What Is Known About Curriculum Modifications? A Scoping Literature Review

Modifying the curriculum is a common practice used to support students with individual education plans (IEPs). All 13 provinces and territories in Canada (and their associated federally run schools) permit the use of curriculum modifications yet, despite their frequent use, the efficacy of this long-standing practice has rarely been studied. This scoping literature review maps what is currently known about curriculum modifications. Findings reveal two significant issues with the terminology used in the existing literature—inconsistent use of terms and conflation of terms. Additionally, the limited research available reports that while some students identified as having intellectual disability may benefit from modified curricula in certain contexts, other groups of students may experience harm. These findings lay a foundation for future research on curriculum modifications, an area that warrants urgent attention from the anti-oppression movement within special education.