I am moving to Florida and in search for a good "special school" for my son who is doing really poor. And i would like to know if it is hard to get admission into the middle schools?
Am looking for good schools in West palm or Miami
Parent Answers to "Am looking for good schools in West palm or Miami"
I live in Palm Beach county and we have a lot of public magnet schools. Perhaps what your child needs is a curriculum that focuses on something he is interested in. My daughter is a senior now and is in IB at Atlantic Community High School and has enjoyed her public school experience. So check out the magnet schools and see if your son might be interested. There are a lot of resources in our public school system here if you look for them.
It sounds like it would be in your son's best interest to have a formal educational evaluation done, to see whether he does, in fact, have any learning disabilities, before you seek out a specialized school. Many people mistakenly think that kids with LDs aren't smart, but in fact children can be "gifted" with very high IQ's, and still have LDs or ADHD. It doesn't mean they can't learn, but they often do learn in "different ways," not the typical "student sits quietly and listens while teacher lectures" that many schools still use. The other thing is that children may not have LDs, but they can still have ADHD, and it can affect student's performance, too. ADHD is considered a medical diagnosis. For that, you can consult your son's pediatrician, and get a referral to a child psychologist. www.help4adhd.org
Unfortunately, if your son has been staying at a public school, they could have done an LD evaluation at your request. Schools usually have 60 days to do it. Since school is now out for the summer and you will be moving, that isn't going to happen. You can still pay to have a private evaluation done this summer, so you know what kind of placement he needs in fall.
I would really encourage you to join us in the Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11554, for additonal advice and support.
Thanks for your reply. Yes i mean private schools that focuses on students with learning disabilities. He has never been tested before. He doesn't have a "disability" per say, but he is just doesn't have interest in education. He doesn't try hard enough and doesnt really care about his grades. So i thought a special school would be best for him.
Hi. When you say you're looking for a "special school" do you mean private school that focuses on students with learning disabilities, or a public school? Have you tried using Greatschools "Find a School" feature on the green menu bar near the top of this page? You can enter a location and grade level, and see a list of all schools in a given area. Public ones are rated from 1 (low) to 10 (high) based on how their students performed on statewide testing. You can click on individual school names in blue font, to find out more details about each one.
With regards to your son's struggles, has he ever been formally tested for learning disabilities? Does he have an IEP? You might like to join us in the Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/11554 for additional advice.
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