DMGroup Spotlight on Special Education and Student Supports
Amidst the excitement of the beginning of a new school year, an issue weighing heavily on many district and school leaders is the persistent academic achievement gap between students with and without disabilities, despite increased spending and hard work.
What high-impact, actionable strategies can your district implement this school year to improve outcomes for students with disabilities and those receiving intervention services?
At the DMGroup Summit 2024 held in March in NYC, our district partners from North Shore School District 112 (IL) shared how they analyzed and adjusted their systems and structures to build an educational ecosystem that enables students with greater learning needs to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
For any questions about the DMGroup's Special Education and MTSS support, please contact Tess Nicholson Powers at tnicholson@dmgroupk12.com
Strengthening Special Education and Multi-Tiered Support Systems in North Shore School District 112 (IL)
As a high-performing and well-resourced school district, North Shore School District 112 (NSSD 112) took pride in offering quality education to all students and heavily investing in special education. Despite diligent work to strengthen its supports for students in special education, gaps in achievement levels for these students persisted, as they do in so many other districts across the country.
NSSD 112 embarked on a Special Education Opportunity Review with DMGroup to gain insight into how students with disabilities and students with additional learning needs were being served and identify specific opportunities for improving support for students in special education.
DMGroup performed a detailed analysis of current practices and compared findings to national benchmarks and best practice research, culminating in the following key recommendations:
👉 Strengthening intervention time
👉 Expanding social-emotional supports
👉 Refining the mental health staffing model based on enrollment and student needs
👉 Clarifying roles and responsibilities within special education
👉 Increasing coaching for staff supporting English language (EL) learners
Implementing these recommendations required the district to move from the Response to Intervention (RTI) supports it currently had in place to a new type of more coordinated, more encompassing system: Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).
Strengthening Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for All Students
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In the 2020-2021 school year, NSSD 112 began refining its MTSS framework, focusing on Data Systems, Identification Processes, Student Supports, and Progress Monitoring.
In reviewing current MTSS practices, the district realized that many improvements in supporting students with disabilities or EL learners would also benefit all students. For example:
👉 Stronger social-emotional supports would benefit all students, not just those with disabilities
👉 Supporting teachers to differentiate instruction in the Tier 1 setting would benefit all students, not just those with disabilities
Implementation of the MTSS Framework
This initiative has fostered a fundamental shift in staff mindset that all students are their students and that staff should work together to identify students who may need intervention support, determine appropriate interventions, and monitor progress. General education teachers are empowered to work with students with mild-to-moderate disabilities and hold them to high standards.
By collaborating with DMGroup to develop a robust MTSS framework, NSSD 112 today ensures that each student receives support from the staff member most suited to their needs, be it a classroom teacher, interventionist, or special education teacher.
Holly Colin, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, NSSD 112 (IL)
Today, the MTSS framework at NSSD 112 allows for data-informed decision-making, coordinated student supports, and continuous progress monitoring that enables the district to intervene and support students more proactively and close academic learning gaps effectively.
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