Latin Cooper versus DCI for IEP

[Anonymous]

We matched with Latin Cooper for 5th but are at a DCI feeder. Child has an IEP for mild learning disability and she has ADHD. Can people share experiences at either school with IEP support and implementation.

[Anonymous]

IEP support has been excellent at DCI.

[Anonymous]

Great to hear! We are an incoming DCI family and our child has an IEP. We met with the head of SPED at DCI and thought she seemed on top of things and was super responsive.

[Anonymous]

Do you find the constant device usage a problem? I heard it has gotten a bit better but I still hear stories from the neighbor kids at DCI about kids in their class playing games all day. I worry about this for my kid with ADHD. I don't think it will be good for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you find the constant device usage a problem? I heard it has gotten a bit better but I still hear stories from the neighbor kids at DCI about kids in their class playing games all day. I worry about this for my kid with ADHD. I don't think it will be good for her.

Not pp, but yes. We hear from admin that they are trying to incorporate more offline learning, but it's not happening fast enough for my ADHD child, at least not so far into the first year of middle school. Who knows if the new principal will feel the same.

The school can lock down the student's Chromebook if families request it to a more extreme setting than the default. This can help but may also make it hard for the student to access certain sites that teachers use, such as ones with embedded videos.

From asking about computers when touring other schools, this problem is not unique to DCI so we will stay for 7th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you find the constant device usage a problem? I heard it has gotten a bit better but I still hear stories from the neighbor kids at DCI about kids in their class playing games all day. I worry about this for my kid with ADHD. I don't think it will be good for her.

Not pp, but yes. We hear from admin that they are trying to incorporate more offline learning, but it's not happening fast enough for my ADHD child, at least not so far into the first year of middle school. Who knows if the new principal will feel the same.

The school can lock down the student's Chromebook if families request it to a more extreme setting than the default. This can help but may also make it hard for the student to access certain sites that teachers use, such as ones with embedded videos.

From asking about computers when touring other schools, this problem is not unique to DCI so we will stay for 7th.

Meant to add when I asked this question of other middle school families I knew, some with older kids said Latin used to be much less computer focused pre-covid but now it didn't sound all that different from DCI.

[Anonymous]

Coming from a very bad sped experience at a feeder school, DCI has felt like a breath of fresh air.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you find the constant device usage a problem? I heard it has gotten a bit better but I still hear stories from the neighbor kids at DCI about kids in their class playing games all day. I worry about this for my kid with ADHD. I don't think it will be good for her.

Not pp, but yes. We hear from admin that they are trying to incorporate more offline learning, but it's not happening fast enough for my ADHD child, at least not so far into the first year of middle school. Who knows if the new principal will feel the same.

The school can lock down the student's Chromebook if families request it to a more extreme setting than the default. This can help but may also make it hard for the student to access certain sites that teachers use, such as ones with embedded videos.

From asking about computers when touring other schools, this problem is not unique to DCI so we will stay for 7th.

Meant to add when I asked this question of other middle school families I knew, some with older kids said Latin used to be much less computer focused pre-covid but now it didn't sound all that different from DCI.

Interesting. The families I know mentioned they have rolled it back a lot recently. Plus Latin doesn't allow cell phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you find the constant device usage a problem? I heard it has gotten a bit better but I still hear stories from the neighbor kids at DCI about kids in their class playing games all day. I worry about this for my kid with ADHD. I don't think it will be good for her.

Not pp, but yes. We hear from admin that they are trying to incorporate more offline learning, but it's not happening fast enough for my ADHD child, at least not so far into the first year of middle school. Who knows if the new principal will feel the same.

The school can lock down the student's Chromebook if families request it to a more extreme setting than the default. This can help but may also make it hard for the student to access certain sites that teachers use, such as ones with embedded videos.

From asking about computers when touring other schools, this problem is not unique to DCI so we will stay for 7th.

If the comparison/other option is Latin tho, it is quite different. Kids use chromebooks in some classes but there is a lot of paper pencil work. For our kids its had real benefits for writing (hand and typed).

However..predictably, their Spanish definitely is suffering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great to hear! We are an incoming DCI family and our child has an IEP. We met with the head of SPED at DCI and thought she seemed on top of things and was super responsive.

They were in the past but now you have to be really on top of everything. I have multiple teachers this year that just won’t follow my student’s accommodations and a practically non-existent case manager. This is middle school. HS is better. I think it’s the leadership. Galpin sets the tone to be very dismissive of parents. She has no problem alienating families. Red flag when I heard her and others start saying “scholars”. Ineffective Success Academy nonsense. Hopefully we can get a much better replacement that better complements Nace and the positive culture he is building.

[Anonymous]

Is the middle school principal leaving? I thought she just recently arrived?

From the info sessions we attended last year it seemed like the HS was on much better footing than the middle school but I thought the hope was that she was helping to address the weaknesses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the middle school principal leaving? I thought she just recently arrived?

From the info sessions we attended last year it seemed like the HS was on much better footing than the middle school but I thought the hope was that she was helping to address the weaknesses?

Ms. Galpin is leaving at the end of the school year, I believe.

[Anonymous]

parent of 6th grader at DCI w ADHD. school has been responsive to accommodation requests and we lock down student's computer to more restrictive 'no game' settings. I'd worried about screen addiction and whatnot but have been super impressed with the curriculum and no plans to go elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

DCI curriculum is very impressive and kids are well prepared for college. Also, many high level IB classes will transfer for college credit.

[Anonymous]

My kid doesn't have an IEP but does have a 504 for ADHD and is at Latin Cooper. Aside from me needing to resend the 504 plan again at the beginning of the year after submitting it at enrollment and 1 of 7 teachers needing a little more specific instructions on how to implement, all has gone well. We've found the case manager and support services coordinator accessible and responsive, and the principal comes from a special education background which I think sets a good tone.