Best Middle School Options for GT/LD student

[Anonymous]

Please share your experiences at various middle schools in MoCo. Trying to figure out what will be a good fit for our son.
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Fairfax, VA MCPS is terrible for special needs kids. It gets worse in MS and HS.

[Anonymous]

there is a GT/LD program. I believe at North Chevy Chase, but I could be wrong about where it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:there is a GT/LD program. I believe at North Chevy Chase, but I could be wrong about where it is.

not NCC.

look at the MCPS website. There are several middle schools across the county with GTLD programs. I think N. Bethesda is one. I can't speak to the quality.

Contact Marisa Stemple, the MCPS GT/LD instructional specialist for more info. Also, get involved with the GT/LD network (they have a webpage). You will find the parent/peer experiences invaluable.

[Anonymous]

GT/LD in MoCo middle is awful. The ES GT/LD is amazing, but quickly falls apart in MS. Best bet is to go private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GT/LD in MoCo middle is awful. The ES GT/LD is amazing, but quickly falls apart in MS. Best bet is to go private.

What makes it bad?

[Anonymous]

OK - you asked. I'm sorry it's so long.

There are 3 GT/LD MS in MoCo - North Bethesda, Lee, and Clemente. I won't name our school, b/c things are tough enough for our kid right now. And I'm going to make the wild assumption that the system is similarly dysfunctional at all three schools. We have a 6th grader who did brilliantly in the ES GT/LD program. Robust and thoughtful IEP, spot-on accommodations, a clear understanding of DSs strengths and areas of weakness. For three years I put him on the bus and never worried about how his day was going. We went on field trips, he had access to adaptive technology, participated in a county-wide robotics contest (and his team won!). Very enriched curriculum and a wonderful group of kids.

Middle school. We are now what, less than 2 months into the year? His IEP is being roundly ignored by each teacher, the GTLD team is new and seems overwhelmed (his case manager has never taught GTLD kids before), he is not getting his accommodations, NOT A SINGLE ONE. There is a school-wide ban on bringing your own electronics to school, which means he can't use his adaptive technologies during the school day. Because he's in GT/LD, he has no electives, and there are no extracurriculars or clubs available to him. There is no art, music, or sports. There are no textbooks to bring home and work with. There are only reams and reams of disorganized, random, papers with no explanation, course name, due date, etc. There seems to be very little homework, and the only info I can glean is off Edline.

We have spent hours and hours emailing and having phone conferences trying to get his needs met, figuring out his binder and what he supposed to be working on , and ensuring that the school is following his IEP, as required by law. The stock answer seems to be that we should bear with them, they are doing their best. That there are a lot of glitches that need to be worked out this year. We have new staff, etc etc.

This is an established GT/LD center, and we just don't have time to fight every week to make sure the teachers and staff are on board. Our next step is to bring in an advocate or lawyer to force the school to give him his accommodations, or pull him out entirely.

So that's why I say stay clear of the MoCo GT/LD MS program. Your options are to get an IEP and try your home school with accommodations, or try one of the GT programs. I hear they are good. Hard to get into and lots of work, but if you have a GTLD kid he/she will probably love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK - you asked. I'm sorry it's so long.

There are 3 GT/LD MS in MoCo - North Bethesda, Lee, and Clemente. I won't name our school, b/c things are tough enough for our kid right now. And I'm going to make the wild assumption that the system is similarly dysfunctional at all three schools. We have a 6th grader who did brilliantly in the ES GT/LD program. Robust and thoughtful IEP, spot-on accommodations, a clear understanding of DSs strengths and areas of weakness. For three years I put him on the bus and never worried about how his day was going. We went on field trips, he had access to adaptive technology, participated in a county-wide robotics contest (and his team won!). Very enriched curriculum and a wonderful group of kids.

Middle school. We are now what, less than 2 months into the year? His IEP is being roundly ignored by each teacher, the GTLD team is new and seems overwhelmed (his case manager has never taught GTLD kids before), he is not getting his accommodations, NOT A SINGLE ONE. There is a school-wide ban on bringing your own electronics to school, which means he can't use his adaptive technologies during the school day. Because he's in GT/LD, he has no electives, and there are no extracurriculars or clubs available to him. There is no art, music, or sports. There are no textbooks to bring home and work with. There are only reams and reams of disorganized, random, papers with no explanation, course name, due date, etc. There seems to be very little homework, and the only info I can glean is off Edline.

