Since you would be applying as out of state - put in the application as you might be surprised at the assistance she'll receive financially. VA students are not getting the $$$ to attend the VA schools but the out-of-state applicants are getting great packages to come to these schools. Just saying....

So he is reading at grade level but his spelling is not great. I'll be honest - not sure I know a second grader that could spell the word laundry so perhaps things are not as bad as you think they might be. I've read repeatedly over the years as I worked with 4 kids - 3 of which have struggled due to many issues - dyslexic/dysgraphia were just the start...that you don't focus on spelling until you've got the foundation solid when it comes to reading and it sounds like you are still working on this at this point. I'd be inclined to look at All About Spelling and just reaffirm those early lessons of reading - you'd be reviewing skills he already knows and work on those small words he seems to be missing. Take a look at their site - they now have an app that might be appealing. Also look at Logic of English - this works with the phonics instruction and handwriting - yes, I know HWT has been working but with dysgraphia - he's going to hit a wall.

So if you go with the assumption that he is dyslexic/dysgraphic I wouldn't be using Pathways/ETC - they are great, I suppose for review but I didn't find retention in the long run for a struggling student. I would look at something that is OG - for a young student All About Reading would be great - yes, not cheap, but cheaper than Barton. They don't recommend spelling until you've completed the first 3 levels of reading and then you begin to review all those sounds you've learned. I've worked through the AAR and AAS - I completed all of the AAR levels but after level 3 of AASpelling is when I switched back over to Spelling U See. They have specific time guidelines so the child is not writing for long periods of time. When I started SUS I was stopping the writing process but my kids wanted to write more and they didn't like not finishing the selection during dictation so we just kept going - but NOT until they were much stronger in their skills. There are other OG options, obviously but this is what I found worked and was easy to implement and very child/teacher friendly. But it is important to keep in mind that this is not something that can be done independently by the student - it has to be taught - as it should be because once they've learned something the "wrong way" it sure is hard to have them unlearn it 😉 You didn't say what you are using for handwriting instruction?

I was going to suggest/say what Heathermomster said - I looked at each school's website and they actually had a side-by-side list of course equivalents of what transferred and what did not. Both of my kids received AA degrees and transferred seamlessly into universities in the state - one private, one state. We also saved a lot of money doing it that way. I suppose my dd could have done DE but we didn't feel that it was necessary. Around here everyone is pro AP but in the end the acceptance in to the universities were the same for all students - whether they were AP or not. If you have a struggling student - slow processing (my ds is very s l o w because of a major disability) be sure to really check out the services the university provides to those students who need that extra help to succeed. Many large universities don't do much because they don't have to (I know, the laws, etc.) but they just don't. There are plenty of other students without disabilities that can take their spot and it doesn't "cost" the university as much to educate them. Very sad, but very true.

