DC charter school for 3rd grader w/IEP for ADHD, sensory processing, social skills - and gifted

[Anonymous]

You might also want to call and talk with the special needs teach at DCPS -- depending on the situation, there are set asides at some schools (including Lafayette) for various special needs situation depending. DS has some processing and ADHD with an IEP at a WOTP school & tests as gifted (2E) - honestly we have to stay on it a lot with the school but they have mostly dealt with it well. As others have said, there is no set program like in MoCo - so we've had to push for and create our own pathway to help support him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been at Capital City and at Inspired Teaching with our kids and seen really good work being done both to challenge smart kids and to work with kids with special needs of various forms. Capital City is definitely hands-on--lots of field trips and thematic learning that connects the subjects. Inspired Teaching also does this type of learning well in elementary grades.

That said, from the outside the school lottery seems as though you can choose a school that fits, and maybe have a backup or two for possibilities. In reality, it's like the lottery you play at the liquor store. This isn't to discourage you or be DCUM snotty--it IS possible to get a good lottery number, and DC is transitory, so there are always a few spots here or there and some that open. But it is just to say you might want to think through the actual possibilities of landing a spot at a charter that has dedicated inclusion teachers who are well trained and who also have the supports in place to work one-to-one when it's necessary, as well as what private options might be in the cards if the lottery doesn't pan out if you're determined to move. (We've ended up over the years anywhere from the 100s to the 300s with no chance, but also with ~10 that wasn't a good enough waitlist number to see movement on some schools.) I'd add that I've only heard lovely things about Two Rivers, but we were never able to lottery in there.) Would the LAB school be an alternative for you, even though it's far NW?)

I wish you good luck, and recognize how fun it could be for the family to live in that fun part of the city. If you haven't done so already, you might consider posting on the Kids with Special Needs board.

We were at Capital City with an ADHD diagnosis. In our experience, it was very dependent on the teacher, peer group. For our child, it was hit and miss and inconsistent and we decided that a better option was to move our child. The model that they offer looks good on paper - the execution missed in too many areas.

[Anonymous]

As an aside, OP, I highly recommend a year round swimming program for your child. Downright stunning how being in the water doing repetitive tasks can calm and focus the brain, and eventually rewire it. It has been amazing to watch our DS transform.

[Anonymous]

OP, the term you are looking for is 2E/LD. Twice exceptional with learning disabilties. I am a former charter/DCPS teacher. I taught in both systems for 3 years before moving to the suburbs. Here are a few books that were assigned to teachers for professional development for GT and 2e students. They are mostly geared towards teachers but as a parent take off your parent hat to really ask if your child exhibits these characteristics. I can't speak for DCPS or the charter world anymore because their systems change so quickly but I recall DCPS and charters biggest focus was closing the achievement gap and learning a second language.

Twice-Exceptional Gifted Children: Understanding, Teaching, and Counseling Gifted Students by Beverly Trail, Ed.D
Uniquely Gifted: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of the Twice-Exceptional Student by Kiesa Kay
Different Minds: Gifted Children with AD/HD, Asperger Syndrome, and Other Learning Deficits by Deidre V Lovekey

Best wishes,

I also suggest that you get your child independently tested at either Johns Hopkins or George Mason so that you have actual data to back up your claims. There is nothing worse than ill-informed parents fighting for something without documented evidence.

[Anonymous]

+ million that DC does not do gifted or special needs well. Or even decently. Gifted is ignored and special needs is half assed. We moved to MoCo - not perfect, but better then any option in DC.

[Anonymous]

OP here

Thanks to those who gave some suggestions for schools! To clarify, we won’t move unless we get into a school we think is a good fit. I do plan to visit some schools but was hoping for some help in narrowing it down. We’re just starting to look into this and it’s quite overwhelming! Thank you to those who named some specific schools you recommend checking out! Particularly 13:58 and 14:36 and 20:45 – thank you!

The reason we’d be looking to leave Arlington (beyond the fact that we’d just love to live in the city!) is that although Arlington “sounds” like a good school district, we’re finding that it’s great for the “good” kids (who can sit and do worksheets, etc.), but NOT great for the kids who don’t fit into the mold. (Note we live in North Arlington – I suspect some of the South Arlington schools are better resourced since they have a higher number of IEP kids). The IEP for our older one technically is only for the ADHD. The sensory stuff is just something we’re aware of and I have personally pushed for him to be allowed to wear a hoodie or headphones at lunch when it is noisy, and to not have to sit in the hallway before class starts since it is so noisy there and starts his whole day off on a bad foot. So they have been accommodating in these situations, but I imagine most schools would be. And he’s not getting any support for social skills – I just mentioned it to give a sense of what challenges he has. There has even been talk that he could have high functioning autism (if so, it is very mild – mostly challenges around social skills).

His actual IEP is focused on support with executive functioning mostly but has not appeared to help at all. I feel like we just need to try having him in a different environment where he can do more hands on stuff and not be forced to sit at a desk all day which is making him crazy. The reality may be that no charter school even exists that will be hands-on enough, but we wanted to at least explore it. In Arlington our only other option is private school….

