Do you have choices for the middle school? So much of the questions of placement are handled at a very local level. You might consider going in and effectively interviewing the principals of the schools you have access to. Ask your questions there- how do you handle placement with this child's profile of strengths, weaknesses, gifts, and needs?
DRA becomes less and less informative as you move up in grades. Do they use DRA even? How do they measure reading level?
Also to consider, my 6th grader is writing a 2-page essay weekly. How are his writing skills? Will he need support there? Ask what kind of writing demands they will place on him and how it will be supported and evaluated.
For my (diagnosed but remediated) dyslexic DD, it took forever to teach her to type. It's a huge benefit that she's had that skill in place at the start of 6th grade. If you want to prepare, consider getting him up in speed and accuracy on typing. (DD's at maybe 20 words a minute, which is slow but enough)
Last edited by geofizz; 12/21/13 09:38 AM.