Ok, I'll do my best on giving you a bigger snapshot into this guide (Middle Ages) because I'm currently working through particular guide this year. Keep in mind that Angela O'Dell wrote the foundation of these books before she began working with Masterbooks so they are the same style in writing and content - not particularly deep by any means. There are some added topics that were not necessarily in her original releases many moons ago. First - you need to purchase the set of books. One book is just a reader - colored pictures, sturdy paperback style. The other is the Teacher's Guide. Inside that TG you will find the scheduling pages which you can check off the column as you work through. Also in the TG are the activity pages for the student - you'll need additional copies of the TG if you are teaching more than one student. The answers are in the back of the guide. Each chapter is set up exactly the same. We just finished up Chapter 10 - The Kahns, Genghis and Kublai so I"ll just go over that for a general sample of how a chapter works. You typically read about 4 pages and then, printed in the book is a Narration Break bar noting to talk about the subject you just read about. Then you turn to the TG where the worksheets are located and you'll find a written narration prompt - pretty easy question that you could choose to just discuss aloud. Then, in each chapter there is a half page for Vocabulary. The standard "what words did you find in this week's reading that you didn't know?" and then instructed to look it up, etc. Pretty standard. Following that are 3 questions with room to answer related to the information the student is reading. This page is worked on over the chapter. Next is a page that does change over the chapters-this one gave you a fact and you decide which dynasty it belongs to, last chapter there was a chart to fill in on Japan's social system. Next page is the Map Adventure which correlates to map provided in each chapter and there are 2 questions - pretty standard each chapter. And the final page is something "creative" - this chapter had you draw a cartoon about Maro Polo's adventures. There is then a Timeline page - no gluing or assembling to an overall timeline. Pretty basic and a couple of general questions - like "What do you notice about the timeline? Does anything surprise you? Why?" And the final page for the chapter is called DIg Deeper - this is for the teacher and it provides some additional assignments you could give to your students over the week (similar to MOH). Examples were select one of the dynasties studied in the chapter and learn ore about it and either write or provide an oral presentation. Research the Silk Road and make a map. Every 5th chapter there is an Artist study in which you read about an art style/artist related to the time period - about halfpage of info and there are examples of the art work (black & white). Then there are some suggested activities that you can do or not. There are also architectural studies in the back of the book - again with black & white photos (it would have been nice to have colored ones! I forgot these were even there!) There are also review sheets for each 1/3 of the book and some more artist studies which are all optional. There is also a Church history page in each chapter located in the reader that is quite interesting in that it ties into the Christian influence as it relates to the particular area you are studying. After the first week or so I found the worksheets repetitious. I just do it all orally. What I've ended up doing is using both the reader and the MOH (Book 2 and I think eventually book 3) and connect the topics to add more depth as my kids want more "meat" to the story. I also find videos to add even more. Funny when I saw that the assignment for the week was to draw a cartoon strip (6 boxes) about Marco Polo but I don't think there was enough info in the reader to fill 6 boxes :-). This book is probably great for a 6th grader but an 8th just might not find it engaging enough - I suppose if you add in some of the dig deeper assignments that they could then research and learn more, but week after week of that just might not work for some. I originally chose this book because 1 - it had a planned out TG (which I no longer use and just work through a chapter each week) and the extra studies - it just looked easier to do than MOH. MOH in the Middle Ages guide doesn't have the colored pages/reader like MOH 3 and 4. I also needed something that didn't skip around from book to book (for example HOD where you read same info from various sources). Overall, I think the program is a great foundation but be prepared to add in materials of your own choosing - which is very easy to do without becoming a slave to a IG/program and feeling like you have to do it all!

Just a quick update - things are going very, very well in her classroom. They've gotten into a routine, they understand the expectations and all are learning. My dd is definitely exhausted at the end of the day (and 3 nights per week she heads off to a lecture hall to finish up her college courses!) but she is seeing positive progress. She has teachers that have come to support and encourage her. The principal has recognized her and her works and the change in the kids. Apparently they have been the top behaved class in the lunch room for 2 weeks and counting! and everyone thought it was just luck that 19 kids with a slew of issues were all placed into the same classroom and hence poor behavior. The kiddos just needed boundaries, patience and expectations that are followed through on. This has been one awesome experience that is nothing short of God having His hand on this - each and every day! Those kiddos that had learning/behavior issues - much of those have disappeared and it was discovered that 1 student was actually gifted in math. The student needed challenged with higher order/logic thinking skills. Everyone had been focusing on the bad behaviors by all the kids - until little Miss Mary Poppins (as I lovingly call her) showed up! I'm so excited that I get to witness this young woman bloom in the classroom and pursue her passion!

Is he more comfortable writing say on a white board? Or a doodle board (those now have an option to print out)? I've had great success with the white board and then I found on Zulily one day the equivalent of a notebook, spiral bound, that is a few pages of white board/wipe-off. My ds prefers because it seems to flow easier in the hand to write. I was going to suggest the index card idea but maybe take it even further and use individual numbers, the signs, equals, etc. that he could lay out and move around as he works through the word problem and then do the calculations on the calculator. I know scribing is hard but I've preferred to teach to 100% mastery so once my ds would set the problem up I'd tend to gently instruct a rework using the wording of the problem so that he didn't get frustrated when the answer was wrong -- too much of that caused shutdowns. (We had great success with Mathtacular 4 that Sonlight sells)

Well Friday went really well. Everyone was learning, laughing and enjoying the day. I think that the kids, who had gone on for quite some time without any consistency of a teacher, just really lost their way. They had no boundaries, no rules, and no one in the room that really cared about them. That has all changed now. My dd is working mighty fierce to provide a great learning environment to finish up the year. There is a buzz in the school about this young woman and teachers from the upper level have come down to introduce themselves and meet this teacher who is taking this classroom by storm. 😉

