Dyslexia and Arlington Elementary

[Anonymous]

I wonder if they will allow a virtual tutor? I am sending my dyslexic, dyscalculic daughter back to public for end of 6th grade. She was in specialized SN school grades 2-5 so she learned how to read. I finally have her caught up in math too but she definitely needs a specialized math tutor. If she could access that during the school, that would be amazing! Maybe after all the covid craziness the schools will be more flexible. But I know, I doubt it.

[Anonymous]

You can move to private now or make your kid "work through it" for a few years until you can prove that APS can't handle it and make them pay for Lab School. I don't think the 2nd option is fair to the kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing that really got me in APS is that they wouldn’t permit us to bring in a private tutor during the day who was willing to meet with my child at lunch. My 3rd grader was not able to handle an hour of tutoring on top of a full school day, but the school was unwilling to give him meaningful interventions.

This!! Pulled kid for private (not dyslexia specific) and they allow tutoring to happen during the school day. Tutoring after school was far from productive.

OP, it really boils down to APS won't be able to help. You need to go private. You can hobble along with APS but it's not fair to the kid. Throw in COVID and the massive amount of catch up APS is going to have to do with all kids I fear for the dyslexic kids still in APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The advice you are getting above is good. Look at Lab, Siena or McLean. I know kids that have left Arlington to go to these schools. Those who have left early enough have sometimes been able to return for high school as they've caught up.

Signed,
Teacher with a degree in Reading

How early is early and what percentage would you say could return?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The advice you are getting above is good. Look at Lab, Siena or McLean. I know kids that have left Arlington to go to these schools. Those who have left early enough have sometimes been able to return for high school as they've caught up.

Signed,
Teacher with a degree in Reading

How early is early and what percentage would you say could return?

I would look to move the kid out of APS no later than after 1st if the child is still struggling. I worry about self esteem and by 2nd kids know they are behind.

I don’t know the percentages, but high school (9th) is when I’ve seen it happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The advice you are getting above is good. Look at Lab, Siena or McLean. I know kids that have left Arlington to go to these schools. Those who have left early enough have sometimes been able to return for high school as they've caught up.

Signed,
Teacher with a degree in Reading

How early is early and what percentage would you say could return?

Different poster: my child was diagnosed in first grade (he was close to turning 7). He made significant strides his second grade year when homeschooled and receiving 3 hours a week of evidence based phonics tutoring. At age 10, he is still behind in writing/spelling and reading independently but has made big strides. Each child, however, is unique.

[Anonymous]

My child is dyslexic and received excellent care at an APS elementary school. Very friendly IEP process in first grade. I took his testing that APS did to a private evaluator, and she was surprised the evaluation was done by a public school because it is so well-done. He then received OG 2nd-5th grade from very caring, intelligent teachers.

My other child did not have dyslexia but was still struggling with reading in 4th grade. He was pulled out in 2nd grade for individual Reading Recovery, which a reading teacher latter told me wasn’t a good program. He was always at the bottom end of grade level. He was pulled into a small OG group for 4th and 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

I teach first grade at an APS school. We are in the process of moving to SL (structured literacy) but APS has not provided a curriculum series/package to use. We’re designing our own distance and hybrid learning lessons based on OH principles, and using some OG resources our principal has been able to buy for us.

Refer to the other thread about APS not going to five days, and the teachers’ comments about how we do all this stuff on our own time, for details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach first grade at an APS school. We are in the process of moving to SL (structured literacy) but APS has not provided a curriculum series/package to use. We’re designing our own distance and hybrid learning lessons based on OH principles, and using some OG resources our principal has been able to buy for us.

Refer to the other thread about APS not going to five days, and the teachers’ comments about how we do all this stuff on our own time, for details.

Whoops, sorry... that discussion is in the “2 of my kid’s 3 teachers” thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is dyslexic and received excellent care at an APS elementary school. Very friendly IEP process in first grade. I took his testing that APS did to a private evaluator, and she was surprised the evaluation was done by a public school because it is so well-done. He then received OG 2nd-5th grade from very caring, intelligent teachers.

My other child did not have dyslexia but was still struggling with reading in 4th grade. He was pulled out in 2nd grade for individual Reading Recovery, which a reading teacher latter told me wasn’t a good program. He was always at the bottom end of grade level. He was pulled into a small OG group for 4th and 5th grade.

