, I like utilizing Goallbook, an online platform that aligns IEP goals to standards and gives grade-level options for all standards. What’s great about goalbook is you can have a 3rd grade standard, and say your student needs lots of support or is functioning at a different level. Goalbook then creates a targeted goal aligned to the 3rd-grade standard, but at a level that is appropriate for the student.

Once you have a goal in mind, and remember because you’re modifying the curriculum it’s a different (but hopefully related!) goal than the classroom. Think about your student as a learner. Do they need tactile access? High-contrast pictures? Audio? How can you use these materials as access points to help the student reach the goal?

After thinking about how to engage the student, create a plan. This is where a box curriculum can be helpful. You can follow their scope and sequence, adjusting as needed based on your individual students’ growth and progress. If you don’t have access to a box curriculum, get reading! There are scope and sequences for all core academic areas in a variety of PD books – you’d be surprised how many of these books are available for free digitally from your local library.

How to Modify Lesson Plans

While some may say they “modify” lesson plans, I’d argue that when you’re working at the lesson plan level you are accommodating more than you are modifying. Remember: accommodating is creating access to the curriculum through various means of engagement, representation or expression (www.cast.org). Modifying is completely changing the game plan. Generally, if a student requires modifications, they require the entire curriculum to be modified, not just a singular lesson.

However, if you were to modify a singular lesson plan start with two things: 1) the student’s current ability and 2) the goal for the end of the lesson. You also should have an idea where the lesson falls in the grander scheme of things, but I’m filing that under curriculum for now. I use CAST.org questions for building lessons for all students, but it is especially helpful when modifying lessons for special education students in the general education classroom.

The key to successful modified lesson plans is engagement and challenge. Your students will benefit from your effort if you are reflective throughout the process.

A second grade teacher works with a student. Text above reads: meet students at their individual level. — Remember: modifying includes changing the target goal rather than just enhancing, or increasing the difficulty of, the original lesson plan.

How to Enhance Lesson Plans

Similarly to modifying a curriculum for special education students, many times the same lessons need to be enhanced for students who have already exceeded the expectations and knowledge of the target lesson.

In some cases, these accelerated students also can benefit from a modified curriculum. Remember: modifying includes changing the target goal rather than just enhancing, or increasing the difficulty of, the original lesson plan.

Collaborate to Accomodate (or Modify!)

As with most things in education, collaborating is the key to successfully modifying the curriculum for special education students. Each specialist brings insight into the child’s strengths and access points. Meeting frequently with the special education team and discussing the students’ strengths with a variety of professionals can enhance the child’s classroom experience by showing the teacher how to modify the curriculum for special education students.

Find more ways on how to modify curriculum for special education students here!