I believe they are meltdowns. The aide does write for her but when the aide or my dd asks her to try she flat out refuses and digs in. At this point she refuses to do anything at all. Not sure how she made it to Kindergarten! It would be nice if my dd had more info to work with on helping her but thus far those "files" seem to be under lock and key and only the original teacher has the access but refuses to return the keys to the school (looooonnnngggg story-which hopefully ends on Monday). Overall these kids have had 1 horrible year and my dd is trying her best to fix what she can and get them ready and up to speed for 2nd grade - before the end of June!

My dd has had a whirlwind of excitement over the past 2 weeks! She is graduating in May with her Education degree with her provisional teaching license (our state requires a Masters - she's over halfway there with that!) and was given a very challenging 1st grade classroom. She went in as a sub and 2 days later principal moved mountains to have her take over the job. Teacher had been absent most of the year so kids are verrrrryyyy behind. She is working hard on bringing them up to grade level and they are responding well. There were subs who actually refused to stay in the room or come the next day because they said the kids were horrible. Well, my dd comes in (I've coined her the Mary Poppins of teaching) and by lunch time the kids were calm and behaved. People were shocked when, at the end of the day, she was asked if she was coming back and she said Yes, of course! Well, now that the kids are settling down and she is there full time the kids are beginning to test the boundaries - which, my gal is a strong-willed gal so they don't get far! But she has this one little gem that she'd like to reach but thus far the behaviors haven't improved and nothing is working. Does she have any paperwork to document any disabilities - she has an aide that comes in sporadically but my dd says that she really can do the work but defiantly chooses not to - beginning with putting her name on a sheet of paper. Yesterday the class was 15 minutes because she wouldn't cooperate. She refuses to write - anything. Won't copy from the white board. But she can do it when the aide is sitting right next to her - but there is a lot of cajoling to get it done. They had an outline of a 5 line - only write 1 word poem and my dd helped her come up with the words for the blanks, wrote them on a white board for her to copy - refused. The minute they are handed a project/worksheet - immediately the "I can't do it" comes out and refuses to even give it a try. She also has melt downs immediately with peers or teacher/aides when she doesn't want to do something or it doesn't go her way. There is talk of retention. So, anybody have any strategies she might try to achieve some success in reaching this young student? She's tried most of the ones I've used over the years with my ds (ASD) but not working here. My dd is so in love with the kids - they've immediately become hers. Another student rarely speaks, rarely gets work done and requires an aide that comes in throughout the day to help get the work done - is talking and doing work on his own! My little Mary Poppins is taking the teaching world by storm but sure could use some strategies to reach this little one.

College accommodations are great - if they implemented. Just because the paperwork says to do xyz, that doesn't necessarily mean it will happen. I know, the laws, etc., but once they hit college the rules get murky at best. There is an organization who is working on getting legislation passed that will better protect and get/keep the accommodations needed for the college level because it is well documented that colleges just don't do what they should be doing for kids who need that extra help. The thinking is that there are plenty of kids to fill the spot so why spend more to help one. ;-( Starting at the CC level was definitely a plus for us. While I had been the advocate over the years, my ds was able to learn to speak for himself and I was close by to help/encourage him to find his voice and advocate for himself. It was recommended in his first years that he meet each professor before the start of the semester and introduce himself, present the MOA (his accommodations) and answer any questions. This was very helpful as he embarked upon the college world. I'll never forget the professor that asked my ds why he was taking a speech class since he struggled to hear and couldn't easily understand the spoken word. He got an A in the course and made some awesome speeches! The CC counselor was absolutely wonderful. The only learning curve with that experience was learning what "note taker" meant. Most people think the school provides this service - but that is not the case. The student has to find a fellow student who is willing to share their notes with them, or use special paper that copies it on to another paper, email them, something to get them the notes. Only when the student is unable to find someone will the professor step in and ask fellow students to fulfill this request. Overall, there has to be a better way! He is now finishing up at the big university and the disability office has been a struggle since day one. He was actually told by a counselor that he "needed to listen better." Geez, I sure bet he would if he could! His hearing loss was also compared to a counselor's elderly mother's hearing loss that occurred because she's old. Yeah, right!!!! Between my ds' provider and me, we finally found the right trigger words that resulted in getting the accommodations he needed approved and implemented but it shouldn't have been this hard and there is way more room for improvement. The most disappointing thing we learned is that they are training many future sign interpreters to help the deaf/hard of hearing, but they do a pretty crappy job of helping their hearing impaired students. It will take some time but your dd will find her voice and she'll use the accommodations as needed. Sometimes the student finds they don't need them all the time, etc. but as long as they are on the list, they are there to use as needed. Be prepared for a very worn out kiddo as they adjust to the new environment. Don't rush it. Prepare to take a little longer to accomplish the degree if necessary. These students get stronger over time but they need a wealth of patience, understanding and lots of love!

