Quebec School Accommodations Checklist: What Your Child Can Receive in Their PI

Walking into a plan d'intervention (PI) meeting without knowing what accommodations are available is like negotiating a contract you've never read. Schools rarely volunteer the full menu. What gets written into your child's PI is often determined by what you ask for — not by what the school proactively offers.

This is the checklist Quebec parents should have before they sit down at that table.

Understanding What "Accommodations" Means in Quebec

In Quebec's education system, accommodations are formally called mesures d'adaptation. They change the conditions under which your child learns or demonstrates knowledge, without reducing the curriculum expectations. A student receiving adaptations is still working toward the same grade-level outcomes as their peers — they're just getting different supports to get there.

This is legally distinct from mesures de modification, which actually lower the expected curriculum content. Modifications are sometimes necessary for students with significant intellectual disabilities, but they have a major consequence: a student whose PI includes modifications is excluded from regular MEQ exams under the modified expectations and cannot graduate with a standard Diplôme d'études secondaires (DES). The DES is required for CEGEP admission and most career training paths.

Everything on this checklist refers to adaptations — supports that preserve your child's diploma eligibility.

Time-Based Accommodations

Extended time is one of the most commonly granted accommodations in Quebec schools and is particularly important for provincial exams.

• Up to 33% additional time as a typical exam adaptation example
• Additional time based on documented needs and the applicable MEQ authorization
• Extended time for in-class assignments, not just formal evaluations
• Shortened or chunked assignment deadlines for multi-day projects
• Regular movement or sensory breaks built into the class schedule

For Ministry exams, ask that each required accommodation be listed in the PI and confirm the applicable MEQ authorization process well before exam day. Assistive technology must be documented in the PI and used regularly before authorization; it cannot be introduced for the first time on exam day.

Setting and Environment Accommodations

• Isolated test room — Writing exams or completing assessments in a quiet separate space away from classroom distractions
• Preferential seating — Near the teacher, away from the door or window, or in a low-distraction area of the classroom
• Noise-cancelling headphones or ear defenders during independent work
• Flexible seating options (standing desk, wobble cushion, floor seating) for students with sensory or attention needs
• Reduced visual clutter at the student's workspace

Technological Accommodations (Aides technologiques)

MEQ Measure 30110 funds adapted technology for EHDAA students. The tool must be documented in the PI and used regularly before exam authorization; it cannot be introduced for the first time on exam day.

For reading and language:

• Lexibar — The most widely used tool in francophone Quebec schools; provides text-to-speech (synthèse vocale), phonetic spell-checking, and word prediction in French
• WordQ — Writing support with word prediction and text-to-speech, available in French
• Natural Reader or similar text-to-speech software for reading assignments
• Audio versions of textbooks or reading materials

For writing and organization:

• Spell-checking software beyond basic autocorrect
• Word prediction tools for sentence construction
• Graphic organizers or digital mind-mapping tools (e.g., MindMeister, Inspiration)
• Access to a keyboard for written assignments rather than handwriting

For math:

• Talking calculator
• Graph paper for organization
• Formula sheets (if permitted under the curriculum)

When requesting technology, specify the exact function you need — not just "assistive technology" but "text-to-speech in French (synthèse vocale) and word prediction (prédicteur orthographique) via Lexibar, with license provisioned to the student's school account." This level of specificity prevents administrators from approving the concept without acting on it.

Presentation and Communication Accommodations

• Oral instructions in addition to written directions
• Instructions broken into individual steps, delivered one at a time
• Verbal or oral exam option instead of written response (for students with significant writing difficulties)
• Reduced written output required for assignments without reducing the depth of understanding assessed
• Permission to use voice recording to capture answers or lecture notes
• Visual schedules and advance notice of transitions or changes in routine

Evaluation and Assessment Accommodations

• Exams administered in individual or small-group settings
• Exemption from penalization for spelling errors in non-language-arts subjects (spelling does not affect the grade in science, history, or math exams)
• MEQ-permitted assistive technology or another authorized exam accommodation documented in the PI
• Access to a reader who reads exam questions aloud
• Chunked exams — breaking a single exam across multiple shorter sessions rather than one extended sitting
• Use of specific assistive technology during exams (must match what's used regularly in class and be listed in the PI)

