Writing down the division of labor, along with the central agreements we came to, made our partnership dynamic much more impactful and effective. Without that written plan, an extra adult in the room is left to help wherever.
Picture a paraeducator or related-service provider who joins your class during independent practice with no role beyond “help wherever.” Which students get support depends on who that adult happens to notice first. The adult is skilled. The plan just never said how that skill would show up in this lesson.
The book page is direct about this: integrate specialists and support professionals into the partnership. Give them named jobs in the same division of labor as the co-teachers. Co-Teaching Evolved, by Matthew Rhoads and Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge, treats the partnership as wider than two teachers when other adults serve the same students (The Book).
Who owns what during the lesson
Start from the free tools instead of guessing at IEP advice:
| During-lesson job | Named owner |
|---|---|
| Deliver core instruction | Co-teacher A and/or B |
| Monitor and support IEP accommodations in the moment | Named specialist, para, or co-teacher |
| Adjust materials or scaffolds for modifications | Named owner from planning |
| Collect the evidence you agreed on | Named owner |
| Family communication tied to progress | Named owner |
Pull the details from the free Lesson Planning With Accommodations and Modifications tool and A Quick Look at the IEP. Keep the five domains from Division of Labor and Responsibilities open so family communication and feedback don’t fall through the cracks.
If you already use the Division of Labor tool for two teachers, add a third column for the specialist or para on the days they are in the room.
Write the role so a substitute could follow it
“Support wherever” fails that test. “Prompt three students on the vocabulary card during independent practice” passes it. The more specific the sentence, the less the specialist has to make up the job in real time.
Keep student identifiers out of any shared note that leaves your secure systems. Name the role and the accommodation type, and leave personal details out.
Try it this week
- Add one specialist or paraeducator to the planning table for a single lesson.
- Write their during-lesson job in one sentence.
- Link that job to one accommodation or support from the IEP quick-look tool.
- After the lesson, ask that adult what would make the next role clearer.
Related books:
- Co-Teaching Evolved, by Matthew Rhoads and Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge (Books).
- Crush It from the Start: 50 Tips for New Teachers (SchoolRubric, 2022), by Matthew Rhoads, Ed.D., Dr. Samantha Fecich, Dr. Casey Thomas Jakubowski, and Dr. Kevin Leichtman (50teachertips.com).
- Crush It from the Start: 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders (SchoolRubric, 2025), by Matthew Rhoads, Ed.D. (25tipsforcoaches.com).
All 30 reproducibles are free in the resource library, no email gate. The full framework is in Co-Teaching Evolved by Matthew Rhoads and Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge (Solution Tree).
Bring the framework to your school or district. Professional learning connects the book, the tools, and your team’s real implementation priorities. Explore Consulting.
Leave a Reply