I get why people don’t typically name their school but in this case I think you should. It could mean the difference for OP between staying public or having to go private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is dyslexic and received excellent care at an APS elementary school. Very friendly IEP process in first grade. I took his testing that APS did to a private evaluator, and she was surprised the evaluation was done by a public school because it is so well-done. He then received OG 2nd-5th grade from very caring, intelligent teachers.

My other child did not have dyslexia but was still struggling with reading in 4th grade. He was pulled out in 2nd grade for individual Reading Recovery, which a reading teacher latter told me wasn’t a good program. He was always at the bottom end of grade level. He was pulled into a small OG group for 4th and 5th grade.

I get why people don’t typically name their school but in this case I think you should. It could mean the difference for OP between staying public or having to go private.

I’m a different PP and I agree. What school?

OP, if you’re zoned for McKinley run as fast as you can. They are one of the worst for learning disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public schools are not equipped to help kids with dyslexia. Teachers don’t receive training in dyslexia (maybe reading specialists, maybe, but you’d have to have them in a dedicated reading remediation class to access them if so). IEPs usually have completely inappropriate goals and supports because again, very few know how to address dyslexia or teach around it. It’s misunderstood and neither teaching programs nor PD actually prepare us for how to support students who have it. You will need OG or Lindamood Bell to see real progress.

-teacher

And teachers could do more in their own classrooms to support all students and give them a better foundation in phonics which would help dyslexic students far more than the current practices. It is possible for teachers to weave this in throughout the day. Also, actually requiring reading in all subject every day would mean that students get far more practice in reading than they do now. Instead of replying back here, why not take some time and give a critical look at what you do each day in the classroom and how you might change things ....

[Anonymous]

And teachers could do more in their own classrooms to support all students and give them a better foundation in phonics which would help dyslexic students far more than the current practices. It is possible for teachers to weave this in throughout the day. Also, actually requiring reading in all subject every day would mean that students get far more practice in reading than they do now. Instead of replying back here, why not take some time and give a critical look at what you do each day in the classroom and how you might change things ....
[Report Post]

How can teachers do this without proper training either in college or from their districts, to teach these foundational skills? With what materials? Teachers need to be taught how to weave this in throughout the day. Districts need to commit to SOR practices. Colleges of Education need to teach science-based pedagogy. Teachers aren't curriculum developers. That's not our job. If you want us to teach something you need to train us to do it. I went through one of the top schools of ed in the country. My TEXTBOOK for reading instruction class was by Fountas and Pinnell. I was taught to teach in a way that was ineffective.

Also, a big "thank you" for questioning that I should be spending my personal time "giving a critical look at what I do in the classroom" instead of spending time on this forum. How about you do that in regards to your parenting skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public schools are not equipped to help kids with dyslexia. Teachers don’t receive training in dyslexia (maybe reading specialists, maybe, but you’d have to have them in a dedicated reading remediation class to access them if so). IEPs usually have completely inappropriate goals and supports because again, very few know how to address dyslexia or teach around it. It’s misunderstood and neither teaching programs nor PD actually prepare us for how to support students who have it. You will need OG or Lindamood Bell to see real progress.

-teacher

And teachers could do more in their own classrooms to support all students and give them a better foundation in phonics which would help dyslexic students far more than the current practices. It is possible for teachers to weave this in throughout the day. Also, actually requiring reading in all subject every day would mean that students get far more practice in reading than they do now. Instead of replying back here, why not take some time and give a critical look at what you do each day in the classroom and how you might change things ....

Listen to yourself. Really. Individual teachers cannot be saviors who single handledly serve a child with disabilities in a SYSTEM that is not equipped to properly serve those students. I can do things in my classroom practice all day long that help but will not affect overall outcomes for a student who then continues in the system BEYOND and outside of my classroom and won’t be properly serviced. Please just shut up .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is dyslexic and received excellent care at an APS elementary school. Very friendly IEP process in first grade. I took his testing that APS did to a private evaluator, and she was surprised the evaluation was done by a public school because it is so well-done. He then received OG 2nd-5th grade from very caring, intelligent teachers.

My other child did not have dyslexia but was still struggling with reading in 4th grade. He was pulled out in 2nd grade for individual Reading Recovery, which a reading teacher latter told me wasn’t a good program. He was always at the bottom end of grade level. He was pulled into a small OG group for 4th and 5th grade.

I get why people don’t typically name their school but in this case I think you should. It could mean the difference for OP between staying public or having to go private.

Don’t send your kid to nottingham.