The following case studies detail the high degree of customized instruction we put into each student’s program. They also illustrate how we collaborate with other professionals when beneficial to the student.

Case Study #1

Manus Academy Student

When we first met Tonya, she was a seventh-grade student attending a local private school. She had a history of learning and attentional difficulties that made completing school assignments difficult for her. By seventh grade, she had already attended five different schools, trying to find one that was the right fit. Tonya was bright but could not read fluently, write well or sustain focus long enough to complete assignments, particularly math assignments. As a result of her failures, she started getting very discouraged.

Tonya’s parents enrolled her in our school. After reviewing her previous school records and psycho-educational evaluations and completing a brief assessment of our own, our admissions staff member developed a customized instructional program for Tonya that included developing her reading fluency, written expression skills and her ability to complete assignments accurately and in a timely manner.

Tonya worked in a class with five other students. For two and a half hours a day, she worked one-on-one and in groups of two other students to build reading fluency, written expression and math skills. During the remaining hours, she worked with her whole class to learn the content courses of English, social studies, science and communication skills.

Over the course of the first semester, Tonya’s teacher and tutor charted and graphed Tonya’s practice in reading, written expression and math to ensure that she was practicing sufficiently and responding satisfactorily to her instructional plan. She was progressing well in reading and written expression yet continued to have problems completing math work accurately. She learned the math concepts well and remembered the computational procedures yet often made careless errors. Her errors usually stemmed from not following the operational signs and working at inconsistent speeds, which diminished the quality of her focus.

To help Tonya increase her math accuracy, her teachers coached her more intensively to adopt those habits that increase accuracy. These habits included Tonya’s previewing the math work to increase her awareness of its details and saying aloud each step of the first several problems to establish a comfortable working rhythm.

To help Tonya alter her perception that math work is tedious and never-ending, her teachers also had her estimate the amount of time needed to complete each task then note the actual time she spent completing it. After comparing her estimated times to her actual times for several weeks, Tonya began to sense that most of her math work was quite manageable when she worked methodically. As her accuracy increased and her perception of the tasks changed, Tonya began to approach math work more readily.

Tonya’s teachers and other staff at Manus Academy also trained her to solve problems effectively. Rather than give up in frustration as soon as she perceived a problem she couldn't handle, they trained her to first examine the problem objectively with her teacher or classmates, define it, think of different solutions then try one or more of them.

Tonya’s habit of avoiding problems was strong and she needed much coaching to manage problems effectively; however, over the school year, she began to tackle them with increasing success. She also continued to make steady academic gains. As a result of her increased skill, Tonya started feeling happier and in greater control of her life.

Case Study #2

Manus Academy Student

David, a tenth grade student in our college preparatory high school program, had a long history of struggling with several academic barriers. They included weaknesses in written expression, reading comprehension, time management and organizational skills and social skills. David was exceptionally strong in high school math but had trouble demonstrating his knowledge on paper because of his written expression difficulties. He also had an excellent rote memory and could recite many of the facts he read in his history and science books but could not often connect or use these facts to engage in higher-level reasoning.

For many years, David struggled to adapt to the environments of the different schools he attended and manage his school work. Because of his barriers, however, his efforts frequently did not pay off. David began to conclude that it did not matter what he did, he would fail anyway. He started to avoid schoolwork and resist his parents’ and teachers’ efforts to help him.

To encourage David to reinvest in his academic growth, we created a learning environment and instructional program that would ensure he would succeed with reasonable effort. During the school day, he attended class with five other students, worked closely with his teacher and received some individual instruction from a teaching assistant. To help him catch up and complete an English course that he had failed the preceding year, he also stayed after school three days a week to work with his teacher.

Our lead teacher arranged for him to take only three courses at a time so he could focus intensively on each one and finish it in a typical school quarter rather than a full semester. This was easier than his trying to juggle the demands of six courses. To increase his comprehension of what he read, the lead teacher provided him study guides of his United States history and biology chapters. These study guides prompted him to note the key information in the chapter and minimized the demands of having to write complete sets of notes. Following these structured outlines allowed David to focus on practicing study and reading comprehension skills that helped him truly understand and remember the essential information in the assigned chapters. This removed the challenge of trying to organize all of the information on his own, which would have been too much for him to handle at that point.

To help David build his weak writing skills, the lead teacher also arranged for him to take writing composition for which he would receive a credit that would go on his transcript. This course offered him intensive and guided practice in writing paragraphs, essays and research reports. The teaching assistant worked closely with David as he followed the writing process over and over, from generating ideas, to organizing them in a logical sequence, to verbally composing then writing, editing and proofreading the work.

Other strategies and accommodations included: 1) the teacher’s frequent modeling of the skills, prompting David in the next step and giving him frequent feedback, including praise for good effort and work; 2) a five-minute break at the end of each hour; 3) intensive coaching in time management, organizational and study skills; 4) an opportunity to talk with a staff member about concerns or when he was having trouble controlling his emotions; 5) opportunities to engage in structured social activities during which he practiced certain social skills; and 6) completing a daily academic journal in which he would note the work he completed that day, the degree to which he was sufficiently alert and “in the flow,” factors that helped him succeed, factors that got in his way and strategies for handling any problems he experienced.

