Best Practices

Communication Strategies

Effective collaboration begins with consistent, respectful, and open dialogue. Establishing clear communication channels and a shared understanding of terminology are foundational.

• Regular Meeting Schedules: Schedule dedicated time for collaboration, such as grade level or team meetings. 

• Shared Communication Tools: Utilize collaborative platforms such as Google Docs, shared calendars, or communication logs to track student progress, intervention adjustments, and meeting notes.

• Common Language: Ensure all team members understand MTSS vocabulary, intervention protocols, and data metrics.

Co-Planning and Co-Teaching

Collaboration isn't just about sharing information; it's about jointly developing and delivering instruction and interventions.

According to The National Association for Co-Teaching, co-teaching is defined as, "Two teachers working together with groups of students; sharing the planning, organization, delivery and assessment of instruction, as well as the physical space (Bacharach, Heck and Dank, 2005)." https://icoteach.com/resources

Co-teaching isn't just limited to a general education and special education partnership, however this partnership can be a powerful support for all students. 

Co-Planning

• Co-Planning Agenda: Use a structured agenda to ensure all key discussion points are covered, roles are assigned, and decisions are documented. This agenda template from William and Mary provides support for co-planning conversations. 

Smith Middle School has engaged in traditional teaching practices in which the special education teacher pulled students from the second half of their block classes. Over the course of the last eight years, special education teachers have moved to a push-in model in which they serve special education students at a table at the back of the classroom. 

With budget cuts over the last two years, the school has lost staff, leaving three special education teachers to serve students across four grade levels. This has led to teachers reconsidering their roles within the general education classroom and how students can be served better in each tier. 

Over the last year, special education teachers have identified classrooms for co-teaching. General education and special education teachers have partnered and received professional learning focused on co-teaching models. In the English Language Arts classrooms, partners have moved to a one teach, one support model at the start of the lesson, and move to a station teaching approach during the second part of the lesson or second part of the week. Most math classes either use a team teaching model or one teach, one support model. 

The school administrator ensures that there is ample time for communication and collaboration each day, with 59 minutes dedicated each day. Even though special education teachers may serve more than one grade level, the scheduling supports time with each teaching partner. The principal ensures that all special education teachers have access to all teacher manuals to ensure Tier 1 lessons and activities are co-planned, and Tier 2 interventions are aligned and intensified based on the core. In this way, Smith Middle School is able to avoid struggles in co-teaching and communication and focus on student success.