Recently ID'd with dyslexia and presumed ADD-I. Significant introvert and likes a steady routine.
She is in a K-6 elementary which feeds to a 7-12 Jr/Sr high school. School has generally not been a good fit but we've muddled through - least worst and all that. 6th grade is where they start switching classes, and get all the fun stuff of the oldest students (saftey patrol, news team, teachers aide, special field trips, end of year dance, 'graduation', etc.)
How does your dd feel about possibly switching? My gut feeling is that even though you've had to muddle through where she's at - 6th grade is a year with a lot of perks she may have been looking forward to, and if she likes structure and routine, the idea of switching schools might be stressful to her unless she's very unhappy where she's at.
This school, though generally well regarded (well, it's an "A-rated" school based on the various standardized tests) doesn't handle out-of-the-box so well - we had to fight for the grade skip and their perspective on technology is a little dated - e.g. my DD is not allowed to bring her Kindle to school, as it is considered an unacceptabled electronic device, on par with cell phones and ipods. 2-3 computers in classrooms, although there is a computer lab, which they get access to 1/2 hour once a week as a class. All classes have smart boards.
JMO - I don't think the no-Kindle policy is necessarily a sign of a school with a dated perspective on technology. Instead it sounds like a school that isn't integrating Kindles across the board, where most likely not all the kids have Kindles and where the Kindle is lumped in with other electronic devices which can be distraction during class. I'm guessing that the Kindle is helpful to your dd due to her dyslexia (that's just a guess - I have a dd with a memory challenge which impacts reading and she uses the audio option on a Kindle to help with reading). Does your dd have AT accommodations for her dyslexia at her current school? If not, do you feel they would be helpful? Our ds with dysgraphia attended a school that does not have computers in most classrooms but he was allowed to do all of his classwork on a laptop computer that we supply.
Another thing to keep in mind re technology in school when you're parenting a 2e child who uses AT - having up-to-date technology can be a good thing, but it isn't going to guarantee that every child in the school has the specific AT that your child needs to use in the classroom. My ds is now in an extremely tech-friendly school and all the students in his grade will be using iPads next year. DS will also be using an iPad *plus* his laptop, because he has tech needs that aren't available on the iPad.
There is a new charter middle school, near where I work
"Near where I work" sounds good for making it work!
starting next year (they don't yet have a lease signed for the new building, don't have 501(c)(3) status, wet behind the ears, green, new). They did get a significant startup grant and have accepted about 120 students, about 3:1 6th to 7th graders for next school year. They plan to use the grant funding for laptops, tablets and Macs and teach primarily from those resources (including e-textbooks) instead of textbooks, and for band instruments (Arts and Sciences Academy).
It sounds like there is a motivated group of parents behind this school and they have great plans and great ideas. Charter school results though, no matter how great the plans, can end up all over the place. If it was me, I'd consider how your dd feels about where she is now. Is she asking for a change, or does she want to spend her last year of elementary school with her friends, having fun with the upper class perks that are offered at her current school? If you leave her where she is for another year, you at least are dealing with a situation you know well even if it's not ideal, and you can look at the charter school option again next year when the school has a full year of operation underway - which will give you a better idea re are they able to pull off what they say they plan to do, as well as perhaps a chance to talk to some of the parents who's children are enrolled there.
Another thought on the technology at the charter school - our ds' school just started the "all kids on the iPad" plan this past year, and it worked out well - in general - but there were also a few learning curves and discoveries of what works and what doesn't that went on during that first year. I have a good friend who is a middle school teacher who's school went all-Kindle for textbooks this past year and they too felt it was overall a success but went through a few first-year un-foreseen discoveries and challenges.
The charter is clearly focused on college prep and is an outgrowth of a motivated sub-population within a generally poor, rural, and less-educationally motivated region. It appears that upwards of 50% of the students enrolled are ID'd as gifted.
Oh, did I mention that the charter is in a different school district? With a completely different break schedule (except for winter break) from the current school system, where my DS7 is likely to remain.
FWIW, we are sending all three of our kids to different schools to meet their very different needs. It's a bit of a pain in terms of scheduling, but it was also easier in one significant way than I'd ever thought of prior to actually doing it (they were in the same elementary for several years) - the "easy" part was that life became much easier for my two 2e kids once they were in schools which were a better fit for their needs (and it also meant I had to spend much less time advocating for them).
If we did go through the bureaucracy to change districts, I'm not sure we could change back if there is a problem or what hoops that would entail, but it is on my current list of things to research further.
I don't know anything about your area, but fwiw, our school district *has* to let anyone enroll their child in the neighborhood schools where they reside no matter what they were doing for school the previous year.
Best wishes,
polarbear
