When we talk about Collaborative Response, the conversation often focuses on meetings—how we structure them, what processes we implement, and how to make them most effective. However, in this post, we want to challenge a common misconception: there is no such thing as a collaborative response meeting.
The idea of a "collaborative response meeting" suggests that Collaborative Response is a singular event rather than an ongoing process. This mirrors a lesson learned from the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). A thought-provoking article once asked, “What’s a PLC meeting, anyway?” The key takeaway was that PLCs are not just meetings; they are a framework for continuous learning and improvement. The same principle applies to Collaborative Response.
Collaborative Response is not just a model—it’s a way of thinking and being within a school. It’s about how we collectively address the needs of our students, all of our students. From the needs in the classroom to school wide supports to individualized intensive programs for students. Collaborative Response is everything we do as educators to support the needs of students - this is our work! Yet, when educators refer to “our collaborative response meeting,” they unintentionally narrow the scope of what Collaborative Response truly encompasses.
While meetings are an essential part of the process, they are just one component of Collaborative Response. The collaborative team meeting, for instance, plays a unique role in school structures, helping to reframe how we discuss and support students. However, it is not the totality of Collaborative Response.
Schools often begin their Collaborative Response journey by implementing a collaborative team meeting. This is an important step because it introduces a structured approach to discussing student needs and addressing the supports that we provide some students some of the time in our classrooms. However, when this meeting is labeled as the Collaborative Response meeting, it implies that Collaborative Response is confined to a single event that happens every few weeks. This perception can limit deeper engagement and integration of Collaborative Response into daily practice.
Collaborative Response extends far beyond one meeting. It includes multiple layers of team collaboration, data analysis, intervention planning, and ongoing adjustments to student support strategies. Schools must cultivate a culture where Collaborative Response is seen as a comprehensive framework rather than an isolated event.
A helpful shift is to refer to meetings more specifically—such as “collaborative team meetings”. Some schools have even named their meetings based on their function, like “key issue-focused collaboration” or “tier two response meetings.” The goal is to emphasize that collaborative response is an overarching structure, not a single meeting type.
To support this thinking, we encourage schools to create a Team Meeting Overview that encourages schools to reflect on the teams that they have in their school and what purpose those teams serve. This inventory will surface what meetings may possibly be missing in your system of supports. View layered meeting samples contributed by our partners.
In Collaborative Response, there are four essential layers of teams that ensure we are providing coordinated and systematic supports for all students. If you’d like to learn more, please access the following blogs:
As you’ll note, in the above visual, the collaborative team meeting is only one part of the systematic teams necessary to ensure comprehensive supports for all.
Language plays a crucial role in shaping our understanding and practice. By calling a single event a “collaborative response meeting,” we risk reducing a powerful, multi-faceted approach to a scheduled calendar entry. Instead, schools should work toward embedding Collaborative Response into all aspects of their team structures, ensuring alignment from school-wide data analysis to individual student support discussions. Keeping in mind that the framework consists of three essential components that are intimately connected.
We encourage schools to reflect on their own Collaborative Response practices and consider how they name their meetings and processes. Does the language you use reinforce the idea that Collaborative Response is an ongoing, integrated approach? Or does it limit thinking to one specific event?
As schools continue to refine their Collaborative Response structures, we'd love to hear how you name and organize your meetings. What language do you use to ensure Collaborative Response is understood as a process rather than a single meeting? Share your insights, and let’s keep the conversation going!
Please reach out to share your insights, challenges, and triumphs along with your questions, resources or suggestions related to this concept. Connect with us at or .
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Join Jennifer as she walks through the Collaborative Team Meeting process in WeCollab, ensuring that multiple student profiles are updated with the determined supports and actions simultaneously through the collaborative conversation and that staff remain informed through transparent communication processes.