To help educators navigate the unprecedented times of a global pandemic, we recently launched a series of ‘back-to-school’ blog posts featuring actionable insights and free resources developed by a team of special education subject matter experts (SMEs) at PCG. This blog series is based on PCG’s Special Education Reentry Checklist and each post aligns to a core theme from that checklist: Health and Safety, IEPs and Instruction, Communication Planning, and Budget and Finance. The free Special Education Reentry Checklist is available here.

Last week, we shared the first post in the series by special education SME Matthew Korobkin, which focused on the need for districts to establish their own special education-focused steering committees.  In the next installment of the Back-to-School blog series, special education SMEs Amy Howie and Meredith Keedy-Merk delve into the important role co-teaching teams can play in the provision of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for all students, whether instruction is delivered through a virtual or hybrid model.

Ms. Howie and Ms. Keedy-Merk stress that special education and general education teachers can apply the same co-teaching best practices used in the traditional classroom during virtual instruction. They go on to share several specific ways educators can apply essential co-teaching components to virtual and blended instruction, including

• Re-establishing co-teaching roles
• Creating a co-teaching vision
• Developing a schedule for continuous collaboration

For each of these components, the authors share actionable insights and free resources that can help co-teaching teams provide effective services in the “new normal.” Click the title below to read the full post, now available on the EDPlan blog.

Virtual Co-Teaching: Where to Start and How to Maintain Focus on Student Learning

About the Authors

Amy Howie is a Senior Associate at PCG and provides thought leadership and consulting services in the areas of special education and leadership to states and districts across the country. Amy serves as the advisor to Indiana’s Project SUCCESS, a resource center developed and managed by PCG in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Education to support higher academic achievement for students with disabilities. Amy also leads a variety of professional development engagements with district and state partners to build leadership capacity and improve student outcomes.

Prior to coming to PCG, Amy served as a building administrator for six years where she led efforts to improve instruction and increase achievement by developing and supporting special education programming; Response to Intervention initiatives; and Positive Behavioral Support programs. Amy was also a special education teacher for 10 years, including experience at elementary and secondary levels and covering a range of disability areas and instructional settings.

Meredith Keedy-Merk, a Senior Associate at PCG, is the Project Director for Project SUCCESS in Indiana and an experienced special education teacher and administrator. Prior to joining the Project SUCCESS team, Meredith was a special education teacher for seven years, including experience at elementary and secondary levels and covering a range of disability areas and instructional settings. During the 2014-2015 school year, Meredith was a dean of students and local special education director within a local district in Indiana. While a school administrator, Meredith led efforts to improve instruction and increase achievement by developing and supporting special education programming; Response to Intervention initiatives; and Positive Behavioral Support programs. Additional areas of expertise include school safety, crisis prevention and intervention and academic and behavioral interventions, specifically aimed at the primary level.