Making Academic Gains
Reading
The Individual Reading Inventory (IRI) is administered to each student upon enrollment and then annually. Scores from the IRI are used to determine each student’s reading tier and to identify appropriate reading interventions and strategies.
- Tier 1 – Students whose assessed reading level is within two years of their actual grade level. These students are assigned to the core 4-Blocks reading curriculum.
- Tier 2 – Students whose assessed reading level is more than two years below their actual grade level or whose IRI scores reveal significant discrepancies across subscales. These students participate in the Scholastic Read 180 program.
- Tier 3 – Students whose assessed reading level is lower than first grade (i.e., non-readers). These students participate in individualized and intensive reading interventions, such as Wilson Reading.
We consistently see an average increase of 100 lexile points from the beginning of the academic year to the end. This growth is significant given that almost all SES students are significantly behind academically when they enter the SES schools. Typical SES student comes to us with an achievement gap ranging from 2-11 years and many middle school and high school students enter our doors as non-readers.
Behavior
Social-emotional skills are strongly related to academic achievement. Students who are able to manage their feelings and behavior, interact appropriately with peers and teachers, work persistently towards personal goals, and make good decisions are better able to stay on task in the classroom and focus on learning. Social-emotional skills are also critical to functioning outside of school: in the community, at work, and in family life.
Student behavior at school is an important indicator of social-emotional functioning. In order to exhibit appropriate behavior in a school setting, a student must be able to control impulsivity, manage conflicts with others, and deal appropriately with uncomfortable feelings like frustration, disappointment, and anger. In SES schools, students are referred to Crisis Intervention Behavior Stabilization (CIBS) if they behave inappropriately. CIBS referrals are one behavioral indicator of social-emotional functioning at school and are similar to an office discipline referral or in-school suspension in a general education setting
CIBS data from the 2012-2013 school year indicates that the average percentage of instructional time that students spent engaged in instruction, as opposed to working in CIBS is consistently above 90% in all of our schools. Additionally, the average number of individual CIBS referrals per student per attendance day is consistently less that 25%. Students in our programs spend more time engaged in positive learning than in their previous educational settings.
Transitioning Youth with Disabilities
The education and employment of young adults with disabilities is not only an Illinois priority, it is a national priority. Without an education that focuses on the development of personal competence, life skills, and employment opportunities, young adults with disabilities are hindered from independence necessary in today’s complex modern society.
Our transition team’s goal is to engage youth and young adults in their own futures planning process, providing them with developmentally-appropriate services and supports and involving their families in the process. We want to help facilitate their movement toward greater self-sufficiency and achieving their goals in the transitional domains of:
- Employment
- Career-building education
- Living situation
- Personal-effectiveness
- Quality of life
- Community-life functioning
Our Transition Program helps students with disabilities and their families think about their life after high school and identify long-range goals. We design the high school experience to ensure that students gain the skills and connections they need to achieve these goals. Transition services are provided for all students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in a Menta school, between the ages of 14 – 22. It is our goal to know that students leave the umbrella of the educational system both functionally and academically prepared, in order to live as independently as possible.
Resources
http://www.testpreview.com
This site is a perfect source for free online practice tests. At this site, a person will find over 50 resources and information about the test preparation process. This site will assist educators in guiding students with learning the right methods of preparing for a test, as well as the student taking a practice test that might be critical for a future career. The site will also allow a student to gain an understanding of the preparation that must exist before taking a test.
http://www.ada.gov/regs2014/testing_accommodations.html
For more information contact:
Sharon Slover, Executive Director of Education & Careers
The Menta Group
630-209-6338
sharon.slover@menta.com
At the Menta Group we carefully track student data and outcomes. From reading scores to engaged learning time, attendance, specific behavioral outcomes, and graduations, we believe that this kind of data provides the foundation for ensuring that each individual student has the proper tools for success.