DMGroup Spotlight
At DMGroup, we partner with districts and schools to help them analyze current schedules, staffing, course offerings, and academic programming practices and develop powerful secondary schedules that increase academic achievement, college readiness, and student voice and choice.
Avoid preparing middle and high school schedules "the way you've always done it," following traditional practices that are not aligned with your district's goals and current student needs.
By setting priorities, managing course offerings precisely and strategically, and maximizing staff and student time, you can create cost-effective secondary schedules that align with students' emerging needs and increase student engagement while ensuring equity.
This DMGroup Spotlight highlights our secondary scheduling expertise, including our data-driven Secondary Schedule Design Services and our Secondary Scheduling Professional Development Program.
Building Strong Secondary Schedules: Two Practices to Consider
Initial planning for next year’s secondary schedule has already begun in many districts. Here are two key practices to consider now — during the planning phase of developing secondary schedules. These recommendations are based on DMGroup's experience working with secondary schools nationwide.
Differentiate “Must Have” Priorities from “Nice to Have” Priorities
Setting clear but manageable priorities is the first step to ensuring school and district resources are deployed in an intentional and equitable manner.
Approach Scheduling as a Team Sport
Building schedules are highly interconnected and impact the schedules of multiple staff members. Approaching schedule building as a team sport can help align schedules and ensure that they meet the needs of all students and staff.
In the winter and spring, principals should work with a school-based team on a bi-weekly basis to develop schedules, explore trade-offs, and make adjustments to schedules.
Realizing Instructional Objectives Through Strategic Scheduling at the School District of Lancaster (PA)
McCaskey High School
School District of Lancaster (PA) merged two high schools in 2013 into one school operating on two campuses — the larger serving a predominantly white student body and the smaller serving a mostly non-white student population.
While the merger provided more equal and equitable access to course offerings, little had been done to adjust the schedule, and disparities persisted.
Students had to travel between two buildings, which resulted in significant instructional time lost in transit.
Discover how the School District of Lancaster implemented strategic scheduling to reduce the number of students traveling between buildings from 320 to only 20, increase instructional time, and improve equity.
CASE STUDY: Powerful Improvements Through Secondary Scheduling at Columbia Public Schools (MO)
In the 2020/21 school year, Columbia Public Schools (MO) engaged DMGroup to evaluate the schedules of six middle schools and four high schools in order to recommend ways to better serve secondary students and make the best use of its resources.
Partnering with DMGroup, Columbia Public Schools found ways to:
- Increase core instruction time
- Increase the percentage of students served by math and reading interventions
- Increase equity in staffing and enrollment by combining and alternating courses.
One of DMGroup’s key strategic scheduling recommendations was to increase the amount of instructional time students receive throughout the day. The most effective secondary schedules examined by DMGroup aim to devote at least 50% to 60% of the day to core instruction and no more than 10% to non-instructional activities.
At CPS, multiple periods of non-core instruction coupled with other non-instructional times like passing periods, lunch blocks, and study halls left students with only 43% of their day for core instructional activities (Exhibit 1). DMGroup recommended that the district reallocate the time dedicated to study halls or whole-grade intervention blocks that functioned like study halls to other periods in the day. This change increased the core instructional time to align with best practices
Read the case study to learn more about implemented strategies to strengthen instruction, maximize opportunities for intervention, and increase equity at Columbia Public Schools.
NOW ENROLLING: Fall 2023 Secondary Scheduling Institute
DMGroup’s Secondary Scheduling Institute is an in-depth, virtual professional development program designed to build the capacity of district and school leaders to design best-in-class middle and high school schedules.
Since the Fall of 2021, we've helped over 40 schools design best-in-class secondary schedules, and we’d love to support your district, too.
The Fall Institute kicks off on September 12, 2023.
Who is the program for?
- Secondary school principals, assistant principals, and their scheduling teams (e.g., counselors and teachers)
- District leaders involved in the scheduling process
You will gain the skills to:
- Design schedules aligned with school and district priorities
- Maximize core instructional time
- Plan and schedule effective academic intervention programming
- Evaluate and devise strategies for low-enrollment courses
- Align staffing with student needs and school budgets
Learn More about Elementary and Special Education Scheduling at Our Free Best-Practice Webinars
- 6 Proven Best Practices In Elementary School Scheduling - Thursday, March 9, 11 am EST - SIGN UP
- 10 Proven Best Practices For Improving Special Education - Thursday, March 16, 11 am EST - SIGN UP
- Making the Most of Student Time amid Staff Shortages in Elementary School - Tuesday, March 21, 3 pm EST - SIGN UP
- 6-Step Process For Building Better Elementary School Schedules - Tuesday, April 11, 3 pm EST - SIGN UP
We're adding new webinars each month to accommodate your busy schedules.