Just a rambling thought but with some recordings the student is able to practice more than just reading skills. If the reading has been done with flare, shall we say, so you hear and experience the emotions the author has tried to present it allows the student to have a deeper experience - not just with the practice of reading words but with understanding the story on a deeper level and over time they learn to look or listen for those key moments in a story. This is something that we might teach using a workbook or through lots of dialogue but exposing it through listening and allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions sometimes makes that connection much sooner and stronger than discussion and workbook page. We went through a period of time in which my two younger boys (one who is dsylexic/ASD and one who is gifted) listened to just about every Hank the Cowdog story we could find at the library. The recordings were full of emotion, sound effects, etc. which really engaged my listeners - but the "beep" sure would have been helpful. I remember many moons ago my sister and I listening to books on cassette tape - and the beep. I will say that there were a few series that my struggling learner worked through immersion style but once he found his preferred genre we just picked books at the library as the low end of reading and he just got stronger and more confident over time by reading on his own - something I wasn't convinced would ever happen. He has read just about everything there is to read in the kids, YA and adult section on WW2 because that has been his passion. Important to note - for academic reading it is read aloud to him because that is his best avenue for retention of important information.

Because you live in VA and can pay the EFC (or not!) you won't get much of any tuition help if you apply to schools in Virginia. I learned this (and we didn't have $10,000 sitting around to pay the EFC) and others have shared similar experiences. My oldest attends Liberty as a transfer student (we put our two oldest through NOVA because we could afford that without debt). He is not ultra religious or very religious but has found a mostly welcoming environment (he is hearing impaired and that has presented some challenges that I don't believe the university has done a good job in assisting but I've learned that many colleges would have performed about just as well). He believes that if he had started as a Freshman when they focus on helping the students form connections and groups in to which they enjoy the transition would have been even better. He has a personality in which I thought he'd do better at a smaller setting but it has stretched him in many, many positive ways. Now my dd is a different ball of wax. She is at George Mason - smaller campus and there is a greater mix of commuter students. That was not her first choice by any stretch of the imagination - she applied to all the bigger VA colleges and even with her 4.0 GPA and high test scores the cost of attendance was too high because of housing. She is able to live at home. Biggest issue there is their push for "Integrative Studies" degrees - check out the course listings and you'll see some issues! She has stuck to her foundation and has done fine but we've had some really wonderful discussions and frustrations but thankfully she has had no issues. Most interesting is that most students don't buy the agenda that is being pushed on them. They just want to get the required degree to pursue their dreams. Many moons ago I would have suggested checking out Marymount University - small, Catholic-based but I took both of my kids to visit and the atmosphere on campus is definitely changed since I attended! For a student who is interested in business and some day working in DC, they do offer great assistance in an internship and forging those connections later on down the road. What about Mary Washington? Christopher Newport? You might be further ahead checking out colleges in North Carolina. I found that location to home and ease of getting to and from was a factor for us - but each family is different. If we had to pay transportation costs or even having a young driver on the road for hours, was definitely high on the decision list. Look at schools outside the state --

Still sorting through things and will be making an appointment to work on the visual aspect of his struggles. After scanning through the paperwork again, what stood out to me today is "cognitive abilities are unevenly developed." I took him and his brother out for breakfast and we had a great discussion - one topic we discussed is how do you handle listening/supporting a conversation with a friend that is on a subject that you either know nothing about or care about. My fellow said he would find it hard to continue on (indicative of his issues) while the younger one said something along the lines of listening and perhaps asking some questions to get more information about subject. I guess my next call will be to find a social group that might help grow some of those types of skills.

