Curriculum Modification for Students with Disability in WA Mainstream Schools

When a school tells you your child's curriculum is being "modified," that word can mean almost anything — from genuine, thoughtful adjustments to a modified learning pathway, to essentially removing the student from meaningful curriculum access while ticking a compliance box. Understanding what modification actually means in the WA context, and what the school is legally required to provide, helps you distinguish between the two.

The Legal Basis for Curriculum Modification in WA

Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE 2005), schools are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure students with disability can access the curriculum on the same basis as their peers. Curriculum modification is one category of reasonable adjustment.

"On the same basis" does not mean doing exactly the same tasks. It means having a genuine opportunity to participate in learning, develop skills, and demonstrate achievement — even if the form of that participation differs from the standard approach. A student who cannot handwrite can demonstrate learning through dictation. A student who cannot access grade-level text can engage with the same concepts through modified materials at an accessible reading level. The goal is equivalent participation, not identical delivery.

The school's obligation is to consult with you about the modifications being made and to document them in the student's Documented Plan. Modifications that are happening informally — in a teacher's head, but not written into the plan — are not documented reasonable adjustments. They are invisible, unenforceable, and invisible to the next teacher who picks up the class.

The Difference Between Accommodation and Modification

These terms are used interchangeably in many contexts, but they describe different interventions:

Accommodations change how a student accesses or demonstrates learning, without changing what they are expected to learn. Examples: extra time on tasks, use of a computer instead of handwriting, chunked instructions, preferential seating, oral rather than written assessments. The curriculum content and year-level expectations remain the same.

Modifications change what a student is expected to learn. This may mean reduced volume (fewer questions from the same task), reduced complexity (lower-level text at the same topic), or a genuinely different learning objective that aligns with the student's functional level rather than the year-level standard.

In WA, the distinction matters because:

• Accommodations alone do not change reporting expectations — the student is still assessed against year-level outcomes, with accommodations noted
• Modifications may mean the student is assessed against different outcomes, which has implications for Year 11/12 curriculum choices and WACE pathways

Parents should know which category of adjustment their child is receiving in each subject area, and this should be explicitly documented in the Documented Plan rather than left to teacher discretion.

How Curriculum Modification Is Documented in WA Schools

The Documented Plan (typically an IEP for academic needs) must specify, for each relevant subject area:

• What year-level outcomes the student is working toward, or what modified outcomes are applicable
• What accommodations are in place (how the student accesses content and tasks)
• What modifications are in place (whether the content itself has been adjusted)
• What materials, technologies, or staff supports are provided to enable access

This level of specificity is not bureaucratic excess — it is what allows a new teacher, a relief teacher, or an EA who does not know your child to understand what needs to happen in the classroom on a given day. A Documented Plan that says "curriculum modified as appropriate" does not achieve this. Push for subject-by-subject specificity.

When Mainstream Curriculum Modification Is Not Enough: The ABLEWA Threshold

For most students with disability in WA mainstream schools, the standard Western Australian Curriculum — delivered with accommodations and modifications — remains the appropriate framework. Curriculum modification works within that framework.

For students whose needs are significantly more complex — specifically, students with intellectual disability, global developmental delay, or autism paired with substantial and enduring functional limitations — the ABLEWA (Abilities Based Learning and Education WA) framework may be more appropriate. ABLEWA is not a "mainstream modification" — it is a separate curriculum designed for students who cannot meaningfully access the standard curriculum even with extensive modifications.

ABLEWA can be delivered in:

• Education Support Centres (the most common context)
• Education Support Classes within mainstream schools
• In some cases, as a fully individualized approach within a mainstream class for students with very high needs who are enrolled there

If a school is suggesting your child move to an ABLEWA program within a mainstream setting, this represents a significant curriculum decision that should be carefully discussed in a Student Support Group meeting, with reference to current diagnostic and functional assessments. Moving to ABLEWA affects reporting, affects what Year 11/12 pathways are available, and is not a decision to make based on administrative convenience.

Curriculum Modification and the NCCD

The school's curriculum modification decisions are tied to the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) process. The NCCD requires schools to classify the level of adjustment each student receives:

• Quality Differentiated Teaching Practice (QDTP): Standard differentiation available to all students, no additional resourcing
• Supplementary adjustments: Minor additional supports beyond standard classroom practice
• Substantial adjustments: Significantly modified curriculum, regular specialist input, consistent additional resourcing
• Extensive adjustments: Highly individualised program, ongoing intensive support, significant curriculum modification

Where a school classifies your child on the NCCD has direct implications for the EAA and IDA funding the school receives. A student receiving substantial curriculum modification who is classified at supplementary level is being underfunded by the system — and this affects what the school can deploy for your child.

You are entitled to ask the school what NCCD level your child is classified at, and why. If you believe the classification understates the level of adjustment your child requires, raise this formally in the SSG meeting and ask the school to review the classification with reference to your child's current Documented Plan.

What to Request at Your Next SSG Meeting

If curriculum modification is not well-documented or not being implemented consistently, bring these specific questions to your next Student Support Group meeting:

What year-level outcomes is my child working toward in each subject, and which of those outcomes have been modified?

What specific accommodations are in place in each class, and how is the EA supporting delivery of those accommodations?

What NCCD classification is my child assigned, and does that reflect the actual level of adjustment being provided?

If my child is working on modified outcomes, how is achievement against those outcomes being reported to us?

Who is responsible for ensuring that relief teachers and new staff are informed of my child's modifications from day one?

Written answers to these questions — even if they require a follow-up email summary from you after the meeting — create the accountability record that makes curriculum modification enforceable rather than aspirational.

The Western Australia Disability Advocacy Playbook includes an SSG meeting preparation framework, NCCD classification explainer, and curriculum modification documentation checklist specific to WA schools — covering both mainstream and ABLEWA pathways in a single reference.

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