Teachers Can’t Replace Specialists

Teaching is one of the few professions that requires multiple skillsets, including subject matter expertise and interpersonal skills, which must be delivered at varied times and levels based on the needs of each student.

From planning, prepping, teaching, and pacing, to grading, managing behavior, communicating with parents, and collecting data, teachers have (more than) full plates.

Ask any teacher why they continue doing what they do, and more often than not, it’s because of the students. This is why, when teachers are expected to do even more, they step in where they are needed. 

Another teacher is out and they couldn’t get a sub, other teachers fill the gap for the day. A group of students is falling behind, a teacher stays longer after work for tutoring. A few students are struggling in class, a teacher spends extra planning time preparing a modified worksheet or game for extra practice. 

The dedication of most teachers is unwavering, but there is an important limit.

Though the effort is well placed, even the best trained teachers cannot replace the expertise of special education providers. 

And, when it comes to the students who rely on these services the most, they shouldn’t.

Teachers Are Not Specialists

Teachers are irreplaceable in the classroom. They know their students; which students need more support and which students need enrichment. Most teachers have mastered the skill of tailoring instruction and questions according to each student’s strengths.

Even so, the specialized services outlined in a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) require specialized expertise, the type of expertise only a certified provider can give.

For example, an Occupational Therapist (OT) may help a student with fine motor skills and skills that require coordination, such as writing with a pencil. 

A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) may help a student communicate and understand information by working through speech patterns. 

Mental Health Providers (MHP) may help students struggling with anxiety or behaviors that could interfere with learning.

And School Psychologists (SP) may help teachers and families understand why a student is struggling academically.

These providers and their services are not interchangeable.

Support is Not the Same as Specialized Services

Teachers provide invaluable support for each student, including those with disabilities. If a student learns better by using a tailored strategy, a teacher provides opportunities for that student to use that particular strategy. 

Teachers document and communicate changes in a student’s behavior or performance. That information is important when it comes to making decisions to better support students. 

However, this support doesn’t replace the work of a qualified provider.

For a student with speech disabilities, providing extra reading support is not the same as providing tailored speech therapy.

Students who require occupational therapy may receive additional classroom support, but that support is not the same, and will not give the same outcome, as the specialized services from a trained OT.

Teachers provide critical classroom support. Providers provide specialized services.

And students need both to succeed.

The Cost of Asking Teachers to Fill the Gap

Special education is a unique and complex area of expertise that balances a wide range of student needs, strict legal requirements, and unfortunately, severe staffing shortages.

When a scheduled provider doesn’t show up, teachers feel the immediate impact. 

According to the latest survey regarding special education complexity, 95% of responding districts say the burden of provider vacancies is landing on teachers. 

Across these districts, teachers are modifying lessons on the spot, stepping in for informal check-ins with students, making adjustments to in-class work structures and routines, and communicating with families. 

This is not a long-term solution. 

One Superintendent admitted,

“When a specialist isn't available, the general ed teacher or the special ed teacher of record often ends up informally filling that gap — extra check-ins, modifying on the fly, fielding anxious parent calls. They're not trained or compensated for that role and it adds to an already heavy load. In schools with chronic provider shortages it's a pretty regular occurrence, not a once-in-a-while thing. It contributes to teacher burnout — and frankly it's not an appropriate substitute for specialized services.”

When teachers are expected to fill in, they can not provide the specific support outlined in a student’s IEP. Therefore, the student is not receiving the help they are entitled to.

Furthermore, the additional workload and lack of therapeutic support often leads to increased stress and burnout for teachers. 

Students Need the Right People at the Right Time

The overall goal is to provide students with the support they need, while cutting down or eliminating the extra work for teachers and staff. 

The solution, then, is access to high-quality service providers when and where they are needed. 

The remaining 5% of surveyed districts said classroom teachers felt minimal impact. One Superintendent stated his district is “not patching holes every week” because they have “invested in the right staffing ratios,” and “built strong internal systems and centralized oversight.” 

Having a flexible service model makes that possible. This doesn’t mean choosing between in-person or virtual models, rather adapting both into one centralized service model.

The Right Partner Can Help Close the Gap

When each member of a team can focus on what they do best, everyone succeeds.

Administrators can focus on enhancing the program, students receive the education and support they are entitled to, and teachers get the support they deserve so they can continue doing what they love. 

Having the right partner can help districts fill the gaps, improving consistency in workflows, access to providers, and student support.

Huddle Up works alongside district teams to understand how their program runs in order to improve and standardize workflows and strengthen compliance and reporting. With a virtual service model, Huddle Up not only fills the gap for today, but helps districts create the flexible system needed to support students tomorrow. 

Are your teachers feeling the weight of provider vacancies? Are your students receiving the support they need?

Partner with Huddle Up and create the system your team deserves. Let's chat!