Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Dyslexic 5th Grader - Levels for Middle School??

I have a very intelligent 5th grader with dyslexia, somewhat on the mild side, but causing him quite a few problems. He was actually denied services here in Colorado because he wasn't at least 2 grade levels behind. I had switched him to a private school where they did recognize that he was underperforming and indeed had dyslexia.

I am thinking about switching him back to public middle school, but I don't know what level he should be at, and how to handle it. I will try and get a 504 in place. We have done alot of remediation in reading and he is holding his own now, but writing is still a big struggle. He is gifted in Math.

I am afraid if I put him back into public school, they will classify him as remedial even though MAPS reading and math are above the 95th percentile. His test scores are all over the place. DRA is low, but MAPS is high. He is such an inconsistent test taker, but definitely scores higher with extra time.

How do I handle putting him back in middle school and figuring out what is right for him? I know being placed in all remedial language arts classes will hurt his self image? But, how do I put him in an advanced class when writing is such a challenge still for him?

What do you do with 2 E kids?

{bumping}

Welcome! Hopefully when others notice your post, helpful BTDT advice will come your way.

Meanwhile, my thought is that you may wish to meet with the prospective school you are considering enrolling him in, and review the various test results with them. Ask what they see as his needs and how they would plan to meet those needs.

This may give you the information you need to make the best (or least-worst) placement decision.

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)

I'm also in CO. It really depends on your local school district and often individual schools. My gifted dyslexic DD11 is in 6th and will be going to middle school next year. We have a 504 in place. We are looking at having her do a gt program but potentially pulling her out to go to traditional language arts. We've had very positive discussions with the middle school so far.

Are you in the Denver metro area or somewhere else in the state? You can PM me if you don't want to put it on the public forum.