By:
Sarah van Ingen Lauer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of South Florida
David H. Allsopp, Ph.D., Professor of Special Education, University of South Florida
STEM teachers, whether in rural, urban, suburban, or First Nations settings, are acutely aware of the mandate to provide equitable access for students with learning differences (e.g., learning disabilities, exceptionalities, or special education needs). Yet, data indicate that STEM teachers have not received adequate opportunities to learn how to meet the needs of students with learning differences (Kahn & Lewis, 2014). The unfortunate result is that students with learning differences receive fewer opportunities to learn STEM content (Klimaitis & Mullen, 2021), widening the STEM achievement gap between students with and without learning differences, and leading to the “missing millions” of persons with learning differences not present in STEM fields (Lee, 2022; NSF, 2019).
In contrast to a one-size-fits-all approach to STEM inclusion, we present a consultation process that is flexible and leverages the power of uniting the general education and special education communities around STEM learning. This blog is a step-by-step roadmap for STEM educators to create community with special educators where content consultations can generate unique student-centered solutions to create STEM classrooms that provide accessible opportunities for all students. As a mathematics teacher educator and a special education teacher educator, we have worked with and learned from teachers across the country who have engaged in content consultations (Allsopp et al, 2024; van Ingen et al.,2016, 2018, 2024). We share with you a systematic consultation process to generate content-specific, context-specific, and student-specific solutions to meet the needs of students with learning differences in STEM classrooms.
A Protocol for Content Consultation
STEM and special education teachers need to “reach across the aisle” and invite each other on this interdisciplinary journey. This invitation can be as simple as: “I could use some help meeting the STEM needs of students with learning differences in my classroom. Would you be willing to consult?”
The Content Consultation occurs between professionals who have both differing and overlapping areas of expertise related to STEM and students with learning differences–think of a Venn Diagram. It is likely that you and your special education consultant have some differences in perspectives and professional vocabularies. In our work, we have observed discipline-specific terms (e.g., explicit instruction, discovery learning, fluency) causing tension and confusion. We urge you to take a non-judgmental and generous approach to the content consultation. Be curious. Ask more about what your colleague means. Remember, you are consulting because you WANT a different perspective than your own. We found that when teachers use a content consultation protocol, it develops a shared understanding of how to leverage each other’s expertise. We describe this three-phase protocol and provide an abbreviated sample consultation in italics to illustrate key components of this flexible process.
Figure 1: Overview of the Content Consultation Protocol
The Three-Phase Protocol
- Initiate Rapport and Relationship Building: Schedule a brief introductory meeting with your colleague to discuss collaborating and supporting the student's STEM success.
- Negotiate the Consultation Relationship: Discuss how you envision the consultation process working. Be clear about your goals and agree on preferred communication methods and potential meeting times.
- Cultivate the Consultation Relationship Over Time: Maintain open communication, share observations, and continue to seek input from each other.
Ms. Morris, a 7th grade math teacher, asks Mr. Kelsey, a special education resource teacher, to consult with her about Alex, a student with an IEP, who currently has a grade of 48% in math at the end of the 1st quarter.
Step 2: Clarify the Student's STEM Strengths and Difficulties
- STEM Teacher Conducts Cognitive/Diagnostic Interview & Identifies Areas of Concern: Engage the student in conversations and tasks designed to reveal their thinking about the identified and specific areas of concern.
- Special Education Teacher Interviews Student: Interview the student to gain insights into their perspective on learning the STEM content, their perceived academic strengths, and their perceived personal strengths (like persistence, creativity, or teamwork).
- Special Education Teacher Reviews Relevant Documentation: Review the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), psychological evaluations, and other documentation of the student’s diagnoses, learning characteristics, accommodations, and goals.
- STEM Teacher & Special Education Teacher Share Data, Questions, & Insights: The STEM teacher explains the specific content challenges, shares observations from the classroom and diagnostic probing, and asks focused questions of the special education teacher. The special education teacher uses their expertise in understanding how different disabilities manifest in learning, sharing insights from their interview with the student, relevant information from the IEP, and their understanding of how the student's exceptionality might be impacting their learning. The STEM teacher asks questions related to the IEP, learning characteristics (e.g., difficulties with working memory, executive functioning, visual processing) that might be adding to their content struggles. The special education teacher also asks questions about the students classroom actions and responses to instructional strategies.
