8th grade son has ADHD & IEP -Yorktown, W&L or Wakefield -AP program

[Anonymous]

We are districted for Yorktown but applied for neighborhood transfer to both W/L & Wakefield AP Program.

It is a daily struggle to help him stay on track. He was accepted to the Wakefield AP program and we applied for neighborhood transfer to W/L because all of his close friends are going there. We are not a pressure cooker family -in fact, we don't care about college acceptance to elite schools. We just want him to be college-ready. That said, he often says he feels "dumb" in the general classes but we both know he is not appropriate for IB program (he's never asked to apply). He knows many kids going to Yorktown but the culture of boys entering Yorktown next year would not be a good influence for him. Not that these kids are bad -just not a good influence on him.

- I would like to know how the general and AP courses are?

- How supportive are the staff and IEP teams at each school -we've heard wonderful things about Wakefield; however, it would be a daily hike for us to Wakefield and he will not be starting with any friends which is quite anxiety-provoking for him.

[Anonymous]

Wakefield is not wonderful and I would not suggest it for your child. My child is in intensified and AP classes - so many disruptive kids that your child will get distracted. Classes are slow and get boring for students who do the work. Go to Yorktown and hire your kid an executive function coach to help with homework and studying.

[Anonymous]

My son is a freshman at Yorktown in intensified (next year some AP) classes. Not sure how you could know the entire cohort of boys entering YHS next year.... plenty of kids from both WMS and Swanson, and my son's friend group from middle school changed quite a bit. I think the teaching in the intensified classes at YHS has been quite good and challenge for my son for the first time which I appreciate. The workload doesn't seem overwhelming. Does your son take medication and does he have a 504 plan? If you have a formal diagnosis I might try to get a 504 now before entering high school.

[Anonymous]

Whoops sorry I missed that he already has an IEP. What areas does he have goals in and what supports are already in place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wakefield is not wonderful and I would not suggest it for your child. My child is in intensified and AP classes - so many disruptive kids that your child will get distracted. Classes are slow and get boring for students who do the work. Go to Yorktown and hire your kid an executive function coach to help with homework and studying.

This has not been our experience in Wakefield intensified and AP classes at all.

Some general ed classes have definitely been slow and frustrating; and I would consider "intensified" classes to be more what I expected standard level classes to be. But that may be because of my own high school experience which involved advanced classes - so that's what I expect to be the norm.

Regardless, we're 3 years in with two kids and PP's opinion seems a broad characterization that does not align with our experiences. And one of our kids is particularly impatient with nonsense and boredom.

[Anonymous]

OP here- our deadline to notify Wakefield was yesterday so this is now OFF the table.

Currently, we have to decide between W/L vs. Yorktown. What are the teams like at W/L for kids with IEP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- our deadline to notify Wakefield was yesterday so this is now OFF the table.

Currently, we have to decide between W/L vs. Yorktown. What are the teams like at W/L for kids with IEP?

Since you didn't post your question until yesterday, I guess Wakefield was never a serious consideration anyway.
So what you are really trying to decide is whether support for an IEP is better at Yorktown or in full-IB at WL? If you're not really interested in full IB or the elite colleges, go to Yorktown. Leave the available spaces for IB for someone who really wants them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- our deadline to notify Wakefield was yesterday so this is now OFF the table.

Currently, we have to decide between W/L vs. Yorktown. What are the teams like at W/L for kids with IEP?

Since you didn't post your question until yesterday, I guess Wakefield was never a serious consideration anyway.
So what you are really trying to decide is whether support for an IEP is better at Yorktown or in full-IB at WL? If you're not really interested in full IB or the elite colleges, go to Yorktown. Leave the available spaces for IB for someone who really wants them.

Or, rather, your question is really should you go to your assigned school or follow his friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wakefield is not wonderful and I would not suggest it for your child. My child is in intensified and AP classes - so many disruptive kids that your child will get distracted. Classes are slow and get boring for students who do the work. Go to Yorktown and hire your kid an executive function coach to help with homework and studying.

This has not been our experience in Wakefield intensified and AP classes at all.

Some general ed classes have definitely been slow and frustrating; and I would consider "intensified" classes to be more what I expected standard level classes to be. But that may be because of my own high school experience which involved advanced classes - so that's what I expect to be the norm.

