Can I get some help with curriculum choices (comprehensive vs a la carte)

[mykdsmomy]

Ds7 is working at a Kinder level. He will technically be in "2nd" grade in Sept but will still be working at K. We are with a public charter school where I can basically choose my own curriculum (through a list of their vendors that is quite long and includes Gander publishing that has LMB materials).

 

The SpEd dept. is sort of pressuring our "teacher" to encourage us to order a more state standard based curriculum for ds. Their reasoning is 1. He will have to state test starting next year and 2. They want a curriculum they can track his progress with. Right now we are using a mixture of things but honestly he is still working on building blocks like letter recognition, rhyming, etc. He knows his letters but since he has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (and a host of other challenges including ADHD, bipolar, anxiety, LD's) he has days where he "loses" some of the things he previously knew.

 

His RSP teacher thinks a state standard curriculum will not do him much good and I agree but I definitely like the idea of being able to track his progress a little easier than I'm able to now.

 

Any thoughts on a comprehensive curriculum we could use that would go by state standards while also moving at a slower pace to help cement those building blocks? OR Is there a specific curriculum you recommend for math and language arts? TIA.....I'm going :willy_nilly: right now trying to research this. :bigear:

[chiguirre]

Would an Orton Gillingham based reading program work for you? They are more step-by-step so you could track what you're doing. What exactly did the SpEd department recommend? Could you get a consult with them to discuss your options and maybe even see samples?

 

Good luck!

[rafiki]

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[mykdsmomy]

Would an Orton Gillingham based reading program work for you? They are more step-by-step so you could track what you're doing. What exactly did the SpEd department recommend? Could you get a consult with them to discuss your options and maybe even see samples?

 

Good luck!

 

I haven't spoken directly with the SpEd dept. This is coming second hand from our ES (teacher/educational specialist). I don't know if I've heard of Orton Gillingham but I'm off to google it right now :) I think they would like to see him doing something like Open Court.

 

I would consider not advancing him to his age/grade level next year.

 

I would also look into homeschooling traditionally, so you have more flexibility.

 

We schooled through a state cyber charter school for three years, so I am familiar with them. I also have a 7 y/o ds who has his own timeline.

 

I wouldn't worry about testing or subjects other than Math and LA's until 3rd for a child like this. Focus on writing, reading, being read to/listening to audio books, and basic math.

 

Just confirming here, has he had a full neurological assessment? What did they suggest?

 

There is no "one size fits all" with these kids as there are so many different combinations of SN's going on.

 

What are you using now for math and language arts? Is he progressing any with those, even if it is at his own rate?

 

My ds is going to have a year 1/2 next year before moving on to 2nd grade. It's clear he's not ready for 2nd grade now, advancing him would only complicate things later.

 

I really like this particular charter school. We had been with K12 before and it was NOT a good fit for our family. We have flexibility here and ultimately it's my decision on what curriculum we choose so I'm ok with it. He has had a full neurodevelopmental assessment. They basically recommended repetition, slow pace, etc. He is an extremely complex little boy and like you said there is no one size fits all :(

Right now we are using (and I have to use that term lightly because honestly just getting him to cooperate to do a few pages is exhausting) a DK K level math workbook, lots of alphabet tracing worksheets, flashcards for rhyming, letter recognition, etc., lots of unit studies (nature, community helpers, safety, health, etc), reading books, some games. I also have HOP but he can't even begin that until he has his letters cemented. He knows all of his letters BUT there are days when he forgets a few and then days where he knows them all :(

We've also used HWT, ETC, Starfall, and Headsprout (I think that's the name).

I do believe he is progressing. He didn't know all of his letters at the beginning of this school year and now he has them down. He didn't know his numbers 1-10 and now he has them down as well. He is also more cooperative when his RSP teacher comes over. She is seeing progress in him as well.

I think the school has to advance him? I'm not certain about that. They realize he's working at a K level and they are ok with that, but they don't want to hold him back. I need to look into this more though. Thanks so much for the help. I do appreciate all the great suggestions. I'm feeling overwhelmed at the moment and would love to just have all the answers fall into my lap *sigh.

[PeterPan]

Do they do IEP's for charter schools?? Seems to me he ought to have an evaluation and get an IEP, otherwise you're going to have a perpetual hassle.

[mykdsmomy]

Do they do IEP's for charter schools?? Seems to me he ought to have an evaluation and get an IEP, otherwise you're going to have a perpetual hassle.

 

He does have an IEP. He gets speech, OT, and RSP services in our home. There is a lot of freedom in what curriculum I can choose. I just wanted some input from other moms since I'm getting the opinions from the charter school pov. (if that makes sense?) :)

[Dobela]

I would continue HWT. For math I would seriously consider Math U See (MUS) or Rod and Staff. Both are and steady with lots of repetition. I also like the Saxon K math for someone at his level, but definately not the first grade Saxon.

 

As a former teacher we never 'passed kids on' unless they were on an IEP and then they passed each year if they were meeting the goals and objectives in the IEP. By the time they reached graduation they would receive a certificate of completion rather than a diploma.

[siloam]

I would go with programs proven to work with LD kids, and not something build to work for main stream children.

 

Heather

[Mission-Driven-Mom]

We have been using Stevenson's Learning Skills for reading, http://www.stevensonlearning.com/

 

I chose it because I liked many aspects of their program but one unique quality was how they incorporate mnemonics to aid in memory storage.

 

My dd (K) has had a terrible time with letter-sound recognition and letter recall and did not do well with other traditional phonics programs...she is doing well with this program and just started putting some words together. Her letter sequencing (writing) has improved as well with the way they teach it. I also have a ds10 who is doing the overlapping program/blue program and he is doing well with it too. I wish that he would have started it earlier b/c it is hard to break bad word attack habits that he has already formed :tongue_smilie:...but we are working on it! Lastly, it is very parent friendly and designed for LD learners.

 

We use Math-U-See and Math Mammoth...I like their approach and the blocks and diagrams help them see the patterns and sequence which is helping them think beyond the concrete. I have heard alot of people talk highly of RightStart Math since there is alot of learning through game playing. I am thinking about with my dd for next year, due to the minimal writing, since I really haven't started an official cirric...she reverses most all numbers still and her memory is poor.

 

I know it's hard to comb through everything that's out there! Hope you find something that will work and make all involved happy!!