Oh, and Arlington does basically nothing for gifted kids other than a summer camp, so it’s not like we’re walking away from anything there. I was hopeful that maybe charter schools have more flexibility in that regard to allow some kids to accelerate if they’re ready (not sure if that is true).

I will say that I’m grateful for the IEP we have for the younger one. But again I hope he will not need it in a year when he starts kindergarten.

15:09 – thanks for letting me know there is a way to look up statistics for openings - I didn’t know this data was available. This is a huge help (but scary to see these numbers!). Related to this – since I’ll have a DS entering K that year, does that mean his older brother would get in if he did? I imagine they can’t do it that way since the slots for the older kids wouldn’t be available?

15:17 – I actually had the same thought on bilingual! His biggest strength is language, and like you said, he’s kind of ahead in math anyway so I do feel like bilingual could be a cool challenge for him that would make him pay attention more. I’m intrigued by Mundo Verde. One issue though is that our younger one isn’t looking to be as good with language so it might not turn out to be a good fit for him and I would not want them at different schools! But definitely something to look into...

09:06 – thank you for the swimming comment! He actually does love swimming and I have been thinking to try to find a place for him to do that year-round.

09:17 - thank you so much for this perspective and these resources! BTW Arlington Schools did do the neuropsych testing on him which is how we learned of his IQ – so grateful to have all of this really well-documented as I know it will be important if we switch schools.

[Anonymous]

15:09 – thanks for letting me know there is a way to look up statistics for openings - I didn’t know this data was available. This is a huge help (but scary to see these numbers!). Related to this – since I’ll have a DS entering K that year, does that mean his older brother would get in if he did? I imagine they can’t do it that way since the slots for the older kids wouldn’t be available?

1) If one of your children has good lottery luck, the other child can benefit from a sibling preference. Basically your other child would jump ahead of any children who did not have a sibling either already enrolled in that school, or who had been accepted. Watch the video on the MySchoolDC website about the lottery process which is really helpful, or call them. http://www.myschooldc.org/resources/my-school-dc-videos

But they will not create additional seats to accommodate a sibling. So your sibling could, potentially, sit near the top of a waiting list and never get in. But they could also pull them in.

2) Also, expeditionary learning schools aren't really hands on, and your child could end up spending a month deeply exploring a topic that they don't love. One thing to know is that there is a LOT of group work in this model and it can be hard for kids who struggle with social skills.

3) If high functioning autism is possible, you may want to explore that more deeply. DCPS actually has some good pretty programs for students with high functioning autism at a few locations -- and you don't have to access them through the lottery. You contact the central office and work with them to determine if it is the right placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:09 – thanks for letting me know there is a way to look up statistics for openings - I didn’t know this data was available. This is a huge help (but scary to see these numbers!). Related to this – since I’ll have a DS entering K that year, does that mean his older brother would get in if he did? I imagine they can’t do it that way since the slots for the older kids wouldn’t be available?

1) If one of your children has good lottery luck, the other child can benefit from a sibling preference. Basically your other child would jump ahead of any children who did not have a sibling either already enrolled in that school, or who had been accepted. Watch the video on the MySchoolDC website about the lottery process which is really helpful, or call them. http://www.myschooldc.org/resources/my-school-dc-videos

But they will not create additional seats to accommodate a sibling. So your sibling could, potentially, sit near the top of a waiting list and never get in. But they could also pull them in.

2) Also, expeditionary learning schools aren't really hands on, and your child could end up spending a month deeply exploring a topic that they don't love. One thing to know is that there is a LOT of group work in this model and it can be hard for kids who struggle with social skills.

3) If high functioning autism is possible, you may want to explore that more deeply. DCPS actually has some good pretty programs for students with high functioning autism at a few locations -- and you don't have to access them through the lottery. You contact the central office and work with them to determine if it is the right placement.

So helpful - thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here

Thanks to those who gave some suggestions for schools! To clarify, we won’t move unless we get into a school we think is a good fit. I do plan to visit some schools but was hoping for some help in narrowing it down. We’re just starting to look into this and it’s quite overwhelming! Thank you to those who named some specific schools you recommend checking out! Particularly 13:58 and 14:36 and 20:45 – thank you!

The reason we’d be looking to leave Arlington (beyond the fact that we’d just love to live in the city!) is that although Arlington “sounds” like a good school district, we’re finding that it’s great for the “good” kids (who can sit and do worksheets, etc.), but NOT great for the kids who don’t fit into the mold. (Note we live in North Arlington – I suspect some of the South Arlington schools are better resourced since they have a higher number of IEP kids). The IEP for our older one technically is only for the ADHD. The sensory stuff is just something we’re aware of and I have personally pushed for him to be allowed to wear a hoodie or headphones at lunch when it is noisy, and to not have to sit in the hallway before class starts since it is so noisy there and starts his whole day off on a bad foot. So they have been accommodating in these situations, but I imagine most schools would be. And he’s not getting any support for social skills – I just mentioned it to give a sense of what challenges he has. There has even been talk that he could have high functioning autism (if so, it is very mild – mostly challenges around social skills).

