WEST-E Special Education Practice Test

What are accommodations typically aimed at in special education?

1. Changing the content level of the curriculum

2. Changing the delivery of instruction without altering the curriculum's conceptual difficulty

3. Assigning extra work to students

4. Removing support for students with disabilities

The correct answer is: Changing the delivery of instruction without altering the curriculum's conceptual difficulty

Accommodations in special education are primarily designed to provide support that allows students with disabilities to access the general curriculum without altering the inherent academic standards or expectations. By changing the delivery of instruction rather than the content, accommodations ensure that these students can engage meaningfully with the curriculum tailored to their specific learning needs. For instance, accommodations might include providing additional time for tests, modifying the classroom environment, or using assistive technologies that facilitate learning. The goal is to level the playing field, enabling students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills effectively while maintaining the same rigorous expectations for understanding the material. In contrast to accommodations, changes to the content level of the curriculum would fundamentally alter what is being taught, which is not the intention of accommodations. Assigning extra work does not account for the individual needs of those students and could lead to frustration rather than support. Likewise, removing supports for students with disabilities would be counterproductive, as it would decrease their access to education rather than enhance it. Therefore, the focus on changing the delivery of instruction while keeping the curriculum's conceptual difficulty intact is what defines accommodations in this context.