Co-teaching agreement template with a completed example

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A co-teaching agreement is a one-page document two teachers fill in before they share a class. It settles planning time, which co-teaching models they will use, who grades what, how behavior is handled, who tracks IEP goals and accommodations, and how families are contacted. Fill in the template below together, sign it, and review it each grading period.

Most co-teaching conflict comes from questions nobody asked in August. Who grades the essays? Who calls home? Whose rules apply when a student talks back? A co-teaching agreement answers those questions while the two teachers still have time to talk calmly.

The agreement is not a legal document. It is a working plan between two professionals. It also supports a legal duty: each teacher who carries out an IEP must know their own responsibilities for it, including the accommodations.^[1] Writing those responsibilities down in one place makes them hard to miss.

For the wider set of collaboration guides, see the cluster overview in paraprofessional roles and responsibilities.

Fill-in co-teaching agreement

Print this page or copy the table into a document. There is nothing to sign up for. Fill it in together in one 45-minute meeting.

Section	Questions to answer	Our agreement
Class and teachers	Course, period, room, both teachers' roles	______
Planning time	Day, time, length, where the plan is kept	______
Co-teaching models	Which models we will use and how often	______
Instruction	Who leads which parts of lessons; how we switch	______
Grading	Who grades what; how accommodations and modifications affect grades	______
Behavior and routines	Shared rules; who responds to what; how we back each other up	______
IEP responsibilities	Who tracks goals, takes data, gives accommodations, writes progress reports	______
Para in the room	If a para is assigned: who directs them and how	______
Family contact	Who contacts families, how, and how we keep each other informed	______
Space and materials	Desk space, supplies, both names on the door and the syllabus	______
Disagreements	How we raise a concern and when	______
Review dates	When we revisit this agreement	______

Signatures and date: ______

Completed example

This example is fictional. It is a grade 9 English class with 26 students, 6 of them with IEPs. Teacher A is the English teacher. Teacher B is the special education teacher, in the room every day for this period.

Section	Our agreement
Class and teachers	English 9, period 3, Room 204. Teacher A: content lead. Teacher B: specially designed instruction and IEP lead. Both are teachers of record for all 26 students.
Planning time	Tuesdays 2:45 to 3:30 in Room 204. Plan kept in a shared document with one row per day.
Co-teaching models	Stations at least once a week. Parallel teaching for discussions. Alternative teaching for preteaching vocabulary before each unit. One teach, one observe when we need data. One teach, one assist no more than 2 days a week.
Instruction	We alternate who opens class. Teacher B leads the writing mini-lessons on paragraph structure. Either of us can step in during a lesson with "Can I add something?"
Grading	Teacher A grades essays with the shared rubric; Teacher B grades the 6 IEP students' essays for the first two units, then we split by alphabet. Accommodations do not change grades. Any modification is graded as the IEP states, and Teacher B explains it to Teacher A first.
Behavior and routines	Three class rules posted. The teacher closest responds first, using the same words. Phone calls home about behavior come from whoever saw it. Neither of us overrides the other in front of students.
IEP responsibilities	Teacher B tracks goals, takes weekly probes and writes progress reports. Teacher A gives the accommodations listed on each student's one-page summary and tells Teacher B by Friday if one was missed. Both attend IEP meetings when invited.
Para in the room	A para supports one student during period 3. Teacher B writes the para's plan and gives feedback. Teacher A tells Teacher B if the para is doing class duties instead.
Family contact	Weekly class newsletter signed by both. Teacher B contacts families of IEP students about goals; Teacher A about grades and missing work. We copy each other on emails.
Space and materials	Both names on the door, syllabus and grade portal. Teacher B has a desk at the back and a supply shelf.
Disagreements	Raise it privately within 2 school days, never in front of students. If we cannot settle it, we bring it to the department chair together.
Review dates	End of each grading period: Oct 25, Jan 17, Mar 28, June 6.

Notes on each section

Class and teachers

Write that both teachers are teachers of all students. Parents notice when only one name appears on the syllabus, and students notice when one adult is treated as a helper. Listing both roles also shows that the special education teacher brings specific instruction, not only support.

Planning time

Name the day, time and place. Administrators reviewing co-taught classes often check whether common planning time exists. The routine for using it is in co-planning between special education and general education.

Co-teaching models

Set a mix. If one teach, one assist fills every day, the second teacher's skills are wasted. The co-teaching glossary entry describes the common models.

Grading

Families ask "who graded this?" more than any other question about co-taught classes. Say who grades what, and separate accommodations (no change to grading) from modifications (graded as the IEP states). The grading students with IEPs guide explains the difference.

Behavior and routines

Agree on the words both of you will use. Students test whether one teacher's no means no for the other. A shared script removes that gap.

IEP responsibilities

This is the section reviewers look at closely. Each accommodation must be given in this class, and each goal practiced here needs someone taking data. The general education teacher's duties for the IEP are explained in general education teacher IEP responsibilities, and the general education teacher is a member of the IEP team when the student is in general education.^[2]

Para in the room

A para works under one teacher's direction. Name that teacher. Otherwise the para gets two sets of instructions, or none. The para schedule template shows how the para's block is written.

Family contact

Parents want one clear person to ask. Split the topics, then copy each other so neither teacher is surprised at a conference.

Disagreements and review dates

Two teachers who share a room will disagree. A rule about when and where to raise a concern keeps it out of the classroom. Review dates make the agreement a living plan. Collaboration with colleagues is the first practice in the published core set for special education teachers.^[3]

Common mistakes

Weak: "We'll figure it out as we go." Better: A filled-in agreement before the first day of class.
Weak: "Teacher B helps students who need it." Better: Teacher B leads named parts of instruction and the IEP work.
Weak: No grading section. Better: Who grades what, written down, with the rule for modifications.
Weak: The agreement is filed and never read again. Better: Reviewed at the end of each grading period.

For a wider look at how special and general educators work together on one student, see collaboration between special and general education teachers.

Frequently asked questions

Is a co-teaching agreement required?

Not by federal law. It is a working document between two teachers. Some districts ask for one as part of their co-teaching model, so check with your administrator.

When should co-teachers fill in the agreement?

Before students arrive, ideally in the week before school starts. A pair that starts mid-year should fill it in within the first two weeks, before habits set in.

Who keeps the signed co-teaching agreement?

Both teachers keep a copy, usually in the shared planning folder. Some pairs also give a copy to the administrator or department chair so planning time and roles are on record.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.323: When IEPs must be in effect, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
34 CFR §300.321: IEP Team, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.