Thank you so much for the encouragement and feedback. I'm still trying to get school underway for the year and muddle through this big ball of information. I'm still finding some things a little hard to make sense of - like the adhd and the recommendation of the meds. I understand this has helped many people - young and old - but I'm not one to make this jump quickly because frankly, I'm not seeing that part of the equation. Two olders have anxiety issues - at times, yes, I see that. What I see is the EF issues - memory, physical act of writing, thoughts produced in an orderly way (he has some great creativity but getting it out is a big issue) and some personal interaction issues (I'm thinking this is where the ASD is playing in to the equation). I wake up everyday thinking life has changed but I haven't caught up yet but then I look around and nothing is really different than it was yesterday or last week. Relationships with each other are close and supportive and, at times, typical brother/sister but enjoyable.

I so very much appreciate the encouragement and kindness and support over the past days -- I don't have anyone in real life that I can talk with regarding options, solutions, ideas to try, etc. Yes, I can share the dx and my concerns but they have no experience in moving forward and taking this challenge on. I've been down this grieving process before - almost 10 years ago when my oldest ds was dx with a severe hearing impairment - which is when I learned there is a grieving process but then I found my feet and marched on and now that young man is finishing his college degree and moving forward. It has, in no way shape or form, been easy. I knew this child would be challenge but I didn't know how much of a challenge. I guess my next step is to find someone to evaluate the visual weaknesses and we'll rule in/out the auditory on Monday. I'll also reach out to the local autism group that has a wealth of information and contacts to move forward. I've looked at the linguisystems but the strange thing is that his vocabulary is average - on the upper side. His biggest issues are putting the thoughts together in his head and then on paper and have them in some logical order. Spelling skills are very low - yet, each week when I do a dictation from Spelling you See he does pretty well. I do prompt, remind a rule and we work through it slow and steady versus the timed instruction. He also can not put things - like numbers - in order in his head and then repeat them aloud. So I guess sequencing skills need work. But when playing a video game with very involved strategies/war tactics he's an ace and can think well ahead of the possible outcomes. What can I do to work on memory? Are there games? activities? stuff that wouldn't overwhelm him and cause him to shut down? There is a suggestion of stimulant meds - not sure what to do there. Haven't looked up the effects. This is going to be an issue with my dh because for 25 years his career was drug interdiction. He has concerns with meds - took awhile for him to see the benefits of anxiety meds for oldest ds - we got there but it was a long road.

I ran some errands today and with the week of rain and more rain to come I'm just plain blue and gloomy today. Basically, the DX included the Level 2 which makes him eligible for SSI. ADHD, Slow processing, EF, dysgraphia and Impairment in Written Expression. Couldn't rule out Dyslexia. Developmental ophthalmologist was recommended but I'm not sure that it this point I couldn't be doing things to help him without another big medical expense. Visual abilities were in the average range but they fell in the low range. Would an evaluation rule in or out the presence of a visual processing disorder? Is this fixable? When he hears information he mostly retains although can not put facts in order but his visual memory is below average.Verbal comprehension was average with perceptual reasoning was low average. Working memory is borderline. I feel like I was given this 20+ page report, discussed some key points and now I'm out there on an island trying to figure out what to do next. Ugh! The county finally sent me the approval I needed to keep him homeschooling for 1 more year and during this year I'm going to have get things lined up and see what I can do to build up weaknesses and see where we go from there. I just wish someone would tell me - do x y and z and if it is going to help and make improvements then it will and if not, go to plan b. My dh still sees this young man going to college and working a full-time job. I think we should look at something vocational and I'm not convinced he'd make it 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Not sure if this is something that can be built up over time or it is just what it is. She provided a few places to call for assistance and I'll attack that starting next week after the audiologist. I'll check the Linguisystems but again, just wish I knew better on what to pick - I'll try anything. I know I was asking about math earlier this week and I'll probably get the college book on basics, plan on lots of visuals and maybe a workbook or two on word problems - but those need to be elementary level that we can work through step by step, repetitive practice. Provider did assure me that the homeschooling was a good choice and he has done better than he would have in the school setting/system.