His actual IEP is focused on support with executive functioning mostly but has not appeared to help at all. I feel like we just need to try having him in a different environment where he can do more hands on stuff and not be forced to sit at a desk all day which is making him crazy. The reality may be that no charter school even exists that will be hands-on enough, but we wanted to at least explore it. In Arlington our only other option is private school….

Oh, and Arlington does basically nothing for gifted kids other than a summer camp, so it’s not like we’re walking away from anything there. I was hopeful that maybe charter schools have more flexibility in that regard to allow some kids to accelerate if they’re ready (not sure if that is true).

I will say that I’m grateful for the IEP we have for the younger one. But again I hope he will not need it in a year when he starts kindergarten.

15:09 – thanks for letting me know there is a way to look up statistics for openings - I didn’t know this data was available. This is a huge help (but scary to see these numbers!). Related to this – since I’ll have a DS entering K that year, does that mean his older brother would get in if he did? I imagine they can’t do it that way since the slots for the older kids wouldn’t be available?

15:17 – I actually had the same thought on bilingual! His biggest strength is language, and like you said, he’s kind of ahead in math anyway so I do feel like bilingual could be a cool challenge for him that would make him pay attention more. I’m intrigued by Mundo Verde. One issue though is that our younger one isn’t looking to be as good with language so it might not turn out to be a good fit for him and I would not want them at different schools! But definitely something to look into...

09:06 – thank you for the swimming comment! He actually does love swimming and I have been thinking to try to find a place for him to do that year-round.

09:17 - thank you so much for this perspective and these resources! BTW Arlington Schools did do the neuropsych testing on him which is how we learned of his IQ – so grateful to have all of this really well-documented as I know it will be important if we switch schools.

OP, if you do move to NoMA you won't be far from Rumsey Pool (near Eastern Market) which is one of the practice sites for the DC Wave team https://dpr.dc.gov/service/dc-wave-swim-team and it's not a bad metro ride to the other site at Takoma.

If you really want a lot of movement and hands-on time you might want to look for the cheapest housing you can bear and do a private school like Burgundy Farm. But I will say I was impressed with the special ed coordinator at Inspired Teaching and also liked the people I've met from Capital City.

[Anonymous]

There's zero gifted education at my kids' JKLM. I think the general level of education is pretty decent and most of the kids are very bright and have parents who are overachievers.

I wouldn't call my kids gifted but they're bright enough. My neighbor has a son who i think is probably genuinely gifted in the 1:1000 sense. The school has done nothing to formally accelerate his learning
although he probably could handle work many years up. It's obvious to all who know this kid that he's exceptionally bright. His parents used to ask the school (and teachers) for extra or differentiated
work but after a few years of not getting much or anything they now just encourage the kids' interests outside of school. He's now a rising 5th grades. Obviously, they're on the
more laid-back end of the parenting spectrum. Which is sort of what you have to be in DCPS... roll with the punches and trust that it will all work out in the end for kids who are
motivated.

[Anonymous]

Given the rarity of 3rd grade spots I would look at those which have a good number of K openings. I also would really check out a Montessori program - we are at one, and it's definitely all about "follow the child" and independent work. I think in upper elementary it's a bit different but a good teacher could be awesome for him. That said, I have no idea if any of the montessori charters in DC accept at that grade, given that they like kids to grow up in the model. The schools to look up are: Lee, Shining Stars, Breakthrough (but I think they haven't got a 3rd grade yet), Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan.

It's going to be a long shot to get something better suited than what you have, definitely try and talk to parents of kids at the upper grades in these schools. You may want to look into Creative Minds and Bridges which are known to have programming for special needs, though they may not handle gifted well.

[Anonymous]

My child with a similar profile is thriving at Washington’s Latin which starts in 5th grade. It’s not hands on learning in focus, but it’s academally challenging for our very bright child. The classes are small and there is lots of discussion. The discipline/behavior management is done very well. The school looks for ways to celebrate different kinds of kids.

[Anonymous]

My 2E child (with HFA) is thriving at SWS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what's the zoned school for the house?

if your kids are getting IEP services for sensory processing and being "emotional" it sounds like you must be in a place that has good services. not clear why you would want to take chances on charter lottery.

I'm surprised Arlington has IEPs for preK4 ... I didn't realize there were public preK4 programs for mild disabilities. I would reconsider moving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an aside, OP, I highly recommend a year round swimming program for your child. Downright stunning how being in the water doing repetitive tasks can calm and focus the brain, and eventually rewire it. It has been amazing to watch our DS transform.

Not to hijack this thread but swimming has been a great area of focus for my ADHD son . Can you share the year round swimming program you attend?! TIA