Human Support Accommodations

• Orthopédagogie sessions — Specify the frequency and duration (e.g., three 45-minute sessions per week). "As available" is not an acceptable commitment in a PI.
• TES (technicien en éducation spécialisée) support — In-classroom behavioral or learning support from a special education technician; specify hours per day or week
• Psychoeducator follow-up — Scheduled sessions with the psychoeducator for emotional regulation or social-behavioral strategies
• Peer note-taking support or access to teacher's notes
• Pre-teaching of key concepts before the class lesson

Organizational and Homework Accommodations

• Reduced homework load without reducing depth of curriculum coverage
• A second set of textbooks kept at home so the student doesn't need to carry materials
• Communication tool (notebook, app, or shared calendar) between home and school to track assignments
• Modified due dates for long-term assignments with interim checkpoints
• Organizational system explicitly described and maintained by the school team (not just "the student should organize better")

Condition-Specific Accommodation Combinations

ADHD

Core requests: extended time, preferential seating, movement breaks, chunked instructions, organizational support (homework reduction or second set of books), access to fidget tools during class, oral exam options.

Dyslexia / Dysorthographie

Core requests: Lexibar or equivalent text-to-speech, word prediction software, exemption from spelling penalties in non-language subjects, extended time on all written work, oral exam option, access to audio texts.

Dyscalculia

Core requests: extended time on math assessments, talking calculator, graph paper for organization, formula reference sheets where curriculum-appropriate.

Autism Spectrum (Code 50)

Core requests: advance notice of schedule changes, visual schedule, isolated exam setting, sensory accommodations (headphones, seating), reduced social group requirements, one-to-one TES support during high-demand periods, communication supports.

Anxiety / Psychopathological Disorders

Core requests: isolated exam setting, ability to take breaks during assessments, access to de-escalation space, flexible deadlines during acute episodes (with psychoeducator documentation), advance copy of exam format.

The Accommodation Tracker: Making the PI Mean Something

Having accommodations listed in a PI is the first step. The harder part is ensuring they're actually delivered. Teachers with 30 students cannot be expected to remember every accommodation for every child on their own — and substitute teachers are routinely unaware of a student's PI entirely.

An accommodation tracker is a simple tool: a one-page document that lists each accommodation in the PI alongside a daily or weekly checkbox. Parents can request one from the school, or build their own and ask the teacher to maintain it.

The most important use of a tracker is when accommodations are not being delivered. If the documentation shows that extended time was applied twice in the first three weeks and then stopped, that's concrete evidence to bring to a follow-up PI meeting or a formal complaint.

If your school is not following through on accommodations written into the PI, the first step is a written request to the principal. If that doesn't resolve it, a formal complaint to the CSS-level administrator follows, then the Protecteur régional de l'élève, with national escalation if needed.

The Quebec Plan d'Intervention & Accommodations Blueprint includes a printable accommodation tracker, pre-meeting checklists, and a step-by-step guide to requesting specific accommodations during PI negotiations.

What to Do When the School Says "We Don't Have That"

The most common obstruction parents face is a school claiming a particular accommodation isn't possible due to resource constraints. A few things to know:

• If a support in the PI is not being delivered, request written reasons and an alternative that addresses the student's needs; escalate unmet needs through the complaint process.
• MEQ Measure 30110 funds adapted technology when it is documented in the PI and used regularly before exam authorization.
• If the school cannot provide a specific support, ask it to document why and what alternative it proposes. "We don't have it" does not answer how the student's need will be addressed.
• For systemic issues (an entire board refusing to provide certain supports), escalation to the CCSEHDAA — the CSS's advisory committee for EHDAA students — can trigger board-level policy review.

Your child's PI is a living document, not a one-time negotiation. Every review meeting is an opportunity to add, strengthen, or enforce the accommodations your child needs.

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