I finally received the results for my ds' testing. I knew what was going on and basically I was spot on but I wasn't prepared to actually hear the dx of Autism - Level 2. That threw me. There were some issues with his hearing and since older ds has major issues I've already got that scheduled but probably not linked - just more of very crossed wires in the brain. I'm still reading through the report on my own and reading the recommendations as to how to proceed. He has severe dysgraphia - which even effects his ability to type so I'm going to have to try speech apps to see if that is a tool he can use with any success. College is a big question. He can barely put thoughts in any order on paper - not sure if he can do with a text app - so this may be a problem. Under ADA the accommodation of requiring professors to use a multiple choice test versus short answer/essay - may or may not be accepted. Definitely struggling with EF and low working memory. I thought there were some options to try to improve that?? Physical therapy to help with the motor coordination regarding the dysgraphia. I'm still thrown by the Level 2. But he has good self-esteem and is comfortable in his own skin. Stable emotionally. He does great with computation in math, albeit very slow, but word problems and setting them up - big problems there. He can read a passage of material, very slowly, and answer the questions but can not read silly made up words. And then there is that Level 2.

Thank you for the feedback. I found sample exams for the 8 units the college tests on to decide upon placement. Basically you work through each level until you miss too many and then, depending on how far you made decides whether you score into developmental courses or degree-driven math courses. If I get him through level 4/5 we'll be good as the higher levels are more STEM driven and not thinking that is where he is headed. I've printed out Unit 1 and 2 and my ds is working through those and from those results we'll review and reteach the skills that he has completely drawn a blank on - I can see a few just from watching him go through the first 18 questions (there are 36 for unit 1). I think the Lials Basic college math book I found on Amazon will probably work on reviewing those weak skills. I've also seen a Lials book that reviews basic, pre algebra and algebra which might be a better choice but the book weighs about a million pounds and is about 7 inches thick! ha ha! Thankfully I have access to an awesome used bookstore that has lots of books to choose from which has been a great help.

Me!!!! and my ds doesn't drive so I will have to go get him (3 hours drive). Hoping they make some decisions tomorrow so I can plan accordingly. Will get the oil changed in the morning so the van is ready to go without any issues, Hoping they make decisions sooner versus later. Forecast keeps changing...

I'm looking for a math textbook - not online stuff - to help my senior work through and shore up his Algebra. I was intrigued by the Learn Math Fast books so I printed off the practice tests. He did pretty well and with a few reminders he worked through most everything and began getting hung up with algebra skills (slope, for example). He remembered solving for x and the distributive property but, alas, factoring and completing the square were not remembered without a whole lot of prodding. As long as the formula was provided for geometry problems, he could work through those. We've used MUS through almost all of Alg 2 and overall during the use of the program he did pretty well - some days/lessons were better than others. I know that he struggles with memory/retention but with visual cues (formulas on a list, for example) he appears to do pretty well. I'm waiting on testing results (next Thursday) to confirm and learn more specifics of what his LDs are for sure and how to accommodate and make a plan for the year to get him graduated (we delayed it for a year). He still has a strong desire to attend the local CC so with that in mind my main goal is to have him place high enough in the Compass placement test for the local CC in the spring to hopefully avoid the developmental math courses and place in basic math courses that count for credit for a non-stem/science major. Current thoughts are another algebra course ? I've looked at Introductory Algebra (Lials) and the Jacobs one offered at Masterbooks but any other suggestions would be much appreciated. I know there is Khan on the computer but screen learning is definitely not a good fit for this fellow. At this point I'm comfortable teaching the course as I've been working through Algebra I and II for the past 2 years so it is definitely very fresh in my mind. ?

I'll tell her to give it a try - didn't think of that. Told me oldest to give it a try but he hasn't done that yet - hoping he will because he'd use it in a different way because he has completely different issues. ?

I'm having great success with Spelling U See but the vision thing had me intrigued but I'm in agreement with Storygirl - just didn't know if it would work for someone else. On a side note - I'm getting the results from my ds (high school age) next week and will finally have a bigger picture of exactly what I'm dealing with and how to help him and what path(s) we need to take.

My dd is using (college coursework) and loving it thus far! She has not been successful in getting it to work on her Ipad or Apple PC but phone ap is working.

I was perusing the homeschool buyers coop and noticed this little gem of an offering : https://dyslexiagold.co.uk/ Has anyone seen this?