Anonymous wrote:I don’t even know what a “nimble approach” is supposed to mean, much less why it should cause (or not) any red flags.

I don’t know what it means either. And never hear such phrasing. So when two separate positive posts (in a pretty short thread), including one with particularly detailed optimistic review of the school, mention it, I assume it’s not two separate parents posting reviews. Rather that it is an owner, employee, investor, teacher, etc. If anybody in those positions wants to identify themself and provide input, I’m certain that’s welcome here. But more than one instance of strange turns of phrase as a parent reviewer made me assume dishonesty was at play to influence readers.

This may be my own paranoia towards online marketing schemes and such, especially in an anonymous forum.

Anonymous wrote:We have friends whose child had school refusal and was not doing well in public. The school has been a game changer—kid is thriving. I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but it truly can be life changing in my focus group of one.

It’s good for situations like this.

It wasn’t a good fit for our kid - way too chaotic. And we were a little misled on some of the academic aspects. We are sending our kid back to public in the fall.

I don’t even know what a “nimble approach” is supposed to mean, much less why it should cause (or not) any red flags.

I came here looking for real answers to decide for my kid but seeing two replies using the word “nimble” has set off some red flags for me, especially the post two above mine.

Will look elsewhere.

We have friends whose child had school refusal and was not doing well in public. The school has been a game changer—kid is thriving. I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but it truly can be life changing in my focus group of one.

My child has attended Linder for the past two years and continues to thrive there. The leadership and staffing continue to adjust as they settle in but I've been impressed with the school's nimble approach. The kids they serve fall into a very unique group - plenty of neurodiversity, some impacted by learning challenges and some with advanced academic ability. They seem to see the students' capacity better than other programs we've experienced. They have done a great job tracking my child's progress against IEP goals. Small class sizes, hands-on projects, Orton Gillingham integrated into the curriculum, and a supportive culture have made it a wonderful experience for my kid so far. It is not a fit for every kid, but worth a look.

Could any middle school parents share insight on the OT campus? Curious about number of 6-8th graders, how advanced they go academically in math and English etc. do they still have a bus from McLean? (Website says Arlington)

Far too many things fall through the cracks at the school. There are no firm policies on illness reporting, incident reports, and accidents, grades, or conferences. Some of the concepts are good if they were enforced. But very little seems to be enforced here. My child is not making the progress that I expected, and the communication with most of the teachers is poor. I’m looking into other schools for my child next year. I feel like they promise a lot but deliver on very little. They talk about zero tolerance for bullying, but my child has been bullied here, and nothing seems to be done about it.

about the fact they are supposed to be registered…just contact the VA state board of education! it is required for all private schools that service kids with IEPs to be licensed. the state opts to not always enforce the law alas…here it would have spoken volumes about the quality of the education delivered..but the law is on the books. if a kid ever wanted to attend linder using public school funds, if the parents could successfully make the argument that what linder provides is better than a public school offering, no public funds could be used because linder is lacking that state license.

Anonymous wrote:By servicing IEP kids they are supposed to be registered and accredited through the state. They aren’t. Granted the law is on the books and the state doesn’t always opt to enforce it but why are they not inline with the law? Neighbor has been going for a while and learned only minimal skills..kid is 2e but can barely read and isn’t a newbie there. Zero concept of math and if $20 will pay for a $5 item when we took the kid shopping. Buyer use caution!!

Do you have a cite for this statement that a private schools serving kids with disabilities must be accredited through the state?

By servicing IEP kids they are supposed to be registered and accredited through the state. They aren’t. Granted the law is on the books and the state doesn’t always opt to enforce it but why are they not inline with the law? Neighbor has been going for a while and learned only minimal skills..kid is 2e but can barely read and isn’t a newbie there. Zero concept of math and if $20 will pay for a $5 item when we took the kid shopping. Buyer use caution!!

Current Linder parent. I can't say enough good things about the school, and especially the head Kristin. They're super nimble, do great field trips, and small class sizes to really provide personalized feedback.

Would love feedback on the school too. I noted they were bringing on a BCBA, which is good, but also wondering the range of issues there.

Would really like to hear more especially for older kids. It's rare to see a school describe itself as so inclusive and sound like they mean it, but hard to tell if they actually live up to it.

Any new thoughts now that the OT campus has been up and running? I'm talking to them on Monday.