The Menta Group tracks student data and outcomes. From reading scores to engaged learning time, attendance, specific behavioral outcomes, reintegration to public school programs, and graduation, the organization believes that these kinds of data provide the foundation for ensuring that each individual student has the proper tools for success.
The educational model does not seek to simply move students through our programs, but rather to reintegrate students back to their home districts and prepare them for success in a less restrictive environment.
Graduation and Reintegration
- During the 2013-2014 school year 110 students graduated from Menta programs and 110 reintegrated to less restrictive settings
- During the 2014-2015 school year 106 students graduated from Menta programs and 105 reintegrated to less restrictive settings
- During the 2015-2016 school year 112 students graduated from Menta programs and 118 reintegrated to less restrictive settings
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 with assessed reading levels within two years of their actual grade level. These students are assigned to the core 4-Blocks reading curriculum.
- Tier 2: Students with assessed reading levels 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 with assessed reading level lower than first grade (i.e., non-readers). These students participate in individualized and intensive reading interventions, such as Wilson Reading.
The Menta Group’s programs 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 students are significantly behind academically when they enter Menta programs. A typical student in a Menta program enters with an achievement gap ranging from 2-11 years and many middle school and high school students enter the programs as non-readers.
Making Behavior Gains
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, make good decisions, and are better able to stay on task in the classroom. 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 Menta 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 2015-2016 school year indicate that the average percentage of school time that students spent engaged in instruction, as opposed to working in CIBS, is consistently above 92% in all of our schools. Additionally, students are referred to CIBS at an average rate of 2.5 times per week. Many students do not need to utilize CIBS at all. Students in our programs spend more time engaged in productive learning than they did in their previous educational settings.