<p>@Ebonygirl. Your public school will HAVE to listen. I can’t get into details but the other mom’s are correct - have him tested by a clinical or neuropsychologist. Many are covered by insurance. They can write formal letters outlining accommodations needed.</p>
<p>If the public school does not work with you - then run (don’t walk) to the state commission on human rights and file a complaint.</p>
<p>If your son is certified to have a disability, the feds have some laws in place to make sure that institutions taking public money make appropriate accommodations (keep track of everything and every file and note every phone call until then). If the school doesn’t make the accommodations, it is likely that the state AG will get the go ahead to sue them. Outcome can include changes, large fines, etc.</p>
<p>I’m speaking from personal experience (and we did win).</p>
<p>Keep fighting for him! The department of education should be aware of the hurdles you are having. If not, let them know. I do believe there are private schools for children with IEP’s/disabilities. Schools are not suppose to discriminate.</p>
<p>If you were in a room with 10 people, 9 of them would have scored better than you.</p>
<p>That may be a harsh way to look at it, but I think it is important for you to realize that yes, these are very low scores. I think schools would be very concerned about your ability to do the work and be successful.</p>
<p>Awesome12: Yes, most AOs, parents, and applicants, will perceive your scores as quite low. However, it is absolutely no indication of your intellectual capability. If you look at the previous page, I listed my “far below average ISEE and SSAT scores”. Although they are very low, I know for a fact that it doesn’t necessarily mean that the applicants with higher percentiles are in anyway, “better”, “smarter”, or more “intellectual” than I am. Hell, some of the applicants who were accepted to Andover, Exeter, Deerfield etc., have terrible grammar, can’t spell, and can’t think their way out of a paper bag… I’m sorry, I don’t mean to come off as crude. However, I refuse to believe that EVERY SINGLE admitted applicant is exceptionally “intellectual or smart”. Let’s put this into perspective. There is a difference between being smart and being intellectual. I personally believe that being smart, is something that is innate. Intellect is something that you can cultivate over time. Some of these applicants may be very disciplined, motivated, and smart. However, only a handful of them are truly intellectual… At least, that’s my take on it.</p>
<p>@starkali - you are right, there are many attributes that make a person “smart” that cannot be measured by standardized tests. And there are many highly intelligent people that do not perform well on tests for a number of reasons. Test scores (or grades for that matter) absolutely do not define the “worth” of a person. </p>
<p>But - in the world of schools (and not just boarding schools), test scores do matter. Why? Because schools are looking for a way to quantify readiness, aptitude and achievement. Schools that have the ability to hand-pick their students (and that includes private schools, as well as a fair number of charter schools) look at test scores to help them determine if a student will be able to be successful at their school. If the freshman English class requires the student to read and comprehend material at a high school level or above, but the student’s test scores seem to show that the student is reading and comprehending at a much lower level, then the school is rightfully concerned that the data indicates the student may not have the necessary foundation to handle the class.</p>
<p>Earlier this year I spoke with the head of admissions at a highly selective school, and he talked about “outliers.” He said that any data point in an application that was outside the “normal range" was a potential problem. (And it’s a whole other discussion to speculate how different schools might define a “normal range.”} Having an “outlier” in an application is certainly not an automatic “deal-breaker,” but something that they look at pretty closely. And I would guess that the farther out of the norm, the more of a potential problem it could be. </p>
<p>An applicant may be an absolutely fantastic individual - talented in many areas, caring and kind, and a natural leader. But the academics at many of these schools are so incredibly challenging and rigorous that the admissions officers want to make sure the students they admit can handle the work. These institutions are, after all, first and foremost schools, and their <em>perception</em> of an applicant’s demonstrated ability to succeed in the classroom is probably the baseline requirement that they consider.</p>
<p>“Earlier this year I spoke with the head of admissions at a highly selective school, and he talked about outliers. He said that any data point in an application that was outside the normal range” was a potential problem. (And its a whole other discussion to speculate how different schools might define a normal range.} Having an outlier in an application is certainly not an automatic deal-breaker, but something that they look at pretty closely. And I would guess that the farther out of the norm, the more of a potential problem it could be. "</p>
<p>Thank you do much for posting this information. I’ve been struggling to understand the decisions my son received and trying to ponder why things turned out the way they did. The explanation provided here was not one I had considered yet. My child is a definite outlier. (I’m assuming “outside the normal range” applies to either end of the curve, high and low.) When looked at from this perspective the decisions reached are a tad more palatable.</p>