Regardless, we're 3 years in with two kids and PP's opinion seems a broad characterization that does not align with our experiences. And one of our kids is particularly impatient with nonsense and boredom.

I assume by "our" you mean yours as the parents. I wrote the feedback my child has given me over the years. I don't have any actual experience since I never went to the class. I have found that parents have one view of the experience and students a whole different one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wakefield is not wonderful and I would not suggest it for your child. My child is in intensified and AP classes - so many disruptive kids that your child will get distracted. Classes are slow and get boring for students who do the work. Go to Yorktown and hire your kid an executive function coach to help with homework and studying.

This has not been our experience in Wakefield intensified and AP classes at all.

Some general ed classes have definitely been slow and frustrating; and I would consider "intensified" classes to be more what I expected standard level classes to be. But that may be because of my own high school experience which involved advanced classes - so that's what I expect to be the norm.

Regardless, we're 3 years in with two kids and PP's opinion seems a broad characterization that does not align with our experiences. And one of our kids is particularly impatient with nonsense and boredom.

I assume by "our" you mean yours as the parents. I wrote the feedback my child has given me over the years. I don't have any actual experience since I never went to the class. I have found that parents have one view of the experience and students a whole different one.

No.
I guess I should have used "Our children's" rather than just "our;" though I think it's kind of obvious it isn't MY experience since I'm not the one attending high school or sitting through the classes. Nevertheless, my kids have not indicated the same experience reflected in your comments. As I said, one of our kids in particular is especially impatient with the things you describe. That child generally doesn't keep complaints like that to themself. Both of our children are not particularly hesitant to complain about school or about school in response to our questions about their classes. There are certain classes that have prompted complaints; but not the ones you indicated.

The only reason I can think of for you assume I must be speaking for myself and have a different view than my children must be because you believe everyone's experience must be the same as your child's. That's not the case and that's the point of my response. I have no view of what's going on in the classroom other than what my children relay to me, what I hear them and their friends say, what other parents say their children have relayed to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- our deadline to notify Wakefield was yesterday so this is now OFF the table.

Currently, we have to decide between W/L vs. Yorktown. What are the teams like at W/L for kids with IEP?

Since you didn't post your question until yesterday, I guess Wakefield was never a serious consideration anyway.
So what you are really trying to decide is whether support for an IEP is better at Yorktown or in full-IB at WL? If you're not really interested in full IB or the elite colleges, go to Yorktown. Leave the available spaces for IB for someone who really wants them.

Or, rather, your question is really should you go to your assigned school or follow his friends.

Actually, If I'm reading this correctly the OP is asking more about services for her son's ADHD and the differences between the classes and supports through an IEP.
'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- our deadline to notify Wakefield was yesterday so this is now OFF the table.

Currently, we have to decide between W/L vs. Yorktown. What are the teams like at W/L for kids with IEP?

Since you didn't post your question until yesterday, I guess Wakefield was never a serious consideration anyway.
So what you are really trying to decide is whether support for an IEP is better at Yorktown or in full-IB at WL? If you're not really interested in full IB or the elite colleges, go to Yorktown. Leave the available spaces for IB for someone who really wants them.

Or, rather, your question is really should you go to your assigned school or follow his friends.

Actually, If I'm reading this correctly the OP is asking more about services for her son's ADHD and the differences between the classes and supports through an IEP.
'

Yes, but OP's child will have to be full-time IB if transferring into WL and OP already indicated they are not a good fit for IB. And if the Wakefield decision is moot, what is the point of the question? To make him do IB because WL might offer better IEP support through a program he's not fit for so he can follow his friends there (and not necessarily be in the same classes with them, by the way), or feel better about sending him to Yorktown because some parents suggest they have better IEP support? If the friends issue wasn't a factor, OP wouldn't have made a point to mention it.

[Anonymous]

OP here, we did not apply for IB. We are applying to W/L through neighborhood transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, we did not apply for IB. We are applying to W/L through neighborhood transfer.

WL is going to be a lot bigger than Yorktown and your child will likely not be in many, if any, classes with his friends. His friends are not a good reason to go to WL. Is Yorktown really that bad of an alternative? We are zoned for WL but would have no problem at all with my child going to Yorktown if we were zoned for Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

not OP but how much bigger is W/L than YHS?