Danielle Kovach, who teaches second- and third-grade special education in Hopatcong, N.J., said she and her colleagues agonized about how to assess their children adequately now.

Dr. Kovach, who was voted New Jersey’s teacher of the year in 2011, said she was working on her quarterly I.E.P. reports one night and, “I said to my husband, ‘I don’t know where to go from here’ and I had to take a moment to cry. I’m so worried — am I giving them everything they need and doing everything I can do?”

As things seem to change almost daily, special education teachers are leaning on each other to find resources, understand software and boost morale. And that’s true not only in their own schools or districts, but also across the country.

Since mid-March, the Council for Exceptional Children, a resource and advocacy organization for those involved in educating children with special needs, waived its annual $65 membership fee.

About 20,000 new teachers, administrators and aides signed on in the first couple of weeks, doubling its membership, said Chad Rummel, executive director of the Council for Exceptional Children. On the site, members can access information and updates, but also share through forums their questions and fears.

“We’re trying to share best practices, and not just say, here’s what the research says, but here’s what Kelly’s doing in Indiana that you might try too,” Mr. Rummel said.

Teachers are worrying not only about keeping their students’ academics up to speed, but also about how they will cope with being suddenly torn from their teachers, friends and programs.