What is class sharing?
Class sharing allows multiple educators to access and teach from the same Second Step® K–8 digital class. This supports common school scenarios like co-teaching, counselor-to-teacher transitions, and shared instructional responsibilities.
Why did we build class sharing?
Class sharing has been one of the most frequently requested features from educators who use the Second Step K–8 digital programs. Educators told us they needed a better way to collaborate around a class while maintaining secure, individual accounts. We heard you! This new feature will make it easier for staff to collaborate without sharing login credentials or creating duplicate classes.
Class sharing helps:
- Co-teachers work from the same class
- Counselors model lessons and gradually transition instruction to classroom teachers
- Multiple staff members track and manage lesson progress in one shared class
- School and district leaders see more accurate progress data because classes are not duplicated
Who can use class sharing?
Any educator with an active Second Step K–8 digital account at the same school site can add another instructor or be added as a co-teacher. The educator being added must:
- Be assigned to the school site by the school administrator
- Have already created their Second Step account
If an educator has not yet created their account, they will not be available to add as a co-teacher.
How does class sharing work?
A class now has two types of roles: an owner and a co-teacher. The owner invites another teacher or teachers to have access to the class from the Class tile on their My Programs page. This is what each role can do:
| Action | Owner | Co-Teacher |
| Add co-teachers | ✓ | |
| Delete the class | ✓ | |
| Teach a lesson and mark it complete | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edit the class name | ✓ | ✓ |
| Leave the class | ✓ |
Who should be the class owner?
As a best practice, the class owner should be the educator who will continue teaching and managing the class long term. Here are some examples:
Counselor-to-teacher transition
- Classroom teacher = Owner
- Counselor = Co-teacher
Co-teaching model
- Either educator may be the owner, though the primary instructor is typically the best choice.
What happens if a co-teacher no longer needs access?
Co-teachers can leave a shared class at any time. This allows educators to manage their own access without requiring the class owner to make changes.
How will shared classes affect the data I see in the Leader Dashboard and Lesson Completion Reports?
Class sharing does not change how lesson completion, progress, or other metrics are calculated in the Leader Dashboard or Lesson Completion Reports. Shared classes contribute to reporting the same way as any other class. The Lesson Completion Report does not indicate whether a class is shared.
In fact, using shared classes can help improve data accuracy. When multiple teachers or counselors teach the same group of students, sharing a single class helps prevent duplicate classes from being created for the same students. This provides a more accurate view of lesson completion across your school. For this reason, teachers and counselors who teach the same group of students are encouraged to use shared classes whenever possible.
Need additional help?
If you’re unable to add a co-teacher or have questions about shared class access, contact Second Step Support for assistance.