Special education sub plans: template and completed example

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Special education sub plans tell a substitute how to run the day safely and keep each student's supports in place. Include the schedule, what each para does, a short support card for each student, behavior plan steps, simple review lessons, the data the paras keep taking, who to call, and an end-of-day note. Keep it in a labeled, private folder.

A substitute in a special education classroom faces more than a lesson plan. Students may depend on a visual schedule, a break card or a specific way of being greeted. Paras know the routines but may not know what the substitute expects. A good sub plan makes the day predictable for everyone.

The IEP still applies on sub days. Each person responsible for carrying out the IEP must know their part, including the accommodations, modifications and supports.^[1] Paras keep assisting under the direction of a teacher, and on a sub day that direction comes from your written plan.^[2]

The template below works for resource rooms, self-contained classes and co-taught classes. Write it once in August and update the student cards each grading period. For how paras fit into the classroom, see paraprofessional roles and responsibilities.

Fill-in sub plan template

Copy these sections into a document. Keep it to 3 or 4 pages.

Section	What to write	Entry
Welcome and key contacts	Your room, a teacher next door, the office, the nurse, who to call for behavior	______
Safety first	Where health plans and the behavior crisis plan are kept; any student who must not be left alone	______
Daily schedule	Clock times, location, which adult leads each block	______
Para roles	Each para's schedule for the day and what they lead	______
Student support cards	One short card per student: first name, what helps, what to avoid, key accommodations	______
Routines	Arrival, bathroom, lunch, recess, dismissal, transitions	______
Lessons	Review activities students know; materials location	______
Data to keep	Which data the paras take as usual; what the substitute does not need to record	______
Behavior plan steps	The first 3 steps for any student with a plan, in order	______
If something goes wrong	Who to call, early pickup plan, fire drill notes	______
End-of-day note	A short form for the substitute to fill in	______

Completed example

This example is fictional. It is a grade 1 to 3 special education classroom with 8 students, 2 paras (Para A and Para B) and visits from speech and OT.

Section	Entry
Welcome and key contacts	Room 6. Teacher next door: Room 7, knows the class. Office: ext. 100. Nurse: ext. 110. Behavior support: call the office and ask for the assistant principal.
Safety first	Health plans are in the red folder in the nurse's office; Para A knows them. The behavior crisis plan is on the inside cover of this binder. Jonah needs an adult with him at all times outside Room 6.
Daily schedule	8:00 arrival (Para A at the door). 8:20 morning meeting (sub leads with the slides). 8:45 reading groups (Para B runs group 2). 9:30 snack. 9:45 math stations (paras run stations 1 and 2). 10:30 recess. 11:00 speech pull-out for 3 students. 11:30 lunch. 12:15 read-aloud (sub). 12:45 OT in room. 1:30 choice time. 2:15 pack-up. 2:30 dismissal.
Para roles	Para A: arrival, Jonah's support, math station 1, lunch. Para B: reading group 2, math station 2, bathroom schedule, dismissal. Both paras know the routines; ask them.
Student support cards	Card example: "Ava. Helps: a 2-minute warning before transitions; first-then card. Avoid: calling on her without warning. Accommodations: directions read aloud, answers by pointing." One card per student, in the blue folder.
Routines	Visual schedule on the board; move the arrow after each block. Bathroom every 90 minutes per Para B's chart. Lunch: students line up by the door picture.
Lessons	All review. Reading: decodable books in group bins. Math: station cards from last week. Read-aloud: the marked book on the desk. No new skills today.
Data to keep	Paras keep taking goal data on the opportunity sheets in the gray folder, the same as every day. The sub does not need to take goal data. Please note any incident on the end-of-day note.
Behavior plan steps	Jonah: (1) offer his break card; (2) walk with him to the calm corner; (3) wait quietly, no demands, until he is calm. Sam: (1) remind with his first-then card; (2) give 2 choices; (3) call Room 7 if he leaves the room.
If something goes wrong	Call the office. Para A knows the fire drill route, including the student who uses a wheelchair. Early pickup forms are in the office.
End-of-day note	What went well. Any incidents (time, what happened, what you did). Anything a parent asked. Notes from paras.

Notes on each section

Welcome and key contacts

Name a teacher next door who knows the class. A substitute who has someone to ask stays calmer, and students notice.

Safety first

Do not copy health details into the sub plan. Point to where the health plans and crisis plan are kept. The plan itself should stay short and readable in 2 minutes. The behavior crisis plan template shows what that plan covers.

Daily schedule and para roles

Reviewers such as an administrator look for an adult named for every block. Paras usually run the routines on sub days. Write that down so the substitute knows to rely on them, and so the paras know they have that role. The para schedule template can be copied straight into this section.

Student support cards

Use first names only, and list what helps before what to avoid. Parents who later ask how the sub day went want to hear that the substitute knew their child's supports. A card that says "first-then card, 2-minute warning" makes that possible. The IEP at a glance template is a longer version for teachers.

Lessons

Plan review only. A sub day is not the time for new skills or goal probes. Students with IEPs learn new skills best from the adults who know the plan.

Data to keep

Most goal data should keep going, because a gap in the graph makes progress harder to read. The paras keep marking the opportunity and trial data sheet with the usual prompt codes. A note on the sheet, such as "sub day," helps you read any dip. The substitute does not take goal data.

Behavior plan steps

Give only the first 3 steps, in order. The full plan is in the binder. A substitute will not read 6 pages during an escalation.

End-of-day note

Ask for facts with times. You will want them when a parent calls the next morning.

Keep the folder private

The sub folder holds student information. Keep it in a labeled drawer, not on the desk, and tell the office where it is. Under FERPA, information from student records is shared only with school staff who need it for their work.^[3] A substitute covering your class needs it; a visitor does not. The paraprofessional confidentiality guide covers the same rules for paras.

Common mistakes

Weak: A sub plan that is a single sheet saying "Paras know what to do." Better: Para roles written block by block.
Weak: Diagnoses and medical details in the plan. Better: First names, supports and where the health plans are kept.
Weak: New lessons for the sub to teach. Better: Review activities the students already know.
Weak: Goal data stop on sub days. Better: Paras keep their usual data, marked "sub day."
Weak: A plan written in September and never updated. Better: Student cards updated each grading period and after IEP changes.

For co-taught classes, keep a copy of your shared plan with the sub folder; the routine is in co-planning between special education and general education.

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a special education sub folder?

A key contacts page, where to find health and crisis plans, the daily schedule, para roles, a short support card for each student, routines, review lessons, data instructions for the paras, behavior plan first steps and an end-of-day note form.

Should a substitute see students' IEPs?

A substitute needs the parts that let them carry out the day safely, such as accommodations and behavior plan steps. Short student cards usually cover this. The full IEP stays in its usual secure place.

Can paras run the class when there is no substitute?

Paras work under the direction of a teacher. If no substitute is found, follow your district's policy, which usually means another teacher or administrator takes responsibility for the class while paras run the routines.

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 §300.156: Personnel qualifications, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
FERPA, Protecting Student Privacy, U.S. Department of Education

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.