504 Family Connections

Special Education & 504 Parent Connection Night

Accommodation or Modification? What’s the Difference?

Accommodation Spotlight

Ask the 504 Team

Preschool & Elementary

Middle & High School

Student Voice

Parent Checklist

504 Information for Parents

Important Dates

Resources

We’d love for you to join us on November 5th for our Fall Special Education and 504 Parent Connection Night!

We are excited to welcome Grace Bartolli, a young adult with autism, as our guest speaker. Grace will share her personal journey and speak about the importance of self-advocacy and her journey.

In addition to our guest speaker, 20 agencies will be joining us to share information about their organizations, the services they provide, and how they can support you and your family.

👉Click here for a list of all the agencies who will be attending!

And the best part—dinner and childcare are FREE! ❤️

📅 November 5th
🍕 Dinner begins at 5:15 PM
🧸 Childcare opens at 5:30 PM
🎤 Guest speaker begins at 5:35 PM

🏢 Agency Fair: 6:00–7:15 PM

Please see the flyer below for additional information, including the location and event details.

We hope to see you there! We look forward to connecting with you and your family. 💙

The words accommodation and modification are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Understanding the difference is especially important when reviewing a student’s Section 504 plan.

What is an accommodation?

An accommodation changes how a student accesses the curriculum, instruction, or demonstrates learning. It is intended to reduce or eliminate the effects of a disability so the student can access the same educational opportunities and learning expectations as their peers.

In simple terms:

The WHAT stays the same. The HOW may change.

For example, a student might:

• receive extended time to complete an assignment or assessment;
• sit in a location that reduces distractions;
• receive directions that are repeated, clarified, or rephrased;
• use assistive technology;
• take planned breaks;
• have information presented in a way that makes it more accessible; or
• demonstrate their knowledge in an alternative way when appropriate.

These accommodations do not change the underlying curriculum or lower the learning expectation. Instead, they address a disability-related barrier that may otherwise prevent the student from fully accessing the curriculum or demonstrating what they know.

The goal is access—not an advantage.

The Texas Education Agency explains that accommodations should not change what a student is expected to learn. Rather, accommodations change how a student accesses instruction, participates in learning, or demonstrates knowledge.

What is a modification?

A modification changes what a student is expected to learn or demonstrate. In other words, the learning expectations themselves are changed.

For example, if a student is expected to demonstrate mastery of a particular grade-level standard, changing the standard or reducing the level of content the student is expected to master would be a modification rather than simply an accommodation.

Why the distinction matters for a Section 504 plan

A Section 504 plan is designed to provide a student with a disability meaningful access to education. Accommodations are the tools that can remove or reduce disability-related barriers to that access.

That means an accommodation should generally answer the question:

“How can we change the way this student accesses the curriculum or demonstrates learning without changing what the student is expected to learn?”

The curriculum and learning expectations remain the WHAT.

The accommodation addresses the HOW.

For example, if a student has difficulty processing lengthy written directions because of a disability, providing directions in smaller steps or allowing them to be repeated does not necessarily change the assignment or the learning objective. It changes how the student receives and accesses the information needed to complete the same task.

A simple way to remember it

Accommodation = changes HOW
Modification = changes WHAT

Another way to think about it:

An accommodation changes the pathway to the learning. It does not change the destination.

When reviewing your child's 504 plan, look at each accommodation and ask:

“What barrier is this accommodation helping my child overcome, and how does it allow my child to access the same curriculum or demonstrate the same learning expectation?”

That question can help turn a list of accommodations into supports that are specific, meaningful, and observable—and keep the focus where it belongs: providing access to the curriculum without changing the underlying learning expectations.

Extended Time

What is it?

Extended time gives a student additional time to complete certain classroom assignments, assessments, or other school tasks when the accommodation is appropriate to the student's documented needs and is included in the student's plan.

What might it look like?

A student who normally has 45 minutes to complete a test might be provided additional time according to the terms of the student's plan.

In the classroom, extended time might also mean allowing additional time to finish an assignment rather than requiring the student to stop simply because the standard class period has ended.

What should parents ask?

“When my child receives extended time, how is the additional time provided and documented?”

It can also be helpful to ask whether extended time applies to classwork, homework, quizzes, tests, or specific types of assignments, because the exact wording of a plan matters.

