Michigan IEP Accommodations List: Common Accommodations and How to Request Them

Most parents who sit through IEP meetings have no idea what accommodations are actually available — and districts don't hand out lists. The result is that children get whatever accommodations the team puts on the table, which often amounts to "extended time and preferential seating" regardless of what the child actually needs. Here's a practical reference for what accommodations exist, what they mean, and how to request them.

Accommodations vs. Modifications: An Important Distinction

Before the list, the distinction that matters most: accommodations change how a student accesses content or demonstrates knowledge without changing what they're learning or the performance standard. Modifications change the actual instructional content or the performance standard itself.

A student with extended time on a math test is receiving an accommodation — they're still doing the same test. A student who only answers 20 out of 40 questions and is graded out of 20 is receiving a modification.

Under MARSE, the IEP must specify which supports are accommodations and which are modifications. Modifications are more significant because they affect what the student is expected to master — and colleges, employers, and standardized testing bodies treat the distinction differently. Some state and national tests allow accommodations but not modifications. Parents should know which is which on their child's IEP.

Academic and Instructional Accommodations

These changes to how instruction is delivered help students access the general curriculum without altering the content itself.

Presentation accommodations:

• Oral reading of instructions, passages, or questions (by teacher or audio)
• Text-to-speech software for written materials
• Audio versions of textbooks
• Large-print materials
• Simplified written directions (fewer words, shorter sentences)
• Visual supports alongside verbal instruction (pictures, diagrams)
• Pre-teaching of vocabulary before a lesson unit
• Study guides or graphic organizers provided before instruction

Pacing and timing accommodations:

• Extended time on in-class assignments (commonly 1.5x or 2x the standard time)
• Chunked assignments broken into smaller segments
• Flexible deadlines for long-term projects with interim check-ins
• Reduced homework volume (e.g., every other problem rather than all problems)
• Scheduled breaks during long work periods

Environment accommodations:

• Preferential seating (near the teacher, away from the door, at the front of the room)
• Reduced distractions — separate work area, study carrel, small-group setting
• Permission to use fidget tools or sensory items during instruction
• Noise-canceling headphones during independent work
• Access to a calm-down space or sensory room

Materials accommodations:

• Provided copies of notes or PowerPoint slides
• Pencil grips or slant boards for students with fine motor difficulties
• Graph paper for math to help with number alignment
• Highlighters, sticky notes, or color-coded organizational tools
• Calculators or multiplication charts where appropriate

Testing and Assessment Accommodations

State testing in Michigan (M-STEP, SAT with Essay, PSAT) allows specific accommodations for students with IEPs — but only if those accommodations are regularly used in instruction. An accommodation can't be introduced for the first time on a test; it must be the student's standard, documented practice.

Timing:

• Extended time (most commonly 50% or 100% additional time)
• Unlimited time where appropriate
• Frequent short breaks during testing

Setting:

• Small-group testing environment (a separate room with fewer students)
• One-on-one testing administered by a familiar adult
• Testing in a separate location from the general education classroom

Format:

• Oral reading of questions and answer choices (for non-reading assessments)
• Responses recorded verbally and transcribed by a scribe
• Speech-to-text software for written responses
• Use of a calculator on computation-not-assessed portions
• Word processor for essays (note: spell check may or may not be permitted depending on the test)

Scheduling:

• Testing over multiple sessions broken across days
• Testing during the student's highest-functioning time of day

For Michigan's MI-ACCESS (the alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities), the accommodations framework is different and based on the student's functional profile. If your child is on the alternate assessment, the IEP team should include MI-ACCESS-specific accommodation planning.

Behavioral and Emotional Support Accommodations

These accommodations address the non-academic barriers to school participation — often relevant for students with ADHD, autism, anxiety, or emotional impairments.

• Check-in/check-out system — daily structured meeting with a trusted adult at the start and end of school
• Flexible seating — ability to use a standing desk, wobble stool, or floor cushion
• Movement breaks — scheduled or as-needed opportunities to leave the classroom briefly
• Planned ignoring and differential reinforcement — specific behavioral intervention protocols documented in the IEP
• Advance notice of schedule changes — warning before transitions or unexpected events
• Social stories or visual schedules for predictable routines
• First-then boards for task completion sequencing
• Private prompting rather than public correction in front of peers
• Reduced peer pressure — ability to respond verbally rather than in front of the class
• Access to a quiet space during sensory overload or escalation

If your child has a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) in addition to an IEP, the accommodations above may overlap with or supplement the BIP strategies. They're still separate documents with different purposes: the BIP targets specific behaviors with antecedent and consequence strategies; the accommodations list provides the environmental and instructional adjustments that reduce the conditions where those behaviors emerge.

How to Request Specific Accommodations

You don't have to wait for the IEP team to offer accommodations. You can — and should — come to the meeting with a list of what you believe your child needs, tied to specific observed difficulties.

Before the meeting, write a Parent Concern Statement that includes accommodation requests. The format should tie each request to observable, specific evidence:

"I've observed that [child's name] requires approximately 45 minutes to complete a 20-minute homework assignment in [subject]. I'm requesting that the IEP include a 50% extended time accommodation for assignments and assessments in that subject."

Or:

"Teachers have reported that [child's name] becomes significantly dysregulated when transitions are unannounced. I'm requesting that the IEP include an accommodation for advance notice of schedule changes and transition warnings at least 5 minutes before transitions."

The IEP team must consider parent requests — they don't have to agree to every one, but they must address each requested accommodation and provide Prior Written Notice if they're denying one.

If an accommodation is in the IEP but not being implemented — a teacher who "forgets" to provide extended time, or a reading aide who's absent — that's a failure to implement the IEP. Document it in writing. If it's a pattern, it's grounds for a State Complaint.

Accommodations at School That Must Follow to Testing

Students with IEPs are entitled to their IEP accommodations on state assessments — M-STEP, PSAT, SAT — provided those accommodations are established practices in their classroom instruction. The College Board (for AP and SAT) has its own documentation process, which must be started at least 7 weeks before the test date. Don't assume the accommodation automatically transfers to College Board tests — check with the district's testing coordinator.

The Michigan IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a full accommodations request worksheet and guidance on tracking accommodation implementation across teachers and subjects — because an accommodation that's documented but not consistently used isn't an accommodation at all.

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