Anonymous wrote:OP.

Our child has significant difficulty maintaining focus and is not easy to motivate. He has an IEP and has required extensive support this school year, which has resulted in him having many successes and wins.

I am so worried about moving to the area and not getting the services and assistance he needs to be successful.

I had always heard such good things about MCPS, and now do not know where we should think about moving in the DMV.

Things are only getting worse here, I'm afraid. Keep looking.

Look into Dr Shapiro free groups that meet on Monday. There are dozens of similar parents you can chat with in MoCo

Anonymous wrote:OP.

Our child has significant difficulty maintaining focus and is not easy to motivate. He has an IEP and has required extensive support this school year, which has resulted in him having many successes and wins.

I am so worried about moving to the area and not getting the services and assistance he needs to be successful.

I had always heard such good things about MCPS, and now do not know where we should think about moving in the DMV.

People like to complain, and of course MCPS (like all districts) is far from perfect, but I definitely wouldn't jump to conclusions based on a few posts on an anonymous message board. Figure out a few elementary schools in neighborhoods you're considering and try to ask around for the experience parents have had there in real life. Reach out to autism/special needs parent groups in real life. And if you want to ask questions here, get specific about what kinds of services and supports you're looking for and the schools you're considering so people can give you meaningful feedback, not just random comments about how MCPS isn't good for autism from someone who might be in a totally different place with a totally different kind of kid from yours.

I’ve worked in the same school for 10 years and have seen a lot of turnover with SPED teachers and admin over the department. Some years it’s absolutely wonderful and I would send my kids there in a heartbeat. Other years I’m embarrassed to be a part of the department.

It is highly dependent on who the staff is at any given time, and can change quickly, so input based on how it is now doesn’t necessarily mean much for how it will be throughout your time there.

Rock Creek Valley is a very small ES and my ASD (low needs) kids did well there. However, because they did well, I constantly had to fight to keep their IEP and 504 plans respectively. Required bringing a lawyer with me to most meetings.

I would pick Bethesda elementary out of all elementary in Montgomery county.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an ASD 6 yo with anxiety who is happy in 1st grade in a MCPS ES. Very low support needs so no IEP, just 504. Teachers are excellent.

Can you share the name of the school so that I can check into it for my child?

It's Oakland Terrace ES. However, it is a dual language immersion school (Spanish) for all students. I love the program, but unless your child has been in an immersion program or otherwise has Spanish proficiency, it might not be the best choice (I think if you transfer in at 2nd grade or later you get sent to a different school unless you meet the criteria for entrance in those grades). I shared our experience because I do think MCPS has a lot of truly phenomenal teachers and that has been really good for our kid. I do know several families whose kids have IEPs and they have been helpful, though sometimes communication with families can be a challenge. It is good that you already have one in place as it will transfer. If you don't have an IEP it can take a LOT of time to set it up.

I have heard families in general are very happy with Flora Singer ES which is nearby, but I can't speak to experiences with IEPs. This is a very economically, culturally and economically diverse area. Because of the percentages of low-income students, they have smaller class sizes which can be really helpful.

One resource that might be helpful is the MCPS school climate survey (https://sharedaccountability.mcpsmd.org/SurveyResults/content.php ), especially the staff survey. You can compare each school's results to the rest of MCPS. It gives you a sense of which schools have effective leadership.