Collaboration between special and general education teachers: consultation steps and documentation
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Collaboration between special and general education teachers works best as a short, repeatable consultation cycle. Define one concern with data, choose a strategy together, agree on who does what, try it for 2 to 4 weeks while collecting data, then meet again to keep, change or drop it. Log each consult with the date, minutes, data and next step.
Many students with IEPs spend most of the day with a general education teacher and no special educator in the room. For them, collaboration happens through consultation: the special education teacher helps the general education teacher plan and adjust, and the general education teacher carries it out. Some IEPs list this as consultation minutes; others build it into the case manager's role.
Consultation often fails in a predictable way. The special educator hands over a list of 12 strategies in the hallway, nobody writes anything down, and a month later no one knows what was tried. A short cycle with a written log prevents that.
Collaborating with professionals to increase student success is the first practice in the core practice set published for special education teachers.[1] The IEP can also name supports for school personnel, such as consultation for the general education teacher.[2] Either way, the work should be planned and recorded like any other service.
For co-taught classes, the weekly routine in co-planning between special education and general education fits better. This page is for classes without a co-teacher. The cluster overview is in paraprofessional roles and responsibilities.
What you need before you start
- The student's IEP goals and accommodations for this class.
- Any consultation minutes the IEP lists, and how often.
- One concern from the general education teacher, in their words.
- A simple consult log. The service log tool can track consult minutes.
The consultation steps
Step 1: Name one concern
Ask the general education teacher what is hardest right now. Pick one concern. "He doesn't do any written work" is a start. Narrow it in the conversation: which assignments, which part of the day, since when.
Step 2: Define it with data
Agree on what you will count and get a baseline before choosing a strategy. For written work, count how many of the week's constructed responses the student finishes. Two weeks of baseline is enough for most classroom concerns. The work completion measurement page explains how to count it.
Step 3: Choose one strategy together
Offer two or three options and let the general education teacher pick the one that fits their class. A strategy the teacher chooses is more likely to be used. Match the strategy to the problem: if the student can say the answer but not write it, a sentence starter or graphic organizer fits; if the student cannot read the question, an accommodation already in the IEP might be missing.
Step 4: Agree on who does what
Write down who makes the materials, who uses them, and who collects data. Keep the general education teacher's part small enough to fit a class of 28.
Step 5: Try it for 2 to 4 weeks
Leave the strategy in place long enough to see a trend. Check in once by email or in passing to solve small problems, such as the organizer being too small.
Step 6: Meet and decide
Look at the data together. Keep the strategy if it works, change one part if it partly works, or drop it and try another. Set the next check date.
Step 7: Log the consult
Each consult gets one entry. If it involved a goal, note it so the information is ready for the progress report.
Worked example: Ben in grade 4
Ben is a fictional grade 4 student in general education all day. His IEP includes 30 minutes a month of consultation between the special education teacher and his classroom teacher. His writing goal is to write a 3-sentence constructed response with a topic sentence and 2 details from the text.
Concern (Sept 9). The classroom teacher says Ben skips written responses in science and social studies.
Baseline (Sept 9 to 20). The classroom teacher tallies the 5 constructed responses assigned each week. Ben finishes 1 of 5 in week 1 and 1 of 5 in week 2.
Strategy (Sept 23 consult, 15 minutes). The special education teacher offers three options: a 3-box graphic organizer, sentence starters taped to his desk, or dictating to a peer. The classroom teacher picks the organizer with a starter in the first box. The special education teacher makes 20 copies. The classroom teacher hands one out with each response and keeps the tally.
Try it (Sept 23 to Oct 18). Ben finishes 2 of 5, then 3, then 4, then 4.
Decide (Oct 21 consult, 15 minutes). The strategy works. The teachers agree to keep it and to start removing the starter in November. Next check: Nov 18.
The consult log entry for Oct 21 looks like this:
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Date and minutes | Oct 21, 15 minutes |
| Who | Special education teacher, grade 4 teacher |
| Concern | Finishing constructed responses in science and social studies |
| Data | Baseline 1 of 5 per week; with organizer 2, 3, 4, 4 of 5 |
| Decision | Keep organizer; remove sentence starter from box 1 in November |
| Who does what | Special education teacher updates organizer; classroom teacher keeps tally |
| Linked IEP goal | Written expression goal 1 |
| Next check | Nov 18 |
Two consults of 15 minutes each make 30 minutes for the month, which matches his IEP. The IEP services and minutes guide explains how consult minutes are written.
Common mistakes
- Weak: A list of 12 strategies in the hallway. Better: One concern, one strategy, written down.
- Weak: Starting a strategy with no baseline. Better: 2 weeks of counts first, so you can tell if it worked.
- Weak: The special educator picks the strategy alone. Better: The classroom teacher picks from 2 or 3 options that fit the class.
- Weak: "Let me know how it goes." Better: A set check date on both calendars.
- Weak: Consults happen but are never logged. Better: A one-row log entry for each, with the minutes.
- Weak: Collaboration only happens when something goes wrong. Better: A regular check, even when things are fine.
Tools you can use
- Goals for the general education setting and goals for the general education teacher role, for goals classroom teachers can carry out.
- How to implement IEP accommodations, when the concern turns out to be a missing accommodation.
- SLP and teacher collaboration and OT and teacher collaboration, for related service providers.
- IEP team collaboration, for a meeting rhythm across the whole team.
Frequently asked questions
What is collaborative consultation in special education?
It is an indirect service where the special education teacher works with the general education teacher, who then works with the student. The two define a concern, choose a strategy, try it and review data together.
How often should special and general education teachers meet?
As often as the IEP's consultation minutes require, and at least once every 2 to 4 weeks for students with active concerns. Short, regular check-ins work better than long meetings when something goes wrong.
How do you document consultation minutes?
Log each consult with the date, the minutes, who attended, the concern, the data, the decision and the next check date. Note which IEP goal it relates to so progress reports can draw on it.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Goals for the general education setting
- Goals for the General education teacher role
- Co-teaching in the IEP glossary
- Work completion measurement guide
- Service log tool
Related guides
- Paraprofessional roles and responsibilities
- Co-planning between special education and general education: a weekly routine
- Co-teaching and IEP goals in the general education classroom
- IEP team collaboration: a meeting cadence for providers
- SLP-teacher collaboration for carryover
Sources
- High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center
- 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
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.