Special education program seeing greater outcomes, more parent participation

BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

Five years ago, the Cassville school district opted for a new special education approach, which combined with a change in office location is resulting in improved outcomes and parent participation in the program.

Cassville has 234 total K-12 students in the special education program, an increase of 12 over 2024. The figure represents 12.9% of the entire student body, just below state and national averages of about 13%.

Kendale Ellis, director of student services at Cassville schools, said the previous approach, the pull-out model, removed students from general classrooms and into a separate setting for education.

“While this model allowed for small-group or individualized instruction, it often limited students’ exposure to grade-level curriculum and their participation in the general education environment,” Ellis said.

The district’s review of student progress data showed that students were not showing the expected academic growth under the previous model, prompting a shift to co-teaching.

“To address this, our district shifted to a co-teaching model, where general education and special education teachers work together within the same classroom,” Ellis said. “This approach allows students with disabilities to access grade-level standards, receive specialized support in real time, and stay engaged with their peers — all of which lead to improved learning outcomes and inclusion.”

Ellis said the district had already been using co-teaching at the high school level for several years, and data supported expanding the model across more classrooms.

“Research consistently shows that co-teaching increases student engagement, academic achievement, and social inclusion,” she said. “By combining the expertise of both teachers — content knowledge from the general education teacher and specialized instructional strategies from the special education teacher — students receive a richer, more responsive learning experience.”

Though Cassville strives to implement co-teaching wherever possible, Ellis said flexibility remains key.

“While our district strives to implement co-teaching in as many classrooms as possible, we also recognize that every