What is the difference between accommodation and modification in testing, and provide two examples of each.

• A. Accommodations change how a test is administered or scored without altering content; modification changes the test content or level. Examples: extra time, read-aloud; simplified items, alternate tasks.
• B. Accommodations change content; modifications change administration.
• C. Accommodations both change content; modifications change scoring.
• D. Both accommodations and modifications change the content.

Answer: (A)

In testing, you differentiate how a test is delivered from what the test asks you to do. An accommodation adjusts the way the test is administered or scored without changing the items themselves or the level of difficulty. A modification changes the content or level of difficulty of the items, effectively altering what is being assessed.

Two common accommodations are extra time and read-aloud. Extra time gives the student more time to complete the test, which helps with processing speed or test anxiety while the items and scoring remain exactly the same. Read-aloud allows students to hear the questions rather than read them, again preserving the content and what is being tested.

Two examples of modifications are simplified items and alternate tasks. Simplified items reduce complexity or wording to make the content easier to demonstrate, changing what the student is asked to do. Alternate tasks provide different items that measure the same skill but at a different level of demand, also changing the content being assessed.

In short, accommodations affect presentation or timing without changing content; modifications change the content or level of difficulty.