We have spent hours and hours emailing and having phone conferences trying to get his needs met, figuring out his binder and what he supposed to be working on , and ensuring that the school is following his IEP, as required by law. The stock answer seems to be that we should bear with them, they are doing their best. That there are a lot of glitches that need to be worked out this year. We have new staff, etc etc.

This is an established GT/LD center, and we just don't have time to fight every week to make sure the teachers and staff are on board. Our next step is to bring in an advocate or lawyer to force the school to give him his accommodations, or pull him out entirely.

So that's why I say stay clear of the MoCo GT/LD MS program. Your options are to get an IEP and try your home school with accommodations, or try one of the GT programs. I hear they are good. Hard to get into and lots of work, but if you have a GTLD kid he/she will probably love it.

Too bad there is nothing similar to CPS you could call to report this to. This sounds like flat out neglect to me. All of the teachers who are failing your son should be subject to consequences for their failures. There is absolutely no excuse for this. NONE! Write to the superintendent. Put everything in writing that the school is failing to do.

[Anonymous]

PP - I wrote the superintendent today, and copied Jay Matthews and Valerie Strauss.

One of the scariest moments was last week when they marked him absent (and informed me by email me at 7:30 pm on a Friday) when he was at school. It took me DAYS to sort out why they didn't know where my son was, and their only explanation is that it was a "miscommunication."

So yes, I wrote Dr. Starr. I do not expect any sort of response. But at least I did my due diligence as a parent.

[Anonymous]

PP, I am just horrified for you.

Have you also copied Marissa Stemple and the Assoc. Sup. for Special Ed, whose name is Chrisandra Richardson?

You might also want to copy an attorney. They are breaking the law by not implementing the IEP, not to mention the dangerous issue of not being able to keep track of him.

Also maybe post something on the special needs forum, where someone might have other suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP - I wrote the superintendent today, and copied Jay Matthews and Valerie Strauss.

One of the scariest moments was last week when they marked him absent (and informed me by email me at 7:30 pm on a Friday) when he was at school. It took me DAYS to sort out why they didn't know where my son was, and their only explanation is that it was a "miscommunication."

So yes, I wrote Dr. Starr. I do not expect any sort of response. But at least I did my due diligence as a parent.

Can you also call them up and hound them by phone until they get back to you? This is something that should not be able to continue for even one more day. What an outrage. These people you describe are bumbling fools who should be fired.

[Anonymous]

I just have to say thank you for your supportive words and sound advice.

I'm sorry I hijacked this thread, and I should probably ask Jeff to move it to the special needs board. We have been living a Kafka-esque experience with a school system that worked so well for us in the past, and it just breaks our hearts to see our son try and try and not understand why he's not doing well. He has no idea of the extent of the issues and he would be horrified to think that he was marked absent, or that the school didn't know where he was. Or that his teachers were not on his "side".

So thank you again for your kind words, and I hope that I can make this right for my son.

[Anonymous]

Oh - and I have spoken with Marisa, and several members of the school staff. Multiple times. But nothing has changed. I "please be patient", or "it's out of our control", "we really like your son".
And the going wisdom is that if it is verbal, it never happened. So I try to do most of my correspondence via email, so that I have a record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK - you asked. I'm sorry it's so long.

There are 3 GT/LD MS in MoCo - North Bethesda, Lee, and Clemente. I won't name our school, b/c things are tough enough for our kid right now. And I'm going to make the wild assumption that the system is similarly dysfunctional at all three schools. We have a 6th grader who did brilliantly in the ES GT/LD program. Robust and thoughtful IEP, spot-on accommodations, a clear understanding of DSs strengths and areas of weakness. For three years I put him on the bus and never worried about how his day was going. We went on field trips, he had access to adaptive technology, participated in a county-wide robotics contest (and his team won!). Very enriched curriculum and a wonderful group of kids.

