To 17:43, from a NP: how well can Commonwealth Academy accommodate highly gifted kids, who need a lot of acceleration and differentiation (to work at a faster pace as well as at a higher level)?

Thanks to 22:19 - those look like great programs. What happens during the parent info exchange?

OP, DC is at a high-quality public in the upper elementary grades. The first few years were a struggle getting the school's attention, though we also didn't have very useful diagnoses at the time. But now that everyone understands DC better, the school is doing a great job on supports and we will stay in public at least until junior high. DC is only moderately gifted, though, so that makes it easier than providing for a child who is profoundly gifted.

Anonymous wrote:Oh, gosh, this is so hard. We have one like this. No good solution found and we've tried public and private. It takes A LOT of parental involvement.

Yes, it can be exhausting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Commonwealth Academy. No question.

I only toured Commonwealth in the lower grades and have no other experience than that. There were 20 kids total in the third, fourth, and fifth grades combined, so that worried me that it would be very difficult socially given the small numbers of kids. I have heard it is an excellent school. Does anyone with a GT/LD kid have experience with McLean or Lab?

I can comment on C/A from 8th grade through rising Seniors. Can I answer any questions about that? At the third, fourth and fifth grades, the classes are quite small because the school wants to maintain a 1:3-5 faculty/student ratio at those ages. This is done on purpose. Each class gets larger: 3rd has five students; 4th has 7 students; 4th has ll; in the middle school each class has 20-25. At the high school level each class has 20-22 students. In middle and high school, the school is committed to no more than ten students in each classroom.

Anonymous wrote:Commonwealth Academy. No question.

I only toured Commonwealth in the lower grades and have no other experience than that. There were 20 kids total in the third, fourth, and fifth grades combined, so that worried me that it would be very difficult socially given the small numbers of kids. I have heard it is an excellent school. Does anyone with a GT/LD kid have experience with McLean or Lab?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which private (or public) schools are best suited for GT/LD/ADHD profile - not just academically but socially? Why? Thanks for your help. Please feel free to share your personal experience.

I have a child who fits the GT/LD/ADHD description. He is currently in HS. He is mainly a math and science kid. His LDs are in the profound range. When he was in ES and we were looking for alternatives to his public school, Lab was the only one that said they would take students beyond the moderate range of LD. We also looked at Oakwood in Annandale as they would consider him. None had the math curriculum like the one his public schools offer in MS or HS. Science also was better on the public HS. We ultimately decided that we wanted him to be in a school that focused on his assets and not his deficits. We have kept him in public school and supplemented with tutors from 2nd through 7th grade for reading and writing remediation (which he also got at school). It has been a long slog and quite a bit of work. MS was the worst regarding school understanding of the issues, but we persevered. We are in an excellent place right now. DC is taking the higher level classes for everything but English and is taking his first AP course. His elementary school was Chesterbrook ES and they do a decent job with the 2E student.

We met with Rick Weinfeld re our 2e child and he suggested we work to the child's strengths. The LDs are mainly in executive function, writing & reading comprehension but the gifted parts are off the charts. We opted for a "regular" private. DC is much happier than in public, but they do little to remediate with executive function. It has come down to us. 2e is a broad designation, but in hindsight I wish we had checked out McLean.

Commonwealth Academy. No question.

Anonymous wrote:Which private (or public) schools are best suited for GT/LD/ADHD profile - not just academically but socially? Why? Thanks for your help. Please feel free to share your personal experience.

I have a child who fits the GT/LD/ADHD description. He is currently in HS. He is mainly a math and science kid. His LDs are in the profound range. When he was in ES and we were looking for alternatives to his public school, Lab was the only one that said they would take students beyond the moderate range of LD. We also looked at Oakwood in Annandale as they would consider him. None had the math curriculum like the one his public schools offer in MS or HS. Science also was better on the public HS. We ultimately decided that we wanted him to be in a school that focused on his assets and not his deficits. We have kept him in public school and supplemented with tutors from 2nd through 7th grade for reading and writing remediation (which he also got at school). It has been a long slog and quite a bit of work. MS was the worst regarding school understanding of the issues, but we persevered. We are in an excellent place right now. DC is taking the higher level classes for everything but English and is taking his first AP course. His elementary school was Chesterbrook ES and they do a decent job with the 2E student.

GT stands for gifted - talented.

Does "GT" stand for Gifted?

I'm interested too. Are McLean, Lab, or Sienna well matched for 2E kids? Any feedback would be appreciated.

For which grade? I think it makes a difference. I would also try asking this question on the GTLD Network listserv. There is a GTLD Network meeting in a couple weeks with a presentation by Rich Weinfeld, Michael Eig, and Paula Rosenstock. They would likely have lots of information as well as all of the parents in attendance that have had their GTLD kids in a myriad of placements. I am posting the information below in case you are interested in attending.


www.gtldnet.org


2015 Spring Parent Programs
Walter Johnson High School
6400 Rock Spring Dr. Bethesda
6:30-7:30 pm Parent info exchange
7:30-8:45 pm Speakers

Thursday, March 19
How does the IDEA law apply to GTLD students? How can you ensure that your GTLD student gets the services s/he needs? Three respected specialists will provide information and answers.
Legal Issues in Identifying and
Serving Twice Exceptional Students
Speakers
Rich Weinfeld, educational consultant and author, Weinfeld Education Group
Michael Eig, Esq., special education legal advocate
Paula Rosenstock, Esq., special education legal advocate


Thursday, April 16
Are you and your child casualties of the homework wars? A veteran educational psychologist shares routines and motivational strategies for frustrated parents who know all too well that…
You Can Lead a Child to Homework
But You Can’t Make Him Think
Speaker
Dr. Robert Chase, clinical psychologist and frequent speaker on student motivation
Join us for two fascinating talks and an opportunity to meet and exchange questions and ideas with other parents raising twice exceptional children.

Oh, gosh, this is so hard. We have one like this. No good solution found and we've tried public and private. It takes A LOT of parental involvement.

Which private (or public) schools are best suited for GT/LD/ADHD profile - not just academically but socially? Why? Thanks for your help. Please feel free to share your personal experience.