Schools for struggling kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a thread for kids who do not do homework? I couldn't find it and I'd love to read what's worked for others. I nearly wept when I saw all the paper that my child's teachers gave DC last year (8th) that DC never even looked at, let alone completed. Yes we were monitoring up until 8th grade but DC would drag it out, lie about it, cry about it, and carry on and beg us to stay out of it. So we did that for one year. DC ended the year with reasonable grades (nothing below a C) but when he threw out the year's papers it was so sad to see worksheet after worksheet untouched.

This is going to sound like a criticism but I'll say it anyway -- doesn't this seem to imply that the monitoring and training in homework skills needed to be continued past 8th grade? Kids generally need to be taught and trained to do homework, fading adult intervention as the child exhibits responsibility for doing so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here--one's currently in 8th, one in 9th. And let me be honest--by struggling, I mean really, really bad grades last year. I have some hope for improvement this year with one (anxiety issues now more under control), but I'm not expecting miracles. Catholic schools are definitely an option for us, although it's possible one of our kids is gay, and I'm not sure about the social environment given that. I'll definitely look at Landon.

Here is an article about the schools involved in the GSA in 2013, many schools named here are also in the article.

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2013/05/01/gay-straight-alliance-summit-draws-130-students/

[Anonymous]

OP, when you say test well, can you be more specific?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St Johns has a programfor kids with learning issues


Good Counsel does as well.

Landon does haev a learning specialist for both the MS and US. They will work with you on accomdations such as extra time for tests, specific needs in teh classroom etc.

Sandy Spring, Field School and Burke are also possibilties. Bullis has a learnibg center within th library that also works one on one with kids needs and allows tutorign to be done during school time.

Sandy Spring, at least, takes a pretty small percent of applicants even during entry years. I don't know about the other schools, but I suspect it's true to some extent for them, as well. This would make it hard for kids with low grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, when you say test well, can you be more specific?

Sure--they definitely do well on standardized tests, they've tested as gifted, and the grades they got last year on many of their tests were pretty good but could not overcome 0s on homework. (Not to say that their test scores at school were perfect last year; since they didn't do homework, they sometimes didn't know the material--but often they did.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Are there schools who take kids who test well but have bad grades?

I bet there are plenty. It would be an indication that the kid has aptitude but something else is interfering with performance.

FWIW my advice would be to try to bore in on what is causing the disconnect between the native abilities and the grades. It could be an organizational/executive function issue in which case PP's advice about finding a school that helps with that is good. Or it could be simply matter of comfort and motivation. You hinted that there could be some social discomfort reasons. So many things could be causing the disconnect -- which school is right depends on which it is.

This is great, balanced advice. One child has been tested, but it may be worth getting the second child tested too, to figure out what's underneath the poor performance before you start choosing new schools.

If ADD is the issue, there are several tutoring companies that will work with your child on organization skills and ways to compensate for executive function issues. Thinking Organized in Bethesda is one such company, although I believe there are some in Virginia.

Could another possible issue be depression? That was our kid, and the depression fed into anger, hopelessness and poor motivation.

If motivation is the issue, that's a tough nut to crack. Waiting until they mature is one solution, but the risk is that they will have closed off a lot of academic and job opportunities before the light bulb finally goes off at age 22, age 25, or even later. For our kid, Outward Bound was absolutely fantastic in turning motivation around, to a degree that DH and I would never have hoped for. DC returned actually excited about school and started making plans for college and the future. I'm sure results vary with the individual kid and the particular instructors, though. Also, the best time to do these programs is over the summer, although some have semester programs. There are other, similar, programs, although the industry is unregulated and you have to be very, very careful because some of the programs are scams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Johns has a programfor kids with learning issues


Good Counsel does as well.

Landon does haev a learning specialist for both the MS and US. They will work with you on accomdations such as extra time for tests, specific needs in teh classroom etc.

Sandy Spring, Field School and Burke are also possibilties. Bullis has a learnibg center within th library that also works one on one with kids needs and allows tutorign to be done during school time.

Sandy Spring, at least, takes a pretty small percent of applicants even during entry years. I don't know about the other schools, but I suspect it's true to some extent for them, as well. This would make it hard for kids with low grades.

GC takes about 40 a year.... they get many more applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Are there schools who take kids who test well but have bad grades?

I bet there are plenty. It would be an indication that the kid has aptitude but something else is interfering with performance.

FWIW my advice would be to try to bore in on what is causing the disconnect between the native abilities and the grades. It could be an organizational/executive function issue in which case PP's advice about finding a school that helps with that is good. Or it could be simply matter of comfort and motivation. You hinted that there could be some social discomfort reasons. So many things could be causing the disconnect -- which school is right depends on which it is.

This is great, balanced advice. One child has been tested, but it may be worth getting the second child tested too, to figure out what's underneath the poor performance before you start choosing new schools.

If ADD is the issue, there are several tutoring companies that will work with your child on organization skills and ways to compensate for executive function issues. Thinking Organized in Bethesda is one such company, although I believe there are some in Virginia.

Could another possible issue be depression? That was our kid, and the depression fed into anger, hopelessness and poor motivation.

If motivation is the issue, that's a tough nut to crack. Waiting until they mature is one solution, but the risk is that they will have closed off a lot of academic and job opportunities before the light bulb finally goes off at age 22, age 25, or even later. For our kid, Outward Bound was absolutely fantastic in turning motivation around, to a degree that DH and I would never have hoped for. DC returned actually excited about school and started making plans for college and the future. I'm sure results vary with the individual kid and the particular instructors, though. Also, the best time to do these programs is over the summer, although some have semester programs. There are other, similar, programs, although the industry is unregulated and you have to be very, very careful because some of the programs are scams.

What age did you do Outward bound and did you do the intercept Program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, when you say test well, can you be more specific?

Sure--they definitely do well on standardized tests, they've tested as gifted, and the grades they got last year on many of their tests were pretty good but could not overcome 0s on homework. (Not to say that their test scores at school were perfect last year; since they didn't do homework, they sometimes didn't know the material--but often they did.)

Ok, let me ask more specifically. Are they typically in 99th %, 90th, or ??
Do they test as Advanced or Proficient on MSA/MAP-R?
Have you had IQ testing done?

If they are truly up high, I think you'll get some interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What age did you do Outward bound and did you do the intercept Program?

I don't want to out DC, because I know people who post here. But yes, Intercept, and in the mid-teens. We can't say enough positive about it. They also make 1 or both parents show up at the end for several days of family counseling.

[Anonymous]

Consider Burke. They are able to accommodate kids with some learning issues and they are definitely gay friendly.

[Anonymous]

I don't think Burke would be very accommodating with a kid who refused to do homework. It is more traditional than most people think. If a kid was struggling with the homework they would help but that isn't the case here.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone knowledgeable speak about the program at St. John's for kids with mild learning issues who need support?

[Anonymous]

IF you're in VA also look at the New School. they are a great progressive alternative high school and maybe middle school as well.

[Anonymous]

I think they need a small school, and that rules out the Catholic schools, whose special needs programs I suspect are inadequate (we've gone through this).

Look at the small schools on this list:

http://www.exceptionalschoolsfair.com/

I can't tell much about your kids, but I suggest you look at 1) The Nora School, and 2) Parkmont.

They may have openings as some plan on bringing kids in through the year.