McLean school for GT/ADHD

[Anonymous]

NP here. I was considering McLean for my GT/ADHD child for high school. Does your advice also apply to HS - is it not challenging enough? - or does it ramp up in the HS years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I was considering McLean for my GT/ADHD child for high school. Does your advice also apply to HS - is it not challenging enough? - or does it ramp up in the HS years?

I would say it is the same. The issue is that is very small for HS and just can't offer the depth of more challenging courses that a larger private or public can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I was considering McLean for my GT/ADHD child for high school. Does your advice also apply to HS - is it not challenging enough? - or does it ramp up in the HS years?

My child is only in the middle school. I have no experience with the upper school. I look at the school and re-evaluate yearly myself, because I'm not sure about the fit year to year.

[Anonymous]

We tried this school for 3rd grade. Curriculum so dumbed down it's absurd. Not at all challenging. Teaching to lowest point in class. Poor and few social peers. Classes too small for my child. Child never complained. Parents concerned. We left for our receptive neighborhood school w strong IEP. Child was and still remains behind in math although test scores raised. Reading lept forward too. We are talking at least one grade behind in math. We have a tutor and child is pulled out twice a week. Wouldn't go back to mclean if you paid the entire thing. A total waste of money, in every sense. I believe that if my child been kept there beyond third grade they would have been required to repeat a grade or would have never caught up. Child's diagnosis is ADHD combined severe (meds help a lot), slow processing speed, math challenges. Best advice is to trust your instincts. I didn't trust mine. Cathy Patterson is really good at her job (admissions).

[Anonymous]

When you say Cathy is good at her job do you mean in selling the school to potential students or in knowing who is a good fit to admit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I was considering McLean for my GT/ADHD child for high school. Does your advice also apply to HS - is it not challenging enough? - or does it ramp up in the HS years?

Try Commonwealth for GT/ADHD or St. John's Benilde program (though they wouldn't take my 2e child, so he just muddles through SJC).

[Anonymous]

I was just going to add Commonwealth Academy ^^. It is specifically designed for gifted ADHD. We tried McLean but it didn't walk the talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you say Cathy is good at her job do you mean in selling the school to potential students or in knowing who is a good fit to admit?

What I am pretty sure they mean is that Mclean talks a good game but the reality of the school does not match what they say.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I appreciate the insight. We are in Arlington County. Other than Commonwealth, are there any other schools that come to mind?

[Anonymous]

Maybe Newton? There is a current thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say Cathy is good at her job do you mean in selling the school to potential students or in knowing who is a good fit to admit?

What I am pretty sure they mean is that Mclean talks a good game but the reality of the school does not match what they say.

You hit the nail on the head. /s/ McLean Parent soon to be former McLean Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We tried this school for 3rd grade. Curriculum so dumbed down it's absurd. Not at all challenging. Teaching to lowest point in class. Poor and few social peers. Classes too small for my child. Child never complained. Parents concerned. We left for our receptive neighborhood school w strong IEP. Child was and still remains behind in math although test scores raised. Reading lept forward too. We are talking at least one grade behind in math. We have a tutor and child is pulled out twice a week. Wouldn't go back to mclean if you paid the entire thing. A total waste of money, in every sense. I believe that if my child been kept there beyond third grade they would have been required to repeat a grade or would have never caught up. Child's diagnosis is ADHD combined severe (meds help a lot), slow processing speed, math challenges. Best advice is to trust your instincts. I didn't trust mine. Cathy Patterson is really good at her job (admissions).

Original poster following up on my post. Cathy is charming, kind, accommodating and good at selling mclean. That's her role. She does it well. If only what she promoted were legitimate and the rest of administration and teachers were acceptable. Not

[Anonymous]

McLean parent here. We came to the school before Cathy, and I can tell you the school was not sold to us as a good place for the very gifted child, by the old admissions director. It was sold as a school for "different " learners who were behind because they could not access the curriculum at their school. I understand that the high school is much different than lower or middle school as far as class level and expectations (and I think but I'm not positive there are some AP classes offered). My kid with ADHD, GAD and several LD's is thriving there. Not sure if we will stay through high school yet or not ( depending on needs etc). FWIW, I never considered the school for my younger gifted child who really could not handle the big class sizes in public, because the academics are not right for her. So, I get where everyone is coming from. It's frustrating when you think you found the right placement only to have it not be what your child needs (and then have to start the search process all over again). I wish their message was clearer.

[Anonymous]

As a current and alumni McLean parent for over 15 years of 3 students, I am quite bothered by this thread. All 3 of my boys are GT/LD and have thrived and excelled at McLean, always working at or above grade level. My current 7th grader is accelerated in Math (working 2 years ahead). McLean meets students where they are at all levels. They recognize that everyone learns differently so they teach in ways that everyone can learn. My older boys are both McLean and college graduates attending graduate school. They were very well prepared for college. In fact, college counselors often commented on the excellent writing skills of McLean students, adding that they would have no issues in college.

I will tell you that over our many years at McLean, they have gone above and beyond to accommodate my children, ensuring successes and instilling self worth and independence.

I would encourage the original writer to revisit and make a decision based on what is best for their child. Attending an Independent School is about fit and every school is not a good fit for every child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a current and alumni McLean parent for over 15 years of 3 students, I am quite bothered by this thread. All 3 of my boys are GT/LD and have thrived and excelled at McLean, always working at or above grade level. My current 7th grader is accelerated in Math (working 2 years ahead). McLean meets students where they are at all levels. They recognize that everyone learns differently so they teach in ways that everyone can learn. My older boys are both McLean and college graduates attending graduate school. They were very well prepared for college. In fact, college counselors often commented on the excellent writing skills of McLean students, adding that they would have no issues in college.

I will tell you that over our many years at McLean, they have gone above and beyond to accommodate my children, ensuring successes and instilling self worth and independence.

I would encourage the original writer to revisit and make a decision based on what is best for their child. Attending an Independent School is about fit and every school is not a good fit for every child.

Why are you bothered by a thread where people post about experiences that are different from yours? Like you said, not every school will be a good fit for every student. That doesn't make other people's experiences less valid than yours.