Closing the Gap Interventions

Statement of Need: A review of longitudinal graduation data reveals a persistent disparity in

four-year graduation rates between students without disabilities and those who receive special
education services. Although this gap has been steadily narrowing over the last four years, there
is utility in designing interventions that work to support the continuation of this trend.
Systems Concerns: Students receiving diverse learner services represent just under 10% of
Kenwoods total student body. Since 2009, Kenwood has consistently outperformed CPS annual
averages for graduation rates of students with disabilities. In a school district in which only 50%
of students with disabilities graduate in five years, Kenwood has successfully supported its
diverse learning community relative to city and national averages, reporting diverse learner
graduation rates of 67, 54, and 88 percent over the last three years. Although these statistics
indicate that Kenwood is outperforming comparable schools and districts, the internal graduation
rate gap between general education students and those receiving special education services is an
area deserving of continued attention and resource allocation.
Target Population(s): All faculty and academic support staff; students with IEPs and/or 504
Plans; parents/guardians of students with IEPs and/or 504 Plans
Goal: A sustained differential of no greater than 5% between the overall four-year graduation
rate and the four-year graduation rate of students with disabilities in each academic year between
2015/16 and 2019/20
Student Impact (ASCA Standards):
A:A1.1Articulatefeelingsofcompetenceandconfidenceaslearners
A:A1.2Displayapositiveinterestinlearning
A:A2.4Applyknowledgeandlearningstylestopositivelyinfluenceschoolperformance
A:A3.2Demonstratetheabilitytoworkindependently,aswellastheabilitytoworkcooperativelywithother
students
A:A3.3Developabroadrangeofinterestsandabilities
A:B1.6Useknowledgeoflearningstylestopositivelyinfluenceschoolperformance
A:B1.7Becomeaselfdirectedandindependentlearner
A:B2.4Applyknowledgeofaptitudesandintereststogoalsetting

Intervention Recommendations:
1. Administer a satisfaction survey across all grade levels and departments to assess
the degree to which faculty and staff perceive support in developing and
delivering exceptional needs programming.
2. Commit to dedicating a minimum of one professional development program per
semester to exceptional needs and diverse learning competency development.
3. Encourage collaboration in diverse learner programming by establishing and
maintaining a cloud-based database (e.g. Google Drive, DropBox) of examples of
faculty-generated differentiated lesson plans and materials, organized by subject
area.

4. Encourage additional familial support and oversight through the use of biweekly
automated e-mail alerts, reminding parents and guardians of diverse learners to
log into Gradebook and review their student(s) academic standing.