DMGroup Spotlight

DMGroup Spotlight

At DMGroup, we have been successfully working with schools and districts for nearly two decades to deliver efficient and cost-effective support for students struggling academically, those receiving interventions, special education, and other student services.

In this DMGroup Spotlight, we share our approach to special education supports that combines research-based best practices, management expertise, and tried-and-true methods from our work with school districts nationwide. 


How To Improve Supports and Provide Equitable Access to Services for Students Struggling Academically?

At DMGroup, we have identified best practices for helping districts improve equity and outcomes for students struggling academically— both with and without IEPs. Conducting a Special Education Opportunity Review in your district can identify high-impact opportunities to improve services and equity for your students. 

With a Special Education Opportunity Review, we will:

?? Analyze your current practices and approach

?? Compare your current practices to best practices in similar districts

?? Identify the highest-impact opportunities to raise achievement for students

 with special education needs and/or students struggling academically

?? Plan implementation of identified opportunities


LEARN ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY REVIEW


Have a question or need help?  Contact us for a free consultation to discuss how we can support you.



CASE STUDY: Strengthening Special Education and Multi-Tiered Support Systems at North Shore School District 112 (IL)

A well-resourced, high-functioning North Shore School District 112 (NSSD112) in Illinois, had been working diligently to strengthen its support for students in special education. Despite its efforts, gaps in standardized test outcomes persisted, as they do in many districts around the country. The NSSD112 leadership team engaged DMGroup to conduct a Special Education Opportunity Review and recommend strategies for the Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) framework for all students in the district. 

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NSSD112 Student Identification Rates and Achievement Gap

DMGroup examined how the district met the needs of struggling learners with and without IEPs, and compared current NSSD112 practices to best practice benchmarks. We also analyzed quantitative achievement data and collected qualitative data from focus groups and interviews with district and school leaders, teachers, and students about the strengths and challenges of the district’s special education programming. The summary findings were eye-opening for district leaders. Here we share just a few:

  • Students were often pulled from intervention to meet legally required service minutes, which resulted in students missing key reading interventions from content-strong staff.


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Percentage of time paraprofessionals spend supporting students in academics
  • Paraprofessionals, whose role was to support students’ health, safety, and behavior needs, were spending 63% of their time supporting students academically.


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Social, emotional, and behavioral staff - Activity breakdown by time
  • Staff and school leaders were unsure how to best utilize part-time or shared social, emotional, and behavioral staff. The district's current distribution of social, emotional, and behavioral staff did not clearly reflect the enrollment or student needs at each school.

Read how North Shore School District 112 leveraged the Response to Intervention (RTI) supports it had in place and evolved to a new, more coordinated, and more encompassing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to meet the needs of students who struggled academically. 

READ THE CASE STUDY


Ten Tips to Better Support Students in Special Education, Interventions, and/or Receiving Related Services

In the past two years, due to the disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic, many of our nation's schools found it difficult to provide IEP services to 7 million students with disabilities.

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Today, it is critical for schools and school systems to work intentionally and aggressively to help these students make up for lost opportunities to learn and develop.

But how can schools and districts make this happen?

Read our 10 tips to help you make the best use of student and staff time at the elementary school level.

TEN TIPS TO BETTER SUPPORT SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS



SELF-ASSESSMENT: Can Your District Improve Special Education by Strengthening Core Instruction?

Answer these questions and see if there are opportunities to raise achievement for students with mild to moderate disabilities by addressing the sharp divide that often exists between special education and general education. 

SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOLKIT 



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