APS & diagnosing learning disabilities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The head of the CDC just got covid after having a meeting with a bunch of officials and not masking.

Covid is still airborne, whether you want to mask or not.

Long covid is still a possible result of getting covid, and it can be debilitating and life changing.

Anyway, our experience at APS was that our elementary fought recognizing our kid's problems and giving them any learning disability diagnoses. It was an uphill battle. We got private testing but didn't have success with the school until we brought in a lawyer. Good luck.

COVID is never going away. You are pushing forever masking. How dystopian!

It's down to 5% of flat earthers who are wearing a mask so that tells you who posts on this board.

As for Long COVID, look at studies with a control group and you'll see how rare it is. Somehow it's hitting progressive middle-aged white affluent women hard, like the ones in SEPTA still pushing forced masking.

This MAGA Covid denier troll really likes to attack moms of special needs kids. What an *ss.

[Anonymous]

I am sorry OP. My kid is in 2nd grade at APS and was noted to be significantly behind goal and no one mentioned testing. We decided to request an student study meeting but we are also making an appointment to get him evaluated privately. I just can't handle the "what if" and need answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry OP. My kid is in 2nd grade at APS and was noted to be significantly behind goal and no one mentioned testing. We decided to request an student study meeting but we are also making an appointment to get him evaluated privately. I just can't handle the "what if" and need answers.

Definitely advocate for your child!! APS will not do it. I wish I went with my gut earlier on this, rather than relying on the teachers to bring the issues to our attention. Private evaluations are expensive but well worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

and of course wealthy parents of kids with learning differences send them to private schools. APS loves it that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

and of course wealthy parents of kids with learning differences send them to private schools. APS loves it that way.

Or they pay for private testing, tutoring and services.
APS doesn't want to pay for reading tutoring because they said it's too expensive and tutors for reading charge $100 per hr. So they are ok with parents paying for it and for those who can't well those kids just don't learn to read

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately APS' parent disability groups (ASEAC and SEPTA) are dominated by closed schoolers and forced child maskers

Go away Putin loving freak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

+1. I've filed complaints against my kid's school system, so know that I am not a school lackey. In many school systems a teacher would be in trouble if they pointed out to a parent that they suspect a child has a disability. This area is a minefield for teachers. As a previous poster stated, the school will not diagnose a child. I saw lots of parents who ignored the issues the school did try to point out. This is not 100% on the school. You, the parent, are responsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.[/quote

Yes. And in reality, I think public schools just don't have the resources to help children that are struggling. Some schools may be better than others but I think you would be hard pressed to find a school that can really address these issues. I was reading some dyslexia boards and most folks recommend private 1:1 tutoring 4+ times week. Public schools just can't meet that need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

and of course wealthy parents of kids with learning differences send them to private schools. APS loves it that way.

Or they pay for private testing, tutoring and services.
APS doesn't want to pay for reading tutoring because they said it's too expensive and tutors for reading charge $100 per hr. So they are ok with parents paying for it and for those who can't well those kids just don't learn to read

This is false. APS has many OG trained educators and reading specialists on staff in every school and many children are regularly identitied for reading interventions. I'm speaking as a former staff member.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

and of course wealthy parents of kids with learning differences send them to private schools. APS loves it that way.

Or they pay for private testing, tutoring and services.
APS doesn't want to pay for reading tutoring because they said it's too expensive and tutors for reading charge $100 per hr. So they are ok with parents paying for it and for those who can't well those kids just don't learn to read

This is false. APS has many OG trained educators and reading specialists on staff in every school and many children are regularly identitied for reading interventions. I'm speaking as a former staff member.

then you should know that the only reason APS has OG trained teachers now is because parents spent years and years fighting for that. And the OG training is still pretty minimal compared to what private OG tutors have. And sooooo many kids were missed for being identified for special education for dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

+ 1 We have had to learn this the hard way. Kids with no learning disabilities or special needs can fair fine, but anything out of the norm and APS does sub-par job. At least at our N. Arlington school. We tried a popular option school and had to return, because the demand for support services was so high our DS didn't get much help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

+ 1 We have had to learn this the hard way. Kids with no learning disabilities or special needs can fair fine, but anything out of the norm and APS does sub-par job. At least at our N. Arlington school. We tried a popular option school and had to return, because the demand for support services was so high our DS didn't get much help.

which option school wasn't good with support?

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Anonymous wrote:I am sorry your child's learning disabilities weren't identified earlier and it's great he is now getting the support he needs. That said, I would be surprised if most parents (who are lucky enough to have the resources to do so) didn't already know how important private testing can be. You blame APS and you are so "livid at their ignorance" that you are warning other parents to "lawyer up" but perhaps deep down you are angry at your own ignorance and failure to advocate for your child as strongly as you could have. Teachers aren't diagnosticians who can tease out every special need, as much as we wish this were the case. Given your own concerns, you should have requested an evaluation from the school, which they would have been required to do. Without that, you don't know if and how they could have accommodated your child. I know schools can and often should do better but I don't think it's fair or helpful to lay blame in thie way that OP has done.

NP. My kid’s story is similar to OPs. And yes, I am angry at myself for not being a better advocate but I am also angry with APS. My kid has a lot of issues that get tangled together and it is not the school’s job to fix them all but teaching him to read should squarely fall in their wheelhouse. He’s behind in reading- failing SOLs and all assessments below grade level but not enough to qualify for extra help, which he hasn’t received at APS since 1st grade. He’s extremely behind in writing and can barely write at a level about 3 grades below grade level. When we requested special education assessment, we were told he just didn’t try hard in the sections he didn’t pass (something we heard consistently all through elementary).

When we paid for a private assessment, we were told they wouldn’t accept it and that they would need to redo it themselves. Every advocate and experienced parent we talked to said that we shouldn’t even bother trying to get APS to remediate dyslexia. So our options are either paying $100+/hour for private tutoring multiple days a week after he has already struggled through school all day or is all the money we have saved to send him to private school that costs more than most university tuition.

I think the teachers and administrators don’t mean to harm but way the system is set up let’s a lot of kids fail. It is completely justified to blame APS for that.

I'm sorry for these stories regarding APS dropping the ball on learning disabilities. It really makes me wonder why APS is held in such high regard. Why are house prices so extreme, aside of the proximity to DC and great (although incredibly expensive) neighborhoods, what is the draw for families? I have friends in other areas of the country that are getting a much better quality education, assistance with diagnosing disabilities and collaborating on an IEP/recovery measures, etc. Especially since COVID, APS has been consistently going downhill. So many families have left for private education. Why pay Arlington prices if you need to send your kids to private school? All of this makes no sense to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think you're missing anything. APS is held in high regard because the families are generally wealthy. Children whose parents are wealthy do better in school. There is nothing great about any APS school.

and of course wealthy parents of kids with learning differences send them to private schools. APS loves it that way.

Or they pay for private testing, tutoring and services.
APS doesn't want to pay for reading tutoring because they said it's too expensive and tutors for reading charge $100 per hr. So they are ok with parents paying for it and for those who can't well those kids just don't learn to read

This is false. APS has many OG trained educators and reading specialists on staff in every school and many children are regularly identitied for reading interventions. I'm speaking as a former staff member.

then you should know that the only reason APS has OG trained teachers now is because parents spent years and years fighting for that. And the OG training is still pretty minimal compared to what private OG tutors have. And sooooo many kids were missed for being identified for special education for dyslexia.

No again, not true. APS has had reading specialists the entire time I worked there, which includes the last 10 years. It's too bad that some posters have had bad experiences, but that's not the norm.