David also saw a counselor once a week to help him sort out some other problems he was experiencing in his personal life. With David’s parents’ permission, the teacher communicated with the counselor from time to time to share information about David’s school performance and overall progress. His teacher also shared similar information with David’s parents by way of a weekly email summary, monthly phone call and quarterly and year-end conferences.

The accommodations, frequent interactions with his teachers and close supervision allowed David to produce good work with reasonable effort. Over time, David’s work habits improved and became more consistent. His teachers gradually withdrew some of the accommodations as David did not need them anymore. As he became a more effective and efficient learner, David eventually caught up in his coursework and was back on schedule to graduate at the expected time. Feeling better about himself and life in general, David started revealing his dry wit and fun sense of humor. The other students enjoyed his company and he made some good friends.

Case Study #3

Manus Tutoring Services Student

Jason was a fourth-grade student at a local public school. He was referred to us by a psychologist who tested him and diagnosed a written expression disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Jason’s school problems stemmed from his difficulty in these areas:

writing neatly and fluently
expressing his thoughts on paper
organizing his homework and school materials
managing time
sustaining attention
completing assignments

School was very stressful for Jason. He wanted to do well, but did not know how. He often came home from school each day upset. Getting him to do his homework usually resulted in a battle. By the time Jason and his mother met with us, they were both frustrated and worn-out.

Our skill assessment and review of Jason’s school records resulted in this individualized instructional program:

intensive remedial work to build Jason’s writing ability
training in how to use effective homework strategies so he could complete his homework accurately, in a timely manner and with minimal assistance from his mother
using his own school books and assignments when coaching him to practice effective study habits to ensure that he transferred his newly learned skills to school work
working closely with the school to set up accommodations so Jason could function successfully in that environment in spite of his disabilities

Regular communication with Jason’s teacher allowed the tutor to determine Jason’s progress in using effective time management, organizational and study skills and those areas in which Jason needed continued training.

To help Jason and his mother re-establish the warm and nurturing relationship they had before the homework wars began, the tutor showed his mother how to effectively supervise Jason’s homework and study hour and help Jason when he needed assistance. The tutor also instructed Jason and his mother to report to her any problems they had concerning school. The tutor’s regular interventions and guidance helped the family manage school problems effectively and allowed them to focus on other activities besides schoolwork.

With ongoing support and coaching from his tutor, Jason began strengthening his writing skills and refining his homework and study habits. This led to higher grades, greater self-esteem and an overall improvement in how he felt about himself and his relationship with his family.

Case Study #4

Manus Tutoring Services Student

Brian was a ninth-grade student at a local public school. He was a skilled athlete who played on the high school football team in the fall and the basketball team in the winter. Up until sixth grade, Brian averaged A’s and B’s in school. Beginning in the seventh grade, his grades started to include a few C’s. In the eighth grade, he got his first D. In the ninth grade, Brian felt he was losing even more control over his schoolwork and didn't know how to stop his downward spiral.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Brian’s father asked if we could help Brian organize himself and learn some study skills. According to Brian’s teachers, Brian was capable of earning good grades if he just applied himself more to his schoolwork. He participated in class well and seemed to understand the material but did poorly on tests.

During our initial assessment of Brian, he demonstrated well-developed reading, written expression and math skills, although he had a tendency to make careless errors in math. He expressed himself well and seemed to have a good ability to focus and sustain attention. While Brian showed good skill development and capability in most academic areas, he did not know how to study or prepare for tests.

Brian showed the same pattern that many otherwise capable students have shown. They succeeded in elementary and early middle school because they participated in class well, learned the information and completed their homework. They did not study much for tests, but still scored well on them because they could manage the relatively small amount of information these tests covered. Once they reached high school, they did not realize that, to successfully handle the greater volume of material covered in class, they must study in addition to completing homework.

We developed this homework and study skills coaching program for Brian:

We scheduled Brian to see one of our tutors twice weekly for an hour each session followed by another hour of independent and structured study.
Brian’s tutor contacted his teachers to determine what they expected from their students, the type of class work and homework they assigned, how they tested, when they tested and how they graded.
He used this information to develop a customized homework and study plan for Brian to follow each day, Sunday through Thursday.
Using his assignments and books, the tutor showed Brian those organizational, time management and study skills most effective for each of his classes and assignment types. He also showed him how to balance the demands of his football practice schedule with his school and home responsibilities.
He showed Brian’s parents how to effectively supervise Brian’s homework and study sessions at home on those nights he was not seeing his tutor.
He monitored Brian closely to ensure he was using effective study strategies with gradually greater degrees of efficiency.
Every two weeks, he asked Brian’s teachers at school to complete a brief progress report so he could determine which study skills Brian was applying well in each class and which areas needed more work.
He shared these results with Brian then with his parents during a regularly scheduled fifteen-minute conference call every two weeks. During these calls, he asked Brian’s parents for their observations of how he was following through on his daily study sessions at home.
He and Brian updated his homework coaching program as needed, based on the teachers’, parents’ and his own observations of how well Brian was applying effective strategies.

