MS Executive Functioning/Planning Instruction

[Anonymous]

Looking for private middle schools in DMV that have an explicit focus on executive functioning/planning/organization skills. in other words, places that actually take the time to teach these skills to kids and reinforce their importance, instead of just leaving kids to figure it out on their own. Our DC is a strong student in elementary school but is weak in executive functioning skills, so we're looking for somewhere they can be expressly taught these sorts of things and integrate it into the school day/routine. We know that Field touts this type of instruction and focus in middle school but want to know about other schools that do the same or similar.

[Anonymous]

The McLean School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The McLean School

We're looking for more of a mainstream private. Our DC does not currently need any support at school and needs more of a challenge, frankly, than they are getting in DCPS. But we anticipate some difficulty once they have more independence and are expected to keep track of their own deadlines, etc, and want to find a school that doesn't assume every middle schooler is on top of their stuff.

[Anonymous]

If what you are looking for is schools that teach these skills, versus watching over a kid's shoulder to make sure they are actually applying them, a lot of mainstream privates probably would work. Our kid went to GDS for MS, and there was a lot of work on keeping track of assignments (both within a class, and across classes) and using various tools (e.g., scheduler). There were out-of-class resources to help, if your kid sought them out. But your kid needed to work to learn and apply those skills, because in HS, they are on their own.

[Anonymous]

SSSAS - Academic Center is great in terms of providing a class that focuses on "safety net" for kid - extra academic help, organization help, etc.

In HS, they can use that block to meet with teachers who have free blocks for 1:1 sessions in lieu of AC time as well.

The AC is designed to support - so if you have a specific learning disability that requires focus ie dyslexia - you're gonna need more than AC. But if you simply need a place that addresses additional organizational/support in general to keep up and achieve academic success, SSSAS is great for this opportunity.

My kid has ADHD & dyslexia and we would use the AC as a block of time where kid could get dyslexia specialist who visited the school in person as she worked with SSSAS.

[Anonymous]

Not a private, but Washington Latin, a DC public charter school, does.

Edmund Burke has a summer class.

[Anonymous]

WES?

[Anonymous]

St Patrick's does a great job with this

[Anonymous]

Lowell’s middle school is rooted in executive function work. The program is really comprehensive—there’s a year-long seminar in 6th grade that covers the seven pillars—and there are daily check-ins in each grade.

[Anonymous]

Linder Academy

[Anonymous]

I honestly feel like most of the private independent k-8's have a big focus on getting middle schoolers ready for high school which certainly includes executive functioning. Norwood, St. Pats, Langley, Congressional, etc.

[Anonymous]

Every WES sixth grader takes a weekly executive functioning class which has been really helpful for my DC. My understanding is that for some kids there’s an additional option in lieu of taking a world language for a daily academic skills class through middle school.

[Anonymous]

Bullis offers Learning Lab in middle school but they need to have an accommodation plan (if I am remembering correctly) and it would take the place of a language. It basically is there to help kids with executive functioning skills.

However, you may also want to consider an outside person to help your child once or twice a week. They have executive functioning coaches for this exact purpose.

[Anonymous]

Our experience with SSFS in the middle school has been outstanding. The learning specialist has been a game changer for our kid.

[Anonymous]

Second this!!!