Parent Tip

Look at the actual wording in your child's 504 plan. “Extended time” may not answer every implementation question. The team should be able to explain what the accommodation means for your child's day-to-day school experience.

Questions Parents Can Ask

You do not have to be an education expert to participate in conversations about your child's accommodations.

Try asking:

“Can you show me what this accommodation looks like in the classroom?”

TEA guidance emphasizes the importance of regular communication among the student, family, and teachers to determine whether accommodations are providing appropriate access.

Making Accommodations Concrete

For younger students, accommodations may look different from what parents expect.

For example, organizational support might mean:

• a visual checklist for classroom routines;

• help organizing materials;

• a consistent location for important supplies;

• reminders about the steps in a task.

Preferential seating might mean sitting closer to the teacher, away from a high-traffic area, or in another location identified as helpful for the student's needs.

Repeated or rephrased directions might look like:

Teacher: “Please get your math folder, turn to page 12, and begin problem one.”

Student: “What do I do?”

Teacher: The teacher repeats or rephrases the directions and checks for understanding.

The important question is not simply whether the accommodation appears on paper. It is whether the student is actually receiving the support described in the plan.

Helping Students Become Their Own Advocates

As students get older, accommodations become an important part of self-advocacy.

A middle or high school student should gradually learn:

• what accommodations are listed in their plan;

• what each accommodation is designed to help with;

• when they may need to use an accommodation;

• how to communicate with teachers about their needs;

• how to ask questions when an accommodation is unclear.

Parents can practice simple language with their student:

“I have extended time listed in my 504 plan. How will that work for this test?”

or

“I need the directions repeated or rephrased before I start this assignment.”

The goal is not for students to manage everything independently overnight. The goal is to gradually give students the knowledge and language they need to participate in their own educational planning.

“What Helps Me Learn?”

Invite students to complete these sentences:

One accommodation that helps me is:

It helps me because:

I know I need it when:

One thing I wish my teachers understood about my accommodation is:

One thing I can do to advocate for myself is:

For younger students, these can be discussed verbally or completed with a parent or teacher.

Know Your Child’s Accommodations

Take a few minutes this month to review your child's current 504 plan.

☐ I have a copy of my child's current 504 plan.

☐ I can explain what each accommodation means.

☐ I know which school settings or activities each accommodation applies to.

☐ I know what each accommodation looks like in practice.

☐ My child knows about their accommodations at an age-appropriate level.

☐ I know who to contact if I have a question about implementation.

☐ I have communicated with my child's teachers when clarification was needed.

☐ I know how to share information about changes in my child's needs with the school.

☐ I have asked whether the accommodations are helping my child access learning.

One question to take to school this month:

“Can you give me an example of what each of my child's accommodations looks like during a typical school day?”

A Few Things to Know

Section 504 is a federal civil rights law that protects qualified students with disabilities from discrimination and requires covered schools to provide a free appropriate public education to qualified students with disabilities.

In Texas, TEA provides Section 504 guidance and resources for families, including information about evaluation, placement, procedural safeguards, and accommodations.

Parents can request a meeting for Section 504 services. Texas school districts and charter schools are required to have procedures for Section 504 evaluation and placement and procedural safeguards for parents and students.

Remember:

Read the plan.

Understand the accommodations.

Ask what they look like in practice.

Communicate when your child's needs change.

Partner with your child's school.

Most importantly, remember that an accommodation is more than a phrase on a document. It is a support intended to help a student access their education.

October 8, 2026 - End of First Nine Weeks

October 9, 2026 - Student Holiday

October 12 - 16, 2026 - Fall Break (Student/Staff Holiday)

October 26, 2026 - Report Card Published (Check Skyward)

November 23 - 27, 2026 - Thanksgiving Break (Student/Staff Holiday)

Texas Education Agency — Section 504

TEA provides Texas-specific information and resources related to Section 504, including guidance and family-focused materials.

TEA Section 504 Resources

U.S. Department of Education — Section 504

The U.S. Department of Education provides information about Section 504, including frequently asked questions regarding FAPE.

U.S. Department of Education: Section 504 FAPE FAQs

Accommodation Central

This month, we're highlighting extended time. Visit Accommodation Central to learn more about how accommodations can be implemented and to explore other supports that may address different academic and functional needs.