Middle school. We are now what, less than 2 months into the year? His IEP is being roundly ignored by each teacher, the GTLD team is new and seems overwhelmed (his case manager has never taught GTLD kids before), he is not getting his accommodations, NOT A SINGLE ONE. There is a school-wide ban on bringing your own electronics to school, which means he can't use his adaptive technologies during the school day. Because he's in GT/LD, he has no electives, and there are no extracurriculars or clubs available to him. There is no art, music, or sports. There are no textbooks to bring home and work with. There are only reams and reams of disorganized, random, papers with no explanation, course name, due date, etc. There seems to be very little homework, and the only info I can glean is off Edline.

We have spent hours and hours emailing and having phone conferences trying to get his needs met, figuring out his binder and what he supposed to be working on , and ensuring that the school is following his IEP, as required by law. The stock answer seems to be that we should bear with them, they are doing their best. That there are a lot of glitches that need to be worked out this year. We have new staff, etc etc.

This is an established GT/LD center, and we just don't have time to fight every week to make sure the teachers and staff are on board. Our next step is to bring in an advocate or lawyer to force the school to give him his accommodations, or pull him out entirely.

So that's why I say stay clear of the MoCo GT/LD MS program. Your options are to get an IEP and try your home school with accommodations, or try one of the GT programs. I hear they are good. Hard to get into and lots of work, but if you have a GTLD kid he/she will probably love it.

Sorry to hear about your trouble with school.

I don't think you're writing about NB
Our DS experience with NB was quite positive - he got all that he needed: small, pull-out English/Reading classes, support teacher in schience/social study classes, full access to electives.

PS what happend to GTLD in Tilden? One of our friend's child went there, tand mom was pleases with that school and program (her son has Aspergers).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK - you asked. I'm sorry it's so long.

There are 3 GT/LD MS in MoCo - North Bethesda, Lee, and Clemente. I won't name our school, b/c things are tough enough for our kid right now. And I'm going to make the wild assumption that the system is similarly dysfunctional at all three schools. We have a 6th grader who did brilliantly in the ES GT/LD program. Robust and thoughtful IEP, spot-on accommodations, a clear understanding of DSs strengths and areas of weakness. For three years I put him on the bus and never worried about how his day was going. We went on field trips, he had access to adaptive technology, participated in a county-wide robotics contest (and his team won!). Very enriched curriculum and a wonderful group of kids.

Middle school. We are now what, less than 2 months into the year? His IEP is being roundly ignored by each teacher, the GTLD team is new and seems overwhelmed (his case manager has never taught GTLD kids before), he is not getting his accommodations, NOT A SINGLE ONE. There is a school-wide ban on bringing your own electronics to school, which means he can't use his adaptive technologies during the school day. Because he's in GT/LD, he has no electives, and there are no extracurriculars or clubs available to him. There is no art, music, or sports. There are no textbooks to bring home and work with. There are only reams and reams of disorganized, random, papers with no explanation, course name, due date, etc. There seems to be very little homework, and the only info I can glean is off Edline.

We have spent hours and hours emailing and having phone conferences trying to get his needs met, figuring out his binder and what he supposed to be working on , and ensuring that the school is following his IEP, as required by law. The stock answer seems to be that we should bear with them, they are doing their best. That there are a lot of glitches that need to be worked out this year. We have new staff, etc etc.

This is an established GT/LD center, and we just don't have time to fight every week to make sure the teachers and staff are on board. Our next step is to bring in an advocate or lawyer to force the school to give him his accommodations, or pull him out entirely.

So that's why I say stay clear of the MoCo GT/LD MS program. Your options are to get an IEP and try your home school with accommodations, or try one of the GT programs. I hear they are good. Hard to get into and lots of work, but if you have a GTLD kid he/she will probably love it.

Sorry to hear about your trouble with school.

I don't think you're writing about NB
Our DS experience with NB was quite positive - he got all that he needed: small, pull-out English/Reading classes, support teacher in schience/social study classes, full access to electives.

PS what happend to GTLD in Tilden? One of our friend's child went there, tand mom was pleases with that school and program (her son has Aspergers).

Tilden program is an Aspergers Program, not GTLD. Many Aspergers kids are GTLD so there are similarities yet not all GTLD kids have aspergers and need the social curriculum of the Tilden program.