Our DS (6) was enrolled in Kindergarten in the public school at the beginning of this year.
We were there about a month and the best they could do for him was to pull him out for reading to go to the third-grade class. Unfortunately, they weren't serious about that...we realized it when I overheard an aide tell his Kindergarten teacher that the third-grade teacher needed his book report.
Um...book report? This kid can read at a fifth-grade level but hasn't a clue what a book report is. They never explained it to him.
So, we pulled him and placed him in a private school. They don't require book reports for the reading, but the teacher has a "beef" with "pushing" children. So, we've allowed him to "tread water" this year with whatever she wants to give him to read. (Maybe third-grade...I'm not sure.) And as far as math, he's been given third-grade worksheets without much instruction.
For example, today I went in early to check up on him and found him in the principal's office doing his worksheet. DS was needing some help with visualizing the answer to a problem, so I suggested a piece of scratch paper. (He asked for a calculator...to which the principal laughed.) I suspect because I was there, the principal gave him scratch paper with which to figure.
What I'm saying is the private school, unless specifically stated, will not be any better with differentiation than public.
There's no way around getting an appointment for a personal plan for your child. Don't expect anything from a private or charter that's not in writing.
We're hoping to hear from a charter that offers blended classes for his first grade year soon. Perhaps you have a charter like that near you?
