Caseloads. IEP deadlines. Paraprofessionals to direct. Students whose needs change by the hour. The first years of teaching special education come with a lot. SPED Elevate, REC1's special education instructional coaching program, puts an experienced coach in the classroom beside them. Three months in, here's where it stands.
Highlights
13 teachers, 9 schools, 3 districts. Central Consolidated (4), Aztec (2) and Bloomfield (7), from elementary resource rooms to high school inclusion.
Coaching, not evaluation. Coaches observe, co-teach and model lessons. The coaching is non-evaluative.
Built around real students. Every cycle starts from the IEP goals of the students in the room.
Three coaches, a full school year. Kate Morris, Terrian Benn and Ryan Rivas lead the coaching through May 2027.
How a coaching cycle works
Each cycle has four parts:
Pre-conference (15–20 minutes). Teacher and coach review the upcoming lesson, connect it to IEP goals and choose one or two things to measure, such as response opportunities or transition time.
Observation or co-teaching (30–45 minutes). Live, non-evaluative coaching: the coach models a strategy, teaches alongside the teacher or collects data.
Post-conference (30 minutes). A reflective conversation about the data and one or two concrete next steps.
Support between visits. Feedback on draft IEPs, adapted materials and resources matched to what came up in class.
What teachers are building
By the end of the year, each teacher walks away with a toolkit in four areas:
IEP data tracking to inform present levels and progress reports
Behavior and classroom environment strategies for their own setting
Working with paraprofessionals so every adult in the room has a clear role
Adapted resources ready to use with their own students
Where we go from here
November 30: second coaching cycle wraps up
December 18: Semester 1 goal review and celebration
January 30, 2027: Semester 2 onboarding
February and April 2027: coaching cycles three and four
May 30, 2027: Semester 2 goal review and teacher portfolios
Thank you to the principals and special education directors in Aztec, Bloomfield and Central Consolidated who opened their buildings to this work. Principals and directors who want to learn more about SPED Elevate can contact Kate Morris at kmorris@nmrec1.org.
