So, you’ve been told your child qualifies for a 504 Plan. Great, right? But wait, what exactly does that mean? More importantly, what goes in a 504 Plan, and how do you know if it’s enough?
The 504 Plan should be a detailed document that outlines the specific accommodations and modifications that will be provided for your child. It should clearly state any adaptations to the curriculum, assistive technology that will be used, any physical or medical accommodations, and any other necessary modifications. It’s important to ensure that the information is presented in a way that is easy to understand and accessible to all relevant parties.
Addressing Accommodations and Modifications
The accommodations and modifications outlined in the 504 Plan should be tailored specifically to the student’s needs. Some common accommodations may include extended time on tests and assignments, preferential seating in the classroom, access to assistive technology, and modifications to the curriculum. It’s important to ensure that the accommodations and modifications address the specific challenges the student is facing.
- Physical: Seating arrangements, such as sitting near a teacher or role model
- Instructional: Extra time for tests and homework, modified textbooks, verbal testing
- Assistive technology: Speech-to-text software, modified textbooks that can be read aloud
- Environmental: Quiet spaces for testing, frequent breaks
Some examples of specific accommodations or modifications are:
- sitting in a certain place or with a certain desk or chair in the classroom
- extra time on tests and assignments
- use of speech-to-text (dictation) for writing
- modified textbooks (such as one that can be read aloud to the student)
- adjusted class schedules
- extra time between passing periods
- verbal (out loud) testing
- allowing visits to the nurse’s office
- extra bathroom breaks
- occupational therapy or physical therapy
Other considerations can be curriculum adaptations, medical accommodations, specialized services, and daily progress reports. Many other accommodations are available outside of this list as well. If you ask for one that the school can’t provide, the school might offer another one that would help. Most accommodations in 504 plans don’t change what the student learns — rather, they remove barriers to learning.
Callie has several accommodations and modifications for her environment. She has parameters in place for access to specific seating for assemblies, extra passing time between her class periods, extra time for her assignment completion, and specific call outs for her participation in PE.
Setting Goals and Objectives
The 504 Plan should also include specific academic and behavioral goals for your child. These goals should be achievable and measurable, and should be developed in collaboration with the child, parents, and educators. The goals and objectives should be reviewed regularly to ensure that they are still relevant and that progress is being made.
Establishing a Review and Update Process
Once the 504 Plan is finalized, it’s important to establish a review process to ensure that the plan remains effective. The plan should be reviewed at least annually, or more frequently if necessary, to ensure that the accommodations and modifications are meeting your child’s needs. If the plan is not effective, changes should be made to ensure that your child is receiving the necessary support. I think it’s also important to call out that you might need to make an urgent update outside of the normal review process–we’ve had to do this a few times over the years with Callie. The first time, I hesitated to make an appointment with the counselor outside our annual appointment timeframe but I’m really glad I listened to my intuition. The modification was important and needed to be added for her to successfully navigate the learning environment.
Things to ask during the review:
- Is your child consistently getting all the accommodations outlined in the 504 plan?
- Are the accommodations helping your child to make progress in school and take part in other school activities?
- Does your child have any new challenges that should be evaluated?
Need more info?
- Visit the Americans with Disabilities website at www.ada.gov or www.ed.gov for more information about 504 Plans and the disability rights law.