Try not to over think the "mediocre" status of the more supportive school. Rigorous academics are not going to help if his LD issues prevent him from accessing the curriculum. It sounds to me like he needs to be set up for success wherever that may be. A non-supportive or overly challenging environment probably won't be the best in that regard.
This is so true. When you have a 2e kid, you almost invariably have to focus on the less desirable "e" first.
In answer to PB, DS has been at his current school since K but both of DS' fantastic advocate teachers from 6th left last year. Thus, we have no institutional memory of his accommodations this year. The school does indeed have only one teacher per subject in 7th grade so no other choices are available.
So, we toured Option 1 today and were SO impressed. When the admissions person mentioned "dysgraphia" as one of the LDs they support in their support program, DH shot me a look of wonder. Later on he whispered "That's the first person, besides you, who has ever
used the word dysgraphia at school!"
We talked to the academic support teacher at length and basically they teach executive function skills (how to prioritize and plan homework, scheduling, organization assistance, etc) through direct instruction and work with the kids in any needed area.
This happens during the 3 advisory periods during the week, so it's 6 hours in the academic support classroom per week that is not a pull out from class time. They also supervise extended time on tests, help with homework, help plan writing assignments, monitor grades and address problem areas and act as DS's liaison and advocate in school. The teacher told us they like to focus on the student's strengths to teach them to compensate rather than only working on weak areas.
The academics are solid enough, if not exceptional, and they have a Mathcounts teams that I know DS will love. Plus no required after school athletics.
Just wow. Where has this school been hiding? It's actually our diagnostician who recommended it when I called to consult with her about DS' disaster in progress. I am pretty much prepared to overlook anything short of human sacrifice as far as religious differences to get him here. I still think 4 years of Bible is a bit much but the pros seriously outweigh the cons.
Thanks all for weighing in with your awesome collective wisdom. It help me make a more clear-sighted and less fear driven decision.