Ms. Morris has seen a lot of “missing” foundational concepts for Alex, and right now the ability to work with FRACTIONS is most concerning. During a cognitive interview, Ms. Morris finds that Alex can identify the numerator and denominator but CANNOT determine equivalent fractions, compare fractions, or place fractions in their correct place on a number line. Alex also struggles with the mathematical practice of making sense and persevering. Alex shuts down when she finds the math is difficult for her. Lacking problem solving strategies, Mr. Kelsey thinks she just can’t do math. He learns that Alex has felt humiliated in previous math classes, and dreads going to math class. Math has never made sense to her, and she feels she is not a math person. Interestingly, he learns that she loves science-especially when she gets to do experiments/hands-on activities and also that she likes to build things.
Instructional Hypothesis: Alex CAN identify and compare whole numbers but CANNOT compare fractions nor find equivalent fractions BECAUSE she lacks conceptual understanding of fractions, has been diagnosed with a mathematics-specific learning disability and cognitive processing disorder, and demonstrates learned helplessness and disinterest in math. Step 4: Develop an Intervention Plan Intervention Plan: Ms. Morris knows that she needs to support Alex’s conceptual understanding of the meaning of fractions, their values, and how to identify equivalent fractions. Mr. Kelsey is thinking that it would be helpful to use a CRA (Concrete-Representational-Abstract) instructional approach, graphic organizers, real-word settings that involve measurement/building (one of Alex’s interests), along with specific praise that is consistent with supporting a growth mindset. Space limitations preclude a full plan, but here is a taste of what it could look like: Together the consultants map out a series of activities--each one integrating their respective knowledge bases. They use the context of building bookshelves (building things is a strength and interest of Alex) and start with physical unit fraction towers that Alex can iterate to build fractions (¼ + ¼ + ¼ = ¾; 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 = 6/8). Then they create a graphic organizer that allows Alex to place those fraction towers lengthwise on a number line and use colors strategically to visually emphasize how the fractions line up such that ¾ and 6/8 are at the same number line value. Then they create a series of activities that allow Alex to use physical fraction towers and the number line to explore and explain how equivalent fractions have the same value/location on the number line. Mr. Kelsey shares an important tip for both him and Ms. Morris--to use explicit and systematic instruction when working with Alex in these activities. The intersection of the perspectives--math, special education, and student-specific--in this plan is exactly where the “magic” of the consultation happens. The KEY to the effective intervention plan is for the two consultants working together to create VERY SPECIFIC intervention strategies.
Step 6: Reflect on Consultation Process and Re-engage as Needed
Conclusion
By embracing this structured consultation protocol, STEM teachers can move from feeling ill-equipped to support students with learning differences to becoming empowered collaborators who, together with their special education colleagues, can unlock STEM success for each learner. Remember, the integration of the STEM teacher’s content expertise with the special educator’s knowledge of diverse learning needs is the key to creating truly fair and effective STEM classrooms. We close with a few reflections from the teachers we have worked with on content consultations.
![](https://aaas-arise.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/van-Ingen-Lauer-e1755613437261.jpg")
Sarah van Ingen Lauer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of South Florida
vaningen@usf.edu
Dr. Sarah van Ingen Lauer is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida where her research focuses on innovation in clinically rich teacher preparation and specifically on equipping teachers to meet the mathematics learning needs of all children. She directs the Mathematics PhD program as well as the Elementary Education MAT program and has been a PI and Co-PI of major foundation and federal grants. Dr. van Ingen Lauer is co-author of Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully: Solutions for Reaching Struggling Learners. Her national presence has included leadership roles for the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and the Research Use Special Interest Group of the American Education Research Association.
![](https://aaas-arise.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/D-Allsop-e1755613367846.jpg")
David H. Allsopp, Ph.D., Professor of Special Education, University of South Florida
dallsopp@usf.edu
David H. Allsopp is Professor of Special Education at the University of South Florida. His scholarship revolves around effective instructional practices for students with high incidence exceptionalities (e.g., Specific Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Social-emotional/Behavior Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder). Much of his work in this area relates to mathematics and content-based individualized strategy instruction. David began his career as a middle school teacher for students with learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral difficulties. He is co-author of Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully: Solutions for Struggling Learners.