During the first eight weeks of tutoring, Brian’s grades stabilized. They rose from mostly C’s and D’s to C’s and a few B’s. During the second school quarter, as Brian used effective strategies with greater efficiency, his grades continued to rise. He earned mostly B’s, but made a C in algebra, because of his tendency to make careless errors.

Brian’s tutor trained him heavily in using strategies that increase math accuracy and decrease careless errors. Toward the middle of the third quarter, instead of losing an average of twelve points per test because of careless errors, Brian lost an average of only four points per test. As Brian’s study habits strengthened with practice, his other grades continued to rise and he gained confidence in his ability to successfully manage his school responsibilities.

Case Study #5

Manus Academy Consultation with Student, Family and Tutor

Jennifer was a second-grade student at a local private school. Her teacher referred her parents to us for testing to determine why she had problems with reading. We tested Jennifer and discovered that she had underlying phonological weaknesses that interfered with her reading acquisition. She had difficulties in these areas:

sound awareness or ability to perceive speech sounds (a common cause of reading problems)
phonics
sight word recognition
reading fluency
spelling
word retrieval, or ability to say what one wants to say at any given moment
phrasing her thoughts clearly and logically
vocabulary

We arranged a conference with Jennifer’s teacher, parents and tutor to review our recommendations. These recommendations included: a) accommodations to minimize the impairing effects that Jennifer’s language and reading delays were having on her school performance; b) intensive remedial work with her tutor three times weekly; and c) parental reinforcement of skills at home.

Jennifer’s school accommodations involved:

frequent teacher prompting and modeling to help Jennifer articulate her thoughts
adjusting Jennifer’s homework assignments so the skills covered in these assignments were aligned with those the tutor was teaching Jennifer
selecting the appropriate books for Jennifer to read during her daily independent reading time
(books in which she could decode at least eighteen out of every twenty words and with some degree of fluency)
a word wall posting high-use words that Jennifer and her classmates could refer to for word spellings when completing writing assignments

Jennifer’s remedial work involved intensive practice in:

sounding out words (phonics), first in columns then in sentences and stories comprised only of words mastered up to that point in instruction
reading high-use, or sight words, again, first in columns, then in sentences and stories
those speech sounds that Jennifer had particular trouble perceiving (e.g., distinguishing between the short /ĭ/ and /ĕ/ sounds, especially when they came before n’s and m’s [pin/pen]; and distinguishing between the /k/ and /g/ sounds when they ended words [log/lock])
spelling words first in isolation then within sentences, again using phonemic awareness strategies to help Jennifer perceive each sound within the words before spelling them
reading with fluency and rhythm
expressive language exercises designed to build Jennifer’s ability to phrase her thoughts and build her vocabulary knowledge

Jennifer’s parents supported the remedial efforts by incorporating these daily activities into their time together as a family in the evenings and on the weekends:

posting Jennifer’s weekly vocabulary words on the refrigerator, using these words in their conversations and prompting Jennifer to use them, too
listening to Jennifer read aloud for ten minutes from the books her teacher carefully selected and saying any word that Jennifer could not decode so Jennifer could continue to practice reading fluently
spending another ten minutes of this independent reading time reading simultaneously and aloud with Jennifer to model rhythmic and fluent reading
reading interesting stories to Jennifer that contained slightly elevated language and enriching vocabulary and discussing the story and certain vocabulary words with her
calling out any word spellings that Jennifer did not know as she completed her writing assignments; this accommodation helped Jennifer focus on expressing her thoughts well on paper rather than being distracted by trying to spell certain words
completing a few minutes of spelling exercises with Jennifer each day using the same words and teaching strategies that her tutor and teacher were using with her

We provided Jennifer and her tutor with the instructional materials needed to complete the remedial work and joined them for three different tutoring sessions. During these sessions we modeled certain strategies for the tutor to use to facilitate Jennifer’s learning the targeted skills. We also showed the tutor how to monitor Jennifer’s progress by following these steps:

measuring then recording the total number of practice trials that Jennifer completed in reading, spelling and reading fluency during each lesson
establishing a monthly “diet” of 12,000 practice trials in reading (i.e., total number of words Jennifer decoded or read within passages during the lessons); 1,200 practice trials in spelling (i.e., total number of words Jennifer spelled in isolation or within sentences during the lessons); and 1,000 practice exercises in expressive language
noting those reading, spelling and expressive language skills that Jennifer mastered as a result of these practice trials
determining if Jennifer’s response to this practice yielded satisfactory progress
making small adjustments, as needed, to increase the effectiveness of her instructional program, school accommodations and home reinforcement

Our staff member who oversaw the case joined Jennifer and her tutor in a lesson every two months to check progress and update the program. At the end of the school year, she re-tested Jennifer to examine her long-term gains and determine which skills needed further strengthening.

Jennifer made substantial improvements in her language, reading and spelling skills and overall school performance. She was encouraged to write stories, one of her strengths, and read them in front of her classmates. This public speaking practice helped Jennifer feel more relaxed and confident when speaking to her peers.