Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 38Q require the adoption and implementation of a District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP). Such plan is intended to guide principals and teachers in ensuring that all possible efforts are made to meet student needs in general education classrooms and to support teachers in analyzing and accommodating the wide range of student learning styles and needs that exist in any school. The statute also encourages teacher collaboration and parent involvement.
This District Curriculum Accommodation Plan is written to summarize resources and procedures that are available to teachers and principals to meet students’ needs in regular education.
Accommodations are changes in how a student gains access to information and demonstrates his/her learning. Such changes are made to provide a student with equal access to learning along with an equal opportunity to be able to show what he/she knows or can do. Accommodations do NOT change the instructional level, content, or performance criteria. (These latter changes are called modifications.)
For many, the suggested list of accommodations would simply be thought of as best educational practices. Accommodations and other strategies are organized under the following headings or categories: