DS8 just entered third grade and we're having a really hard time with the school. In our district the kids change schools every 3 years, so we're working with a whole new admin, teachers, etc. Last year he completed the 3rd grade math curriculum while in 2nd. This year they are making him repeat it because "3rd graders do math at 10 and 4th graders do math at 11 so the schedule just doesn't work." On language arts things are marginally better but they still have him years behind where he is. Ugh. He is sad, miserable, angry and acting out.
We had him tested and he had 142 GAI and all his Woodcock-Johnson tests showed him performing in middle-school grade equivalency (which I know is not a great way to describe the data, but just to give you a sense). Dx with mild ADHD (although one neurpsy questions the other on that) and shows some mild SPD symptoms, too.
We met with the full team (school psych, teacher, gifted teacher, social worker, special ed) at the beginning of the year and they just looked at us like deer in headlights over requests for academic differentiation. I talked to the principal yesterday and he was honestly even worse -- heart of gold but utterly clueless. It's clear to me that we are going to have to be the ones demanding specific academic differentiation and I seriously don't know what to ask for. Do I demand he sit in on 4th grade classes? Try to do 1/2 days at school and 1/2 days at home doing distance learning through CTD, Stanford, etc.?
So I'm hoping for examples from the great and generous minds here -- what do your kiddos differentiation plans look like